We
now know the reality of what they were talking about. Threats to us
as a nation, and threats to us as individuals, exist on many fronts.
The
attempted assassination of two people in Salisbury was carried out
with total disregard for the safety of others who might be
contaminated by the substance used.
Terrorism
raises its ugly head again across the Channel, bringing memories of
atrocities in London just a year ago.
Cyber
threats menace the security of our data and, indeed, our wealth.
Although
there is no clear evidence that our streets are becoming more
violent, crimes against the person are a constant and recurring issue
in the news. Even if you are simply minding your own business, you
can never feel entirely safe these days.
It
is very hard for us today to know quite how to react. It’s easy to
exclaim,
“It wouldn’t happen anywhere near me”.
For people in
Bible times, though, the dangers were very real. God’s people were
surrounded by enemies. Their Promised Land was a highway through
which attackers could come in their quest to become superpowers –
those from the north taking on the nations to the south and vice
versa. Israel was too often the minnow in the middle which could be
plundered, her crops raided as passing armies sought to feed
themselves. Violence, starvation, destruction and captivity beckoned
continually.
God’s
people were used to hearing (as we are not) that God is a refuge for
those who belong to Him. He is the ultimate fixer. One day He will
bring universal justice about and bring low the pride of those who
oppress His people.
But
those who claim the Almighty as their God should not be too
complacent. Many were using the safety they had in God as a cover for
abuse – taking advantage of those weaker than they. The prophet
Amos gives a vivid picture of how they could find to their horror
that the judgment of Judgment Day began at them.
“Woe
to you who desire the day of the Lord!
Why
would you have the day of the Lord?
It
is darkness, and not light,
as
if a man fled from a lion,
and
a bear met him,
or
went into the house and leaned his hand against the wall,
and
a serpent bit him.
Is
not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light,
and
gloom with no brightness in it?”
(Amos
5:18-20 ESV)
A
man flees from a lion only to be met by a bear. Then he fancies he
has finally found safety within the four walls of his house, only to
put his hand where a snake is lurking unseen. It then bites him. What
he was counting on to be the Day of the Lord is actually curtains for
him.
One
of the reasons why I believe in God is that there has to be a Power
that will ultimately bring justice for the weak and powerless –
even if it happens after their lifetimes. How unbelievers can avoid
being frustrated, raging uselessly against the evils and injustice in
the world, I do not know. Without God, the weak have no champion.
God
is our refuge and strength,
a
very present help in trouble.
Therefore
we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though
the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
though
its waters roar and foam,
though
the mountains tremble at its swelling.
(Psalm
46:1-3)
God
my Helper can suddenly turn into a dangerous enemy if His help is
taken lightly. He is to be respected as well as looked to for help.
But a true help He is to those who respect Him. Even His weakness –
the weakness of the Man hanging on the cross – is stronger than the
strength of men.
O
safe to the Rock that is higher than I,
My
soul in its conflicts and sorrows would fly,
So
sinful, so weary, Thine, Thine would I be,
Thou
blest Rock of Ages, I’m hiding in Thee!
William
Orcutt Cushing, 1823-1903.
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