The Bible and Cultural Whims

By Michael Griego on June 29, 2013 • ( 0 )

A judicial decision shakes and divides a nation once again. What is the bigger context of cultural trends, pressures and opinions in light of Biblical history? ♦

The Bible is full of historical accounts of cultural shifts led by strategic and effective actions, leaders and the assumed will of the people. Recall in Exodus when the Hebrews at the base of Mount Sinai lost faith in an absent Moses. As he was receiving the initial Ten Commandments from God at the top of the mountain, he was gone longer than expected. The doubters rallied, built and worshipped a golden calf. Later in 1 Samuel, a generation of Hebrews defiantly desired a king “just like all the nations.” Again the loud and doubting rabble got their way. Centuries later the same Hebrew people ridiculed and patronized the prophetic word of warning by Ezekiel, one of their own, and ignored the danger coming upon them. Still centuries later in the New Testament we read that this same people praised the arrival of Jesus on one day and days later rejected him in a popular group vote for a known murderer, Barabbas.

Rebellion Doesn’t Pay
All of these situations did not turn out very well for the offending people at that time. The calf worshipping leaders were identified and killed. Generations of Hebrew people suffered under evil king rulers who did not obey and worship the Sovereign God. Ezekiel’s generation were devastated and overtaken by a ruthless Babylonian nation and exiled for decades from their homeland. And that generation who oversaw and voted for the Roman crucifixion of Jesus were eventually themselves obliterated in another fiery destruction of their city, beloved temple, religious leaders and people.

God is not mocked. Nor is He to be ignored, forgotten, side-stepped, rejected or over-ruled.

We Get What We Deserve
The God-ordained institution of marriage took a major hit this week by a 5-4 vote of a human court of men and women. A national decree upholding marriage as between a man and woman (Defense of Marriage Act) was struck down to allow individual states to decide for themselves. So be it. We get and deserve who and what we vote for as leaders and judges. In concept our system of government allows for checks and balances to prevent rogue leaders and groups to usurp power and overrule the will of the people. Let the historians and pundits debate what really happened here. Regardless, this decision flies boldly in the face of Scriptural precepts long-known to man.

This modern stance is very reminiscent of a rebellious and arrogant people who have lost their way and moral compass.

You Are What You Know
Yet the masses won’t hear of it though. While a portion of the people reveled in the decision, a matching portion sadly lamented it. The final predominantly uninformed portion shrugged their shoulders and expressed support, to appear somewhat informed, tolerant and relevant. This is how voting majorities occur. Thus emerges a nation that has a majority of its people turning its back on God, His written Word, and happy to settle for compromised standards of behavior while ironically feeling smug and clever.

Truth Survives
In truth, the following words were spoken by God to Moses, were restated by Christ in his teachings on marriage, and were cited again by Paul in his marriage lessons to the early Church: ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’…each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. (Ephesians 5:31-33) All people must come to their own individual terms with this.

But this Biblical truth and mandate cannot be denied. The whims and will of legislatures, popular polls, foolish kings, rulers, judges and cultural movements are no match. History leaves us blatant evidence of the consequences for rebellious and disobedient people and nations. But let the evidence of the remnant of believers in the Word of Truth give us hope and encouragement to stay strong, courageous, steady and uncompromising.
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“Wives, be subject to your husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior…Husbands love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” – Ephesians 5:22-25