Intro
In the world today we get to live through a very interesting time. Some call it “multi-polar”, not referring to global warming, but a time in which the question of who is the world’s greatest power may be asked. As this question is being asked peoples and nations have so far seemed to have a tendency to tighten up their borders, define people as “us or them” more than usual. As a mission we are already seeing this in places like Britain and similar feelings across Europe, as well as, America.
It is not that it only happens during a multi-polar environment, but it can happen more openly and with greater justification.
Now in Acts…
As we read what Paul says here, in Acts 17:16-34, it sounds like God does have a hand in the forming of nations, when and where they exist, and that He does have a purpose in doing so. God’s purposes are not about being a dictator or an absolute story writer, but rather He does so that perhaps the nations can learn even more about Him.
I don’t think that Paul is just coming up with ideas here.
As we read the old testament we can see where God did this very thing.
After the flood God dispersed the people at the tower of Babel, giving them different languages, and creating nations out of them. Now it could be easy to point a finger at this moment of history and claim that differing nations are a bad thing. I don’t think so. Even if this is the first place that nations are mentioned it is not the last. In Revelation John writes of a great multitude of all nations, peoples, and languages gathered around the throne of God, worshiping Him.
With Abraham we see God calling him away from his own nation and into another nation so that all nations would be blessed.
After this we see Rebekah leaving her family and joining Isaac in Canaan. Leaving her family to join another. Leaving other gods and learning of God the Father.
During the lives of Hagar, Jacob, and Joseph we see hostility pushing people away. We also see God revealing Himself in their trouble. God shows Hagar that He sees her and promises to make her son Ishmael into a great nation. In returning to his home Jacob becomes Israel, seeing God face to face. Joseph in all of his trouble sought after God and found Him, becoming a ruler in the process and moving with God to save both Egypt and the children of Israel from famine.
During that famine God brings the children of Israel to Egypt and while they are their makes them into a nation as He calls them out of the same land. Through this He also makes His name known to all the nations in the land.
He also makes His character clearly known to the Children of Israel who then begin to write their stories with God down and so pass their understanding of God’s character on to us.
Our difficulties with all this…
God doesn’t stop here, but He keeps on revealing Himself to the children of Israel and to the nations around them. God desires to be known and as He moves in the nations He makes Himself known.
With all this said, as nations and people, we don’t usually respond well to being moved around.
When new people come into our lives who look different or do things different than us we generally call them names. We refuse to give them thought. We find what we want is more legitimate than what they want.
This isn’t a new thing.
In your spare time do go there, but for now remember back to the story of how sin entered our world. It’s all in Genesis chapter 3.
We see Adam and Eve in a good place, in good relationship with one another, but in a vulnerable place as well. Their vulnerability wasn’t in God’s lack of protection, but in our lack of action. God had called mankind to both protect and develop. To be both warriors and gardeners.
Adam and Eve did not defend the garden, but listened to the serpent’s lies.
As soon as we see sin in the life of mankind we see anger, accusation, shame, an incredible and immediate separation of relationship between two people who were not before separated and separation with relationship with God as well. This was just after only one sin!
Since that point, immediately and over the thousands of years we see our story of relationships with each other getting worse. The very next story in the Bible is about murder. One generation from the first sin we see murder and jealousy in the picture. As we go on stories keep on getting more numerous and greater until we are where we are at today.
The only way out of this mess is through Jesus Christ, the way, the truth, and the life.
As we give ourselves over to His grace and His Lordship we can actually make a difference, we can actually change. We have no excuse to be stuck in this same rut while Jesus is standing on the side willing to pull us out of it.
Moving onto Daniel…
In the book of Daniel we again see God’s commitment to make Himself known.
In disobedience the kingdom of Judah is exiled to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar is there and he recruits some of the princes and well off kids to become his magicians and wise men. Daniel was among them, as well as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They served the king and testified to him of who God really was and what He is like.
Over and over again God makes Himself known to King Nebuchadnezzar. Through many dreams, visions, and experiences God does seem to win over the King’s heart near the end of his life too.
Again, at a later time we see God showing Himself to King Darius. And again, we see the King responding to the experience of having to throw Daniel, his friend, into the den of lions by running back to the den the next morning asking desperately, “Daniel! Was your God able to deliver you?” If you don’t know the story, Daniel called back with, “Yes.”
In both of these situations the children of Judah were not where they wanted to be and yet God was using them to make Himself known. They were uncomfortable and the people around them couldn’t refuse the power of their God.
Eventually God called them back to Jerusalem and they were able to go, and still God made Himself known in brand new ways during the lives of Ezra and Nehemiah.
Still, the best was yet to come, Jesus was still yet to come!
In our days…
Just the other day I was trying to find something good and educational for Jay Edward to keep himself busy with. So I looked through Netflix for some nature shows and I stumbled on an episode about the Frank Church Wilderness. A biologist and his wife spent a year in the wilderness following wolves, elk, deer, salmon, etc…
At one point they spotted an injured elk and saw that the wolves had started following it. They had their cameras ready and thought they were about to capture some excellent footage of the wolves hunting, but that didn’t happen. As the elk was separated from the herd the wolves started getting closer and then another elk showed up. A perfectly healthy elk came to help protect the injured elk.
The biologist was flabbergasted. He said, “everything I read about in my textbooks tells me that this shouldn’t happen. This is incredible! This isn’t the survival of the fittest that I read about.”
Some people have the idea that nations are about survival of the fittest.
Again, this probably isn’t a new idea, though, we can see that this is the worldview through which many of the world’s nations have been making decisions. I have at least listened to others say that this is how the world works and in some circles it is a popular view. However, this isn’t how God designed the world to work. It may work itself out in such a way, though, only as long as we are obedient to such a way of thinking.
My father helped me understand this better when I was young and said something silly or asked a question, I don’t remember which.
He told me that when he was young he believed that the Germans weren’t very bright. In his recent history they had lost both World Wars and half of their country was occupied by the USSR. Then, he found out that our space program, one of the most significant things that he knew of, was staffed by many German scientists.
His thoughts of the German people changed as he learned more about who they actually were rather than relying on what he had picked up from his generation’s culture.
I’ve found myself in my father’s shoes many times as I’ve traveled around the world. I’ve learned that lesson in eastern Germany, in the Netherlands, in the Middle East, and South Asia.
On my second trip to South Asia I was busy writing things down when a young boy asked me a question which I didn’t take the time to listen to. He repeated himself and I still didn’t give him much thought. The third time his mother translated what he was saying. “Uncle, may I have some water.”
I realized something about myself at that moment, remembering what my own father had taught me about his experience with the Germans was the same lesson I needed to learn now. I hadn’t paid attention to what my young friend had said not because he was speaking in a different language, but because he was different and I didn’t think he had anything important to say.
Yet, he did have something to say, and said it in a way that was honoring.
What may be our response?
In life I think we really have two choices. We may dishonor God’s character and His calling on our lives by choosing to honor ourselves above others in sin. We are capable of this path. I have seen it at home, in my life, in the governments of nations, etc.
While I was in the Netherlands such an event happened.
A government had been elected that chose to be tough on immigrants and refugees from other nations. As far as I could understand what was going on and as it was told to me, the principle of interaction with refugees was to make this place as uncomfortable as possible so that they would not get attached and want to leave.
That is one way we could look at immigrants and refugees coming to the United States.
The other option is for us to honor God’s character and His call on our lives through obedience to Him. Refugees and immigrants are people on God’s heart, people that He wants to have greater relationship with. In our obedience we can facilitate that. Again, while I was in the Netherlands, the people of the church saw what was happening to the refugees and many of them turned to God in prayer. They believed that God’s heart was toward them just as it says in the Bible. Within only a little time the government fell apart.
When we act in accord with who God is and what He has called us to do, giving place in our hearts for Christ’s grace and lordship, we can change the way things are going in the world and bring people into relationship with a God who wants to make Himself known.
This is what He has called us to do, what do you say?
The Abiding Kingdom 