Lying Ain't Peanuts! Especially about People or to Judicatories.

The following is from the Christian Education Report presented to Synod in 2002 and 2003. It was not adopted except the first page in 2003. The whole report may be found at
Christian Education Report

Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his
neighbor: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin
not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to
the devil. Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labor,
working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to
give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out
of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it
may minister grace unto the hearers.

If we are to be a part of the heavenly conversation, we must first quit our lying.
We must not lie about God (false doctrine); we must not lie about ourselves
(hypocrisy and guile); we must not lie about each other (slander and falsehood).

Members of each other. This is true because we are members of the same body.
Christ has no disassociated body parts. To use a physical analogy, the animal
body cannot function unless the nervous system is whole and uncorrupted. Drugs
and alcohol, and certain diseases, disrupt the nervous system and the body
becomes uncontrollable.

In order for the body to work properly, it must be connected to the head and all of
the parts must be connected to each other. Words of love and truth cement our
connection to each other; lies disrupt the connection. The words of the Gospel in
Scripture connect us to Jesus Christ and the words of the Scriptures teach us to
love one another, forbear one another, and forgive one another in Jesus Christ.

Grieve Not the Holy Spirit. Because we have been baptized into Christ, it is
the Holy Spirit who works faith and love in the children of God, and seals us unto
the day of redemption. Evil communications grieve Him:

And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the
day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and
clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another,
even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. --Ephesians 4:30-32

Instead of grieving the Holy Spirit, we are called to confess with our mouth the
Lord Jesus and to believe in our hearts that God has raised Him from the dead.
We are called to confess Him before men, to confess our sins, and no longer
deceive ourselves by walking in the lies of self-righteousness and self-
justification. We are to trust in Christ for forgiveness of sins and so be restored to
fellowship with God through Jesus Christ.

Without the Triune God, how lonely is the life of man! The modern man has no
speaking God, no fellowship and communion with God. The only voice that
modern man hears is the Babel of his own wilderness.

God has provided all things for His church. It is through His promises that we
escape the corruption that is in the world through lust [II Pet. 1:4]. It is also
through the promises that we have fellowship with Him and with one another [I
John 1]. This fellowship begins in the church, for without the church there is no
fellowship with God and no living fellowship with one another. Without the
church we are lost in a communion of death, dancing the dance of death, speaking
the words of death, working the works of death. The stench of death is about all
we do.

Only in Christ, in the living body of Christ, do we find life, and peace, and
service. The church is a living temple made of living stones. His communion is
the communion of life because He endured death for us and rose up from the dead
to bring us life forevermore. Shall we be wiser than God? God has ordained the
means for us to have fellowship with Him: we do not seek some other way, for
our Shepherd comes by the door of the sheep and those who climb up some other
way are thieves and robbers. "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the
unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord" [Isaiah 55:7] As
long as a person clings in pride to his own opinions and his own stubborn ways,
there is no hope for fellowship with God, who resists the proud, but give grace to
the humble. The proud talk only to themselves, for God does not hear them.

I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon
them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did
not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I
delighted not. Hear the word of the LORD, ye that tremble at his
word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name's
sake, said, Let the LORD be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy,
and they shall be ashamed. Isaiah 66:4,5

The Lord hears those who take His word seriously and tremble.

Speaking the Truth in Love (Ephesians 4:5)
Paul expands on this idea from Ephesians 5:19 to the end of the epistle. Verses
19,20 give the outline.

Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks
always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of
God.

We are to speak to one another, and to speak to God in thanksgiving and praise,
echoing Psalm 50, cited above. The Christian life is a joyful conversation with
God and with each other. Involved in this conversation is the necessity of joyful
submission one to another in the fear of God, who has called us out of darkness
into the glorious light of His Son. (I Peter 2:9) In terms of this submission, the
apostle speaks of the relationship between husbands and wives, parents and
children, owners and labor. He ends by speaking of our conflict with the evil
conversation of the world, which can only be overcome by the armor of the Spirit:

Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able
to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand
therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the
breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the
preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the shield of
faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the
wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit,
which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and
supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all
perseverance and supplication for all saints. --Ephesians 6:13-18

The armor of God is not for protection against bombs and guns and clubs. God
has fashioned those carnal weapons and they cannot do more than His word and
wisdom permits. As we read in Isaiah 54:

Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and
that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the
waster to destroy. No weapon that is formed against thee shall
prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment
thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD,
and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.

Jesus put it this way, "Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that
proceedeth from the mouth of God." (Matt. 4:4) It is not that man should not live
by bread alone, but that man does not live by bread alone. Apart from the decree
and wisdom of God man cannot so much as move. We have no independent
existence, for in Him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:29). We
cannot even raise our fist in defiance of Him without using the strength, the mind,
the self-consciousness that He gives us. In our sin we turn His gifts against Him,
and it is only His patience and long-suffering that holds back the punishment that
we deserve.

"Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you." (Heb 13:17)

1. "Obey" is in the imperative, but middle voice, a passive. It is formed from the word for "persuade" so it means "be persuaded" or simply obey, but not just in form but from the mind. "Allow yourself to be persuaded" is the meaning. Don't be a trouble-maker.

2. The word "rule" simply means to go before, to lead. So the substance is "follow your leaders," because they have a very important task and your job is to make their task a joyful one, not one of grief.

3. The task is to "watch" for souls. The elders, and especially the minister, are to watch for the souls of the people of God. The figure is from the watchmen who were entrusted with surveillance of the area surrounding the city, especially the ravines and passes where enemies might approach unseen. God warned Ezekiel, the prophet, using this very same figure:

"So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me. 8 When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. 9 Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul." (Eze 33:7-9)

This passage was familiar to those who received the letter to the Hebrews, and they would certainly have understood that their pastors served this same function in the church as the prophets did to Israel. Pastors and elders are to watch, be intellectually aware of heretical movements and practices, of sins that would disturb the church, of rebellions and murmurings, and warn the church of them. Not to do so is to be derelict of duty, and conniver with evil men or women. He has no choice about it if he is to serve Christ.

4. This would be so good for the church if they did this. When the leadership of a church is filled with sorrow and pain, the object of gossip and slander, of obstruction and dissension, it is very bad for the church. When leaders are honored it is good for the church, just as it is good for children when they obey their parents, for this is the commandment with promise. As the Heidelberg Catechism says on the Fifth Commandment:

Q104: What does God require in the fifth Commandment?
A104: That I show all honor, love and faithfulness to my father and mother,[1] and to all in authority over me,[2] submit myself with due obedience to all their good instruction and correction, and also bear patiently with their infirmities, since it is God's will to govern us by their hand.[3]

1. Eph. 6:1-6, 22; Col. 3:18, 20-24; Prov. 1:8-9; 4:1; 15:20; 20:20; Exod. 21:17; Gen. 9:24-25
2. Rom. 13:1-7; I Peter 2:18; Matt. 22:21
3. Eph. 6:4, 9; Col. 3:19, 21; Prov. 13:24; 30:17; Deut. 27:16; 32:24; I Tim. 2:1-2; 5:17; Heb. 13:17-18

We will not find perfection in our leaders, just as they will not find perfection in their followers. But God would humble us and place us under human authority and government in order that we might know that we are to be ruled by His decree and goodness. It is an act of great faith for us to consent to live under human government and our flesh recoils against it, especially if we do not like those whom God has appointed. But we certainly have no choice as to our fathers and mothers, and often we do not get our will as far as church and civil authorities are concerned. But no matter their character, the word of the Holy Spirit stands forever:

"And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; And to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves." (1Th 5:12-13)

This is the command of Christ.

Grace Doesn't Do Moral Darkness, You Know.

God cannot be the source of disobedience, for that would be to deny Himself. "God is light, and Him is no darkness at all, " is the way James puts it.

Paul puts it this way, "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world...." [Titus 2:11,12]

How can you say that you can live in an ungodly way because you believe in grace? Grace teaches something else. In the school of grace you learn to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts. In that school you learn to live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.

So, why would those who talk of grace lie to one another? Why would they lie about their ministers and elders? Why would they thumb their noses at the judicatories of the church? Why would they say, "Lord, Lord," and do not the things that Jesus said?

Must the minister apologize to his congregation for teaching them what the Scriptures say about esteeming highly those who are over them; a text that specifically applies to the officers of the church who are to admonish the unruly? [1Thess. 5:12-14] "Are over" means to have rule, to preside, to administer. The Lord Jesus has prescribed a government and order to His church. Must he be sorry that is written in the Scripture and apologize for it? Must parents apologize to their children because the Scripture says, "Honor your Father and your Mother?" Does the Scripture and grace teach us to hate our parents and spurn them even unto their deaths? To defy and slander those who try to obey this order? Even worse, are we to be abettors of those who live unruly lives?

Of course the rebels always have a ready response. They like the idea that there is truth on both sides of everything and are ready, "You must be Roman Catholic and deny the priesthood of the believer and the freedom of the Christian." Neat, self comforting, and wrong.

This perversion and corruption of grace does not come from heaven, but from somewhere else. It is a wisdom that does not descend from above but arises from somewhere else.

"For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy." James 3:16, 17

A good minister will refuse profane old wives fables, but will be nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine and will exercise himself unto godliness. [see 1Tim. 4:6] Godliness means obeying God and not the tizzy fits that silly women have. ["silly women" is to be considered as a single idea, denoting only one class of women. The Bible also speaks of wise, sober, and godly women who do not run from house to house stirring up strife in the church.]

Not only is sin contrary to grace, but the counsel that aids and abets the behavior is also not of grace. That which is contrary to godliness cannot be of grace. Every work of darkness is contrary to grace and is to be reproved, rebuked, and corrected, or what is the ministry for? Jesus was no enabler and comfort for those who rebelled against the truth. Neither must we be.

"They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you." --Jer. 23:17

Making Your Boast in God.

There is nothing new under the sun. In Romans 2:17, Paul speaks of those who "made their boast of God" but by the way they lived they dishonored God.

They boasted that they knew the law and were capable of instructing the ignorant and the blind and children. But it was all vain because they did not do the things they approved. They lied and slandered and resisted the truth. It was all hollow and empty because knowledge and the approval of goodness is useless if we do not DO the good.

Paul asked a penetrating question, "Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?” (Ro 2:21-22) Wow!

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The unbeliever is not only blind with respect to the Scripture, he is also blind to the plain evidence of his senses. This does not mean that he can see and hear and know the voice of nature, but that he will do real science, only when it is in his interest to do so." Just as the devil will quote Scripture for his own purpose, so man can do remarkable scientific work unless his discoveries contradict his basic religious opinions.

In that case, he is as blind as a mole and dumb as a rock. Go figure, it must be a judgment, just as God says. [John 12:40 and Romans 1:28].

The glory?

The Power of the Gospel: the Cross

"And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." 2Co 12:9

Those who are unwilling to suffer with Christ will never know the joy of Christian victory. When Judas became convinced that Jesus was going to the cross, he switched sides, and sold the Lord to His enemies. Poor Judas couldn't understand the way of the Kingdom, and could not therefore inherit the kingdom of God. His misery and wickedness had been foretold in Psalm 55, for Judas was "a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company." Because of this betrayal the prayer of the Psalm included these words "Destroy, O Lord, and divide their tongues: for I have seen violence and strife in the city. Day and night they go about it upon the walls thereof: mischief also and sorrow are in the midst of it. Wickedness is in the midst thereof: deceit and guile depart not from her streets."

Sometimes the very zeal and energy that drive a man into the ministry are the very strengths that the devil uses to make his work a curse and not a blessing. The kingdom of God is not built by the zeal and energy of men, because that which is born of the flesh is flesh. Those who derive their energy from the praise of men, will be overthrown by the curses of men because, "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls." James 1:19-21

Far more good is done by my passive and humble receiving of the word of God into my heart and mind than will ever be done by the deceit and guile of my words. That which is born of the flesh is flesh,and the works of the flesh are readily discernable: wrath, strife, sedition, clamor, tale-bearing, and slander. These are the more respectible ones. The flesh has many devices and terrible arts by which it seeks to pick off the weak and sickly from the kingdom of God.

“Blessed are ye, when [men] shall revile you, and persecute [you], and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great [is] your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” (Mt 5:11-12)

This is the reason that patient continuing in well-doing is absolutely essential for the minister of the Gospel. He does not need to vindicate himself, for the Lord will always validate the work of His faithful ministers. The chaff is driven away before the winds of reality and burned in the fires of the judgment of God. But not yet. Until then it is given to the man of God to suffer for the word of the Gospel. There are always many around who are willing to see him get what they think he deserves. "Beware when all men speak well of you," Jesus said. He asked His enemies, “How can ye believe, which receive honor one of another, and seek not the honor that cometh from God only?” (Joh 5:44)

Those who seek to destroy others in order to advance themselves fall under the wrath of God. “Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all [of you] be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.” (1Peter 5:5)

Those who shun the cross will miss the crown.

When "Truth" is a Lie.

“Thy righteousness [is] an everlasting righteousness, and thy law [is] the truth.” (Ps 119:142) "[Love] rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;” (1Co 13:6 AV)

The Biblical idea of truth was different from the Greek idea. The Biblical idea has a moral dimension to it.

For instance, what the slanderer says might be true as far as the facts go, but if what is said is not according to love, it could not be considered the truth, not in the sense of Psalm 119:142. A bitter, angry person will dig up every nasty thing he can find about people he does not like. Because his words are words of hatred, they are not true, no matter what the "facts."

God's law is based upon the very truth of His being, and the very truth of the image of God in man. The person who does not love his neighbor is not only striving against God, but is at war with himself. He has a lie in his right hand and in his heart of hearts.

What he says might be factual, "He mistreats his wife; her children are unruly; her house is often messy; She defrauded her creditors by filing for bankruptcy; He sometimes speaks harshly to people; She had an affair right after she was married; etc." The statements may pass the test as far as the facts are concerned but be very far away from the meaning of the principle, "Thy law is the truth." Love is the end of the law. If a person does not love his neighbor, his telling of the "truth" might actually be transgression of the law. In 1Cor. 13:6 the truth is contrasted with iniquity.

What they said of Jesus was factually true, "He said he would built the temple in three days."

A person is not speaking the "truth" and obeying the law of God if his words are uttered for the sake of malice rather than love for his neighbor, no matter how historically accurate the words may be. In fact, we are commanded, “And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.” (1Pe 4:8)

On this passage John Calvin said, " the sentence is taken from Solomon, whose words are found in Proverbs 10:12, 'Hatred discovers reproaches, but love covers a multitude of sins.'

"What Solomon meant is sufficiently clear, for the two clauses contain things which are set in contrast the one with the other. As then he says in the first clause that hatred is the cause why men traduce and defame one another, and spread whatever is reproachful and dishonorable; so it follows that a contrary effect is ascribed to love, that is, that men who love one another, kindly and courteously forgive one another; hence it comes that, willingly burying each others' vices, one seeks to preserve the honor of another.

"Thus Peter confirms his exhortation, that nothing is more necessary than to cherish mutual love. For who is there that has not many faults? Therefore all stand in need of forgiveness, and there is no one who does not wish to be forgiven." -John Calvin in 1Peter 4:8

It is loving to hide offenses, for that is exactly what the coming of the Lord Jesus was designed by God to do, to put them away. The only time sins should be revealed is for the necessity of healing the disease and bring repentance, or to protect others from harm. Revealing sins for the purpose of destroying people is of the devil, for he is the "accuser of the brethren." [Rev. 12:9,10]

Are ALL Men Liars? All the Time?

It is true that everyone lies. It also not true that everyone lies. But "everyone lies" in the first sentence does not mean the same thing as "everyone lies" in the second sentence.

Psalm 116:
10 I believed, therefore have I spoken: I was greatly afflicted:
11 I said in my haste, All men are liars.
12 What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?
13 I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD.
14 I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people.

Pr 14:5 A faithful witness will not lie: but a false witness will utter lies.

Man's natural tendency is to deny, hide, misinterpret the truth. But it is emphatically NOT true that every man lies about everything all the time. If that were true, nothing could be accomplished in the world. Courts couldn't function, and everyday discourse between people would cease. Business would screech to a halt because no one could depend on contracts or assurances of performance.

There are many good and honest men who do not trade in lies and deceit. They would not lie in court, they do not lie to their wives and children, and they do not lie to Consistories or Spiritual Councils, and they certainly would not lie under oath.

This writer has had children in school who lied all the time. He has also had children in school who did not lie even when it might have been an advantage to lie.

To lie in court, Consistories, or Spiritual Council committees is not only a sin, it is a crime against the institution that is represented. In Court it is called perjury.

A person who would lie to a committee of the church, to a Spiritual Council, or to a Consistory has committed a crime against the church. Such a person suddenly doesn't become a liar in that situation; they are so hardened against the truth that they are lying all the time, so one more lie or two doesn't make any difference to them, no matter the seriousness of the proceedings. By their lie they show contempt for the institution, whether church or state.

I suspect this is one of the reasons that the Constitution of the Reformed Church in the United States lists "lying" as one of the offenses that especially merits discipline.

It is equally true that only the morally challenged would denigrate such an offense. Even Al Capone and Richard Nixon refused to allow their subordinates to lie to them. No organization can survive if everyone lies to everyone all the time. It may survive if all agree to lie as one; but eventually reality will break in, as it did to the old Soviet Union.

Jas 3:14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.

Eph 4:25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another.

We are not to be partakers of other men's sins. This means we are not to listen to liars, promote them, or defend them. It certainly means that we must not be tale-bearers, carrying their water for them.

There are many good people who bear faithful witness and hate the lying tongue. The Psalmist said in his haste, "All men are liars," but this was because of the terrible trial that he was going through. When men doubt God, they will think there is nothing and nobody true anywhere.

Such is not the truth. This poor preacher has found in the midst of terrible trials that there have always been those who saw and understood the truth. There are faithful witnesses who will tell the truth and not listen to lies and deceit. They are not swayed by emotion or prior prejudice. When the eye is single, the whole body is filled with light. Thank God for such people.

Dancing to Your Own Tune: Piping and Weeping

"They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept." --Luke 7:32

You might say they were control freaks. They would decide whether there would be dancing or whether there would be weeping. Woe to those who danced when these children wanted to weep, or to those who wept when the children wanted to dance.

Jesus' illustration compared the reaction of that generation who condemned John the Baptist for not feasting and drinking, saying that he had a devil. Without blinking an eye, they then condemned Jesus for eating and drinking, calling Him a drunk and a glutton.

They had no fixed principles, but were like children, whose only desire was to control the game. They didn't care what the game was as long as they controlled it. Because neither Jesus nor John danced to their tune, they had to be destroyed.

King David put it another way. Instead of tyrannical children in the marketplace, he termed them "Sons of Belial." In his farewell song to Israel, David, speaking from long experience, said of them: "But the sons of Belial shall be all of them as thorns thrust away, because they cannot be taken with hands: But the man that shall touch them must be fenced with iron and the staff of a spear; and they shall be utterly burned with fire in the same place." --2Sam. 3:6,7

In both cases, the children of Jesus' illustration and the rebellious in David's kingdom had one thing in common: they would not submit to Christ--for David was a type of Christ. They regard no rule but their own, following their own imagination.

There are times for weeping and there are times for dancing, but you and I do not decide the times. These are in the hands of God.

"Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life: Therefore ye shall see no more vanity, nor divine divinations: for I will deliver my people out of your hand: and ye shall know that I am the LORD." Ezekiel 13:22, 23

"In thy light we shall see light" [Ps. 36:9]

The Tragedy of Eyes that Do Not See

I knew that my children understood my reproofs when I heard them reprove each other. Even a small child's injunction not to slam the door, showed that he understood the lesson, even if he slammed the door himself. The minute he could condemn his brother showed that he was a moral being accountable for his actions.

"Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not:" (Jer 5:21)

"And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind. And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also? Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth." (Joh 9:39-41)

Only those who have a moral sense can be held responsible for their actions. The fact that someone can judge another is proof that he is not without moral sense. The additional fact that he judges unjustly shows that his moral judgment is in bondage to sin.

Jesus said that if his enemies were truly blind, they would not have any sin at all, for who judges a tree for moral failures? But they said that they could see; hence, they could not escape the truth that they were sinners, for they were condemned of their own consciences.

Paul said the same thing in Romans:

"Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things. But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?" (Ro 2:1-3)

Having eyes is a good thing, and is far better than not having eyes. But what good are eyes if we do not use them to see things. "Use your eyes," my father used to say. "Can't you see?"

Israel professed moral and spiritual superiority. They boasted that they were a "guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness, An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law" [Romans 2:20-21].

There are people who use guilt to attack those whom they consider threats to them. They want to get the attention off themselves. They don't want the light turned on, and so they do not want preaching and teaching of the word that exposes the heart and the true nature of the law of God. They do not mind being the center of controversy and ruckus, as long as it is about somebody else's sin, real or imagined.

Every human being knows that it is wrong to lie, steal, hate, and so forth. This is the reason that they either deny it altogether, or invent elaborate justifications. We are very inventive in this.

This guilt keeps many from criticizing others and they lapse into a kind of moral agnosticism. They see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil. They refuse to give witness to moral evil because they know their own sins might be exposed. The effect of this makes it very difficult to get people to bear witness in crimes against the state or against the church. They are bound by guilt. They have eyes, but they refuse to see. They will not speak because of their own secrets. This is one of the reasons that totalitarian governments in both church and state need to have plenty of guilty people around..

But even worse, perhaps, people use guilt to intimidate and bully others. The Pharisees were very good at this. "They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out." (Joh 9:34) They would not instructed by the man who had been blind.

Jesus had healed the man, restoring his sight. He became a symbol of those who has eyes and could see, a witness against those who had eyes but refused to use them.

It is easy to identify these religious bullies. Most of them you will find in church, complaining about faithful preaching of the Scriptures. They do not want the light turned on. They will be experts on the failings of those whom they cannot control.

But Jesus turned the light on. "And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind." (Joh 9:39) They crucified him for it.

"None are so blind as those who will not see." Author Unknown

What is the cure that frees us from guilt, from bullies, and from our own apathy? The only cure is this:

"He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy." (Pr 28:13)

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1Jo 1:9)

Leadership and Truth

The true leaders of the people of God, the true mothers and fathers, the true pastors, the true elders, are those who speak the truth and bear faithful witness. A lying tongue shall not stand before the Lord, because the man with the lying tongue does not accept the reality that God has created and formed, but is trying to convince the world, like Satan did Eve, that God does not know what the nature of the true world is. It is emphatically NOT true that you can change reality by changing your perception of reality. Reality is what it is; the liar would seduce you to distort things.

Your best friend is the one who tells you the truth. Liars will try to get you to follow them or believe them because they want you to confirm their distortion of reality. But those who have the truth in their hearts do not follow the liar. Only those who have the same distorted heart as the liar will follow him.

Joh 15:20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

Trust, Hope, and Fear

What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me. --Psalm 56:3,4

Trust goes to the heart of faith. The connection between God, His word, fear, and the trust that faith produces is made clear in this Psalm.

A person's true God is revealed in this way: it is where the man goes to calm his fears.

Fear is the result of imagination and only exists in the imagination. We have been given the gift by God of imagining what the future will be like, either in the short term or in the long term. Because of this we have hopes and fears: hope if we imagine a good future, fear if we imagine a bad one. The hopes and the fears exist only in the mind and come to pass only by the decree of God, for it is God alone who predestines [determines] the future.

The godly have nothing to fear and everything to hope for. The ungodly have nothing to hope for and everything to fear. If the Bible is clear about anything, it is clear about this. The fears of the godly and the hopes of the ungodly both terminate at death.

But in this world these hopes and fears tug at our minds, causing us to make decisions in the present. If our decisions are made in hope, they may be very different than if they are made in fear.

The believer, in his weakness, may experience fear, but he is taught by the Holy Spirit to trust in the Lord. The Heidelberg Catechism puts it this way: "True faith is not only a certain knowledge whereby I hold for truth all that God has revealed to us in His Word; but, also a hearty trust, which the Holy Ghost works in me by the Gospel...."

Where does this faith arise? from the promises of the Scriptures, as the Psalmist says: "In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me."

The simple truth is this, the believer has a glorious future in Jesus Christ and nothing created can change that. Romans 8 says that nothing created "can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

When the believer imagines the future under the instruction of the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit, he sees the love and joy of the Lord, and his fears dissolve. The only ground of his hope are the promises of God, but by these he learns to overcome fear and the sin that comes with it.

"According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." --2Pet. 1:3,4

"What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee." Because of his flesh and weakness, the believer often experiences the fears that unbelievers do, because he is not yet perfected. These fears can be very powerful at times and can lead to great sin, as Peter's denial of the Lord.

But the believer has something else besides the fears that sometimes assault him: there also arises by the work of the Holy Spirit and the promises of God trust and faith in his Heavenly Father.

Jesus said, "If you being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly father give good things to them that ask Him." Faith teaches us to call upon our Father in Heaven in the time of need. The promises of God tell us:

Ps 115:11 Ye that fear the LORD, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield.
Ps 118:8 It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.
Ps 118:9 It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes.
Ps 125:1 They that trust in the LORD shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever.
Pr 3:5-7 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.

Even our imaginations must be brought captive to the word of God and must not be allowed to bring us into the bondage of fear, sin, and death. We are beloved of the Lord who made the heavens and the earth, and must not be afraid of what flesh can do to us.

The unbeliever has hope only in this world; he is trapped in the world and seeks to realize his joys and to escape his fears by earthly things. He has no hope in a real God, but in the power of his own thought.

Pr 14:32 The wicked is driven away in his wickedness: but the righteous hath hope in his death.
Pr 11:7 When a wicked man dieth, his expectation shall perish: and the hope of unjust men perisheth.

Ps 17:15 As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.

Philippians 4:6,7 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Interested in Apologetics?

If you are interest in apologetics, you might find our sermon last Sunday of interest. The sermon was generated by scholarly work done by New Geneva Seminary librarian Bill McGinnis on the Psalms.

You can find the link HERE. The Sermon is named: "How Great Is Thanksgiving" and applies apologetic applications to the Third Division of the Heidelberg Catechism, How I Am to be Thankful for My Redemption.

You may also download the unedited notes used to preach the sermon. The audio is in mp3 format.

The Chaff to the Wheat

"The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the LORD. Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?" --Jeremiah 23:28,29
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The prevailing dream of the ancient pagan cultures was that the world developed by itself out of original chaos. Even the gods shared in this evolution. The highest order was created by man, in connection with the gods, organizing themselves into the state. In Babylon, Egypt, Greece, and Rome the supreme rulers were semi-divinized charismatic figures. Great monuments were built to them after their deaths and they were counted among the gods.

By the power of the state, all evils would be solved eventually, and the curse upon the nations that God spoke to those at Babel would b enullified. [Genesis 11]. In fact, the book of Genesis is myth, there is no curse, just original, impersonal chaos. The evils of famine, disease, war, revolution, death, etc., have nothing to do with God The only real enemies of mankind are those who resist the power of the state to cure everything. Thus those who resist, for instance, stem cell research because of a higher principle of the image of God are the enemies of the collective scientific research that will cure the world of birth defects, crippling accidents, etc. Nothing can be permitted to resist the power of the savior state. Those who do so are traitors and sacreligious.

This empty and vain dream received a critical blow at the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and His ascension into heaven. His kingdom is not of this world, nor does His kingdom have a single ruler upon the earth or in any nation. The churches are ruled by Christ Himself through by his word taught by Spirit-filled ministers, elders, and deacons. These officers are equal to each other and lordship is forbidden to them by the Lord Jesus, whose rule by His Word and Spirit cannot be successful challenged. The energy that rules the church is not of the world and certainly not immanent in the forces of the world which the dreamers think run the evolutionary processes.

Sadly, for many years the true government of the church was subverted by pagan ideas of evolution and was only recovered in the revival known as the Protestant Reformation. Luther's proclamation of justification by faith freed the church from the bondage of the idea that the Holy Spirit could be equated with power immanent in the universe and restored the biblical doctrine of the transcendence of God over the affairs of men.

The same thing had happened to Israel. Under the influence of Babylonian and pagan philosophies and idolatry Israel had tried to find the power of God immanent in the world. Jeremiah spoke against this idolatry that always leads to the growth of state power and the destruction of the liberty of the church and the people of God. Jeremiah cried in the word of the Lord: "Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD." Jer. 23:23-24

Without the doctrine of God's transcendence, there can be no true doctrine of God's immanence that does not reduce His immanence to pantheism and materialism, and the resultant growth of totalitarianism in both state and church--in fact, the nanny state and the nanny church will aid and abet each other in the paternalism that downgrades humanity and exalts the elite that subjects that people. But because there is no peace to the wicked, the elite will continue to war with each other, breaking into innumerable factions to contend with each other as to who is privileged to wield the power of God.

Because the fundamental belief is that order came out of original chaos, which had no beginning in any order, and certainly not in the order of the Word of the Creator described in Genesis 1 and John 1, chaos lies at the center of any theory of government.

Continual change and disruption are necessary for the better order to arise, according to this thought. Because the original force of the world is chaos, chaos must reign. The old must always be replaced. The true designers of the future are those who run through the streets crying "Burn, baby, burn," until the messiantic figure arises who will bring the new order which will grind the faces of the people of God until the drill repeats itself again.

But this is the lot of those who reject the Word of the Lord and deny that Jesus Christ rules by His word and Spirit from heaven. Almost any tyranny will be accepted rather than the rule that He has established.

But His rule is the only reality. This reality was to be affirmed over and over by the people of God, according to the words of Jeremiah.

"The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the LORD. Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?" --Jeremiah 23:28,29

Jesus and His apostles put the same message another way:

Lu 21:33 "Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away."

2Thess 1:7-10 "And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day."

Preach the word, is the instruction to the true prophets of God. This is the wave of the future, the only reality that is. All else are dreams and fantasies, worse than those which come from an opium pipe, because the dope-head knows where his dreams come from. The modern dreamer does not know where his dreams originate, nor does he care.

The combined power of the hordes, thousands upon thousands, of those who preached the vain dreams of idolatry cannot stand before the simplicity and power of the word of God, if preached only by one or two. The chaff cannot stand before the fire. The rock cannot withstand the blows of the hammer.

"One man of you shall chase a thousand: for the LORD your God, he it is that fighteth for you, as he hath promised you. Take good heed therefore unto yourselves, that ye love the LORD your God." Joshua 23: 9, 10.

It is God Who Rules in the Nations of the World.

[T]here are some who deny that a commonwealth is duly framed which neglects the political system of Moses, and is ruled by the common laws of nations. Let other men consider how perilous and seditious this notion is; it will be enough for me to have proved it false and foolish. --John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Faith, IV:20:14 [Battle]

Thus Calvin, more than five hundred years ago, lays in the dust the modern foundation principles of theonomy, reconstructionism, Federal Vision theology, and all the step-children derived from the rejection of natural law and common grace.

Self-conscious Christianity must include a deep humility based upon the understanding of the deceitfulness of each Christian's own heart which precludes the idea that individualistic self-conscious understanding of the Scripture may not tainted with sin and error. There is a doctrinal perfectionism that is as pernicious as any volitional perfectionism taught by Finney or others like him.

Of course, I cannot take a neutral position with respect to the Lord Jesus [Luke 11:23], but I can certainly and must be neutral about many other people [Mark 9:40] This requires a certain humility of mind and soul. Just because a man is not in my box, doesn't mean he is not doing the will of God.

Those who will take care to read all of Calvin's Institutes and especially Chapter 20 of Book Four [about Civil Government] will see how different it is from the spirit of the MIddle Ages and the modern movements listed above.

The Apostle Paul did not have enough political influence to stay out of jail, nor did the Lord Jesus avoid crucifixion, but they had a bit of influence on the world, wouldn't you say? How did they manage that? I don't think they even had campaign managers, unless the Holy Spirit and God's eternal decree count.

Although Calvin was backward looking in some things, the general tenor of his theology looked forward to the liberating spirit of the Reformation and newness in Christ. Hence, he was able to maintian friendships even with those who abandoned the Reformation and returned to Rome, or with those who did not break completely with Rome. Calvin did not live in a box.

For a modern critique of Theonomy and Reconstructionism, read J. Ligon Duncan's essay at the following link. Click here

A great many things that have afflicted the peace and usefulness of the modern reformed churches come of this stew. There are many articles that have been linked HERE.

I would also strongly recommend Guy Prentiss Waters The Federal Vision and Covenant Theology. You can get it at Amazon

Pray for President-Elect Obama, as the Scripture commands.

Political figs will be closed a bit. If your comfort is in guns and religion, you will be able to find the latter here. If you want to buy guns, you better do it before the next administration. We won't be speaking much of that.

I have a humorous [to me anyway] entry at Political Figs.

See the new post at political figs--link at the right.

Chance? or Decree

The Bet That Blew Up Wall Street, Steve Kroft On Credit Default Swaps And Their Central Role In The Unfolding Economic Crisis - CBS News: "'We could call that a derivative. It's a side bet. We don't own the teams. But we have a bet based on the outcome. And a lot of derivatives are bets based on the outcome of games of a sort. Not football games, but games in the markets,' Partnoy explains.

Partnoy says the bet was whether interest rates were going to go up or down. 'And the new bet that arose over the last several years is a bet based on whether people will default on their mortgages.'"
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This is an excellent article, if you want to learn more about what has happened to the world's financial markets over the past weeks.

There are two very different world-views that are clashing; on the one hand is the Christian world-view that does not believe that stones can be turned into bread, and modern irrationalism that believes that things morph into other things [evolution] on the basis of chance.

The first view is work-oriented, savings oriented which results in the creation of wealth by work and investment in work. The other view depends upon luck and gambling. Anytime a culture turns from the Creator of the Bible and turns to a luck-oriented, gambling-oriented culture disaster looms.

The idolator simply cannot accept the idea that the nature of things are fixed by the Creator. Stones are stone. The Creator certainly CAN turn stones into bread, but He must have a very good reason for doing so. A miracle of this sort must be included in the eternal decree of God for a well-defined purpose. It was in the decree of God for Jesus to turn the water into wine, but he had no instructions concerning stones, and was content to live as other men, "by every word [decree] that proceedeth from the mouth of God." [Matt. 4:4.]

Man cannot even change his own nature, which is under a curse because of Adam's sin. The elect of God cannot transform themselves into children of light, but are made alive by grace through faith "it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." (Eph 2:8-10)

When men build upon faith in chance and good luck, they are building on shifting sand. Their house will come tumbling down--it not today, then tomorrow. If not tomorrow, then the day after tomorrow. The storms will come, for it is God's will to shake all things, that that which cannot be shaken may remain. [Heb. 12:27]

The righteous man is "like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away." (Ps 1:3-4 AV)

Those who live by faith cannot be shaken. Although they do look ahead and plan for the future, yet their faith is in God alone. They remember the words of their Heavenly Father:

"No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

"Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

"Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

"Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Mt 6:24-33 AV)

The Bears of God.

"And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head. And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them." 2Kings 2:23,24

This is a favorite passage for those who seek to discredit the Bible. They say things like, “How could a loving God…?”

But I would make some comments for those who believe the Bible is God’s word, know that God is a consuming fire, that He takes vengeance [yes vengeance] in flaming fire on the ungodly, and that it will be well with the godly but it will not be well with the ungodly.

1. The prophet did not curse the young people [“children” can mean any immature youth, and “little” can be “small” in a figurative sense] in his own will and strength, but “in the name of the Lord.” This was a judgment from God upon the parents of Bethel who had not trained their children to be generous and large of heart, but had allowed them to grow up mean, self-centered, small-minded and pagan. They were a bunch of punks that were too big for their britches. [But even if we take the KJV translation "little children" the following comments are still valid, for God's judgments can be very harsh against the ungodly.]

2. All the beasts of the forest belong to God and are often used in Scripture to slay and destroy men who are under the wrath of God, These "beasts" become symbols of angelic or demonic powers under the control and service of the wrath of God.

3. These female bears did not tear the parents of the children, nor did they tear the prophet, but they tore these youths for their arrogance and mocking of the prophet of God. Elijah, Elisha's predecessor, had gone up to heaven in a whirlwind [2Kings 2]. These blasphemous and insolent youths mocked the prophet Elisha with his bald head and paid a dear price for it.

4. The men who are appointed by God to govern the church have a dignity that are given to them by God Himself, and it is a great sin to mock or to disregard their lawful government. This is the reason that the Heidelberg Catechism Question 101 states:

Q104: What does God require in the fifth Commandment? A104: That I show all honor, love and faithfulness to my father and mother,[1] and to all in authority over me,[2] submit myself with due obedience to all their good instruction and correction, and also bear patiently with their infirmities, since it is God's will to govern us by their hand.[3]

1. Eph. 6:1-6, 22; Col. 3:18, 20-24; Prov. 1:8-9; 4:1; 15:20; 20:20; Exod. 21:17; Gen. 9:24-25
2. Rom. 13:1-7; I Peter 2:18; Matt. 22:21
3. Eph. 6:4, 9; Col. 3:19, 21; Prov. 13:24; 30:17; Deut. 27:16; 32:24; I Tim. 2:1-2; 5:17; Heb. 13:17-18

5. The wise Solomon knew this, and wrote in Proverbs 30:17: “The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it.” Faithful ministers will warn their congregations of the serious dangers that the insolent bring upon themselves in such defiance, for “rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.” 1Sam 15:23.

6. God has more ways of bringing shame to the ungodly than you and I can possibly imagine. Who had ever heard of she-bears used in this manner? It is the only instance like this in the Bible, but it carries a powerful message. God used lions to tear disobedient prophets [1Kings 13] but this seems to be a unique use of she-bears.

7. It is a terrible thing for fathers not to teach their wives and children the duty of obedience and honor for their own authority and to model this submission before their wives in submitting themselves to the authority of elders and ministers. Those who fail to do so may indeed pay a heavy price. The insolence and irreverence that characterized the city of Bethel exacted a heavy cost in the blood of insolent youth.

8. If not bears, then certainly God will certainly vindicate Himself in other ways. If not in one way, then certainly in another.

9. We must teach our wives and children to stay away from such people, or they will be overcome also by the bears of God’s chastening. Solomon put it this way: “Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.” (Pr 4:24) Those who speak “distorted and crooked” things [this is the meaning of “froward”] will be a snare to us if we do not mark them and avoid them.

Paul put it this way: “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.” (Ro 16:171)

10. It is also true that God is long suffering and forbearing with us. But His goodness must not lull us to sleep in our insolence and forwardness, for His terrible works, though slow in coming, will surely come, at such a time as we think not.

“He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy." (Pr 29:1)

His Way in the Whirlwind!

The prophet Nahum said that the Lord has His way in the whirlwind [see citation below]. This means that the most destructive and seemingly random desolation is controlled by the wisdom and will of God. His unchanging, wise purposes for the world control even the whirlwinds of emotion, fear, economic panic, violence, war, and the other things that distress the world.

This is a comfort to the people of God. Our treasures are not of this world; neither do we find the causes of things in the world. Those whose portion is of the world cannot see beyond the world. In seeking the caues of things in the world, their hearts are filled with strife and bitterness and they are in incessent war with their neighbor [James 4]. They seek to control everything around them, and even when they pray, it is to seek to use God for their own purposes. They known nothing of submission, either to God or to man.

It is impossible for man to know the ways of God or the purposes of God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children. Some meditation upon the following Scriptures might bring some enlightenment in troublesome times:

22 It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:
23 That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.
24 Yea, they shall not be planted; yea, they shall not be sown: yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth: and he shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble.
25 To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One. Is. 40.
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Na 1:3 The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.
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First come the spiritual judgments against idolatry, as God gives men over to reprobate minds, because they do not like to retain Him in their knowledge. The evidence for this judgment is idolatry of all sorts. If it were not judgment, then why would men worship gods that are devised by men, out of their own imaginations? Romans 1:

21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

Next come the moral judgments. God looses the reins that check their depravity and men are given over to their wicked lusts and desires. Romans 1:

26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

Finally, the physical and economic judgments come. Ezekiel 4:

16 Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, behold, I will break the staff of bread in Jerusalem: and they shall eat bread by weight, and with care; and they shall drink water by measure, and with astonishment:
17 That they may want bread and water, and be astonied one with another, and consume away for their iniquity.

Proverbs 1:

4 Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;
25 But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:
26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;
27 When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.
28 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:
29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:
30 They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.

Matthew 7: 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.