Restoring the West May be Simpler Than We Think
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"But if you turn away and forsake the decrees and commands I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them, then I will uproot Israel from my land, which I have given them, and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my name. I will make it a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples." - 2 Chronicles 7: 19-20
A friend and I were talking the other day after watching some of the coverage of the Democratic National Convention. We discussed America and the state of the Western world, as many of us do during times like that, but he said one thing that really stood out to me. In fact, what he said was so profound it caught me completely off guard.
As we were watching the various speakers discuss the all-too-predictable Democrat talking points he said to me, "In the Bible, didn't God punish his people by allowing them to be ruled by those who hated them?" He continued, "Like, they would turn away and forsake Him, and then he would allow evil outsiders to come in and conquer them and subject them to slavery, high taxes, humiliate them, corrupt their young people, and even at times attempt to genocide them. It was only when they repented that he restored them and sent heroes to save them from their enemies."
Of course, I had read all those stories as a child. As a kid, I was a little soldier at heart, so I loved stories of battles and conquests. Joshua, Judges, Kings and Chronicles were all well-worn in my Bible, much to the dismay of my father, who would have preferred that same attention was paid to the Gospels. Of course, it was because of that knowledge that I knew what my friend had said was right. But I had never thought of it in that way before, or thought to compare that aspect of those chapters to the Western world today.
A few days later I shared a piece of information from some research I was doing for one of the short news videos we create here at Souls and Liberty. Studying the protests in the UK and the immense tyranny that had been turned against the British people, I found that many in positions of authority, including the Secretary of Justice (the equivalent of the Attorney General of the US), who were brutally cracking down on those protesting horrific, and often racial, violent crimes perpetrated by newcomers against the local people, were themselves recent arrivals or the children of immigrants.
The Secretary of Justice, for example, is a staunch Muslim who has said she places her faith at the core of all she does. Understandable from a human perspective, of course, but questionable when clear evidence of two-tiered policing and prosecutions show the system she runs is treating Muslim crimes with a soft touch, while brutally punishing simple social media posts of people showing their concerns regarding those crimes.
I shared my findings about the Justice Secretary and my friend sent a message saying, "See what I mean? Is this not similar to what happened to Israel? They forsook God and God let outsiders rule over them with an Iron fist."
So, I decided to have a look. I cracked open my Bible and noted the numerous instances where Israel went astray and God responded by allowing them to reap the consequences of their actions. In fact, the Biblical record of Israel is an incredible demonstration of the cyclical nature of history and the cause of the rise and fall of nations.
In Judges, 2:11-15 the Bible notes:
"Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals. They forsook the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them. They aroused the Lord’s anger ...the Lord gave them into the hands of raiders who plundered them. He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist. Whenever Israel went out to fight, the hand of the Lord was against them to defeat them, just as he had sworn to them. They were in great distress."
After the Israelites repented and were rescued by the Judges God sent, they again turned from Him. Judges 3:7-8 states:
"The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord; they forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs. The anger of the Lord burned against Israel so that he sold them into the hands of Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram Naharaim, to whom the Israelites were subject for eight years."
The pattern was repeated once again in Judges 10:6-7:
"Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord. They served the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines. And because the Israelites forsook the Lord and no longer served him, he became angry with them. He sold them into the hands of the Philistines and the Ammonites."
This pattern is repeated again and again throughout the history of Israel — in 1 Kings 14:15-16, 2 Kings 17:7-8, 20, 2 Chronicles 7:19-20, Isaiah 10:5-6, Jeremiah 5:19, Jeremiah 17:4, and Nehemiah 9:26-27.
These passages perfectly display the reason why it is so important to teach and train the next generation to walk in the ways of the Lord, to pass on the best of the past so they can continue to carry it forward to the future. And they perfectly outline what happens to any civilization that fails to do that.
However, none quite struck home like Jeremiah 5:19 and Jeremiah 17:4:
"And when the people ask, 'Why has the Lord our God done all this to us?' you will tell them, 'As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods in your own land, so now you will serve foreigners in a land not your own.'"
"Through your own fault, you will lose the inheritance I gave you. I will enslave you to your enemies in a land you do not know, for you have kindled my anger, and it will burn forever."
Across the Western world, the 20th century brought with it exactly the kind of betrayal of God that the Israelites committed throughout their history.
Whether the worship of scientism; of ourselves and our own strength; the worship of Marxism or capitalism as the ultimate goods; the removal of Christ from culture, first from classrooms, then courtrooms (showing we had no desire to raise our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord or have His law in our legal system); or the admiration by our upper classes for Eastern mysticism; we turned as societies against the Faith of our Fathers and the worship of the God that made us mighty for the 500 years prior.
And, surely enough, just like with Israel, we are reaping the consequences today.
But, this close correlation gives us hope. Because the solution to all of Israel's troubles was not in their politics, military strength, birth rate or financial systems.
As soon as Israel repented and returned to God, he provided them with victory. Gideon won their freedom with only 300 men, Deborah won against superior numbers and technology, Ehud won by being left-handed. In each case, it was only the grace of God that gave them victory, and therein lies our hope.
Restoration of the West, like the restoration of Israel, will require a return to foundational values. It will require a return to families and communities, a moral and ethical renewal, a reinforcement of the rule of law, a renewal of Godly cultural identity, renewed national sovereignty, and economic responsibility.
By addressing these areas, the Western world can work toward a renewed sense of purpose, unity, and prosperity; much like ancient Israel was called to return to God and His ways to find restoration. But the most important part of all, the ultimate differentiator, is our return to Christ as our true source of strength. Only then can we win.
God help us to do exactly that.
Editor's note: Learn how the Eucharist can save civilization.
Arthur is a former editor and consultant. Born in India to missionary parents, he spent his early career working in development for NGOs in Asia, Central America, and Africa.
Arthur has an educational background in history and psychology, with certifications from the University of Oxford and Leiden in the economics, politics, and ethics of mass migration and comparative theories in terrorism and counterterrorism. He is currently launching CivWest, a company focused on building capital to fund restorative projects and create resilient systems across the Western world.
Yes, the Bible stories are timeless always repeating themselves in our current times! Are we destined for another repeat, 40 years in the desert even?
You can lead a horse to water but can’t make him drink. Some people will need to be dying from thirst before taking the drink that Jesus gives which quenches our thirst forever. But I think we can still save some peripheral souls, those naturally virtuous souls mentioned in yesterday’s commentary. But God wants to do that with the remnant’s help! Just like he used the servants to fill up jars at Cana, we have to work out of our comfort zones to evangelize, in whatever way, to save the souls who can be sav…
Yes, exellent perspective(s).