Humility -- Reconciliation's Crucial Ingredient

 

He was GUILTY. That best describes how Job felt after being confronted by God (Job 42:5-6) (and depicted here by 19^th Century artist Leon Bonnat in Job). Or, could this actually be Job at the initiation of his horror (1:21), when he was totally stripped of everything, perhaps in a metaphorical sense without even his clothing to cover his nakedness? Job experienced his contrition in a pretty stark way. Perhaps only some criminals in a courtroom who’ve been proven guilty beyond any reasonable doubt might feel this way, particularly when they understand the gravity of their punishment. Humility and remorse take over. As people who know our own faults, and are confessing that we come up short next to a holy God, this humility is a must. It’s not in the Ten Commandments, but Paul’s words nevertheless are stamped in big red letters for all of us: ‘… all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.’ (Romans 3:23) We cannot be forgiven, without first humbly admitting our guilt and seeking reconciliation. This is an ethic that we Christians must implicitly understand and live out daily. When confronted with God, there is no alternative. And, likewise when we are confronted with truth here on earth, we must admit its nature, as if we are in fact face-to-face with the One who calls Himself True (Revelation 19:11) – in fact, in eternity we will meet this Faithful and True God. The issue today, in our fallen world, is how to face up to truth with humility, so that people who are divided can be reconciled. We’re all not so different from each other -- even if some of our fellow earth inhabitants don’t worship God -- and we all need that big word, more than ever: Reconciliation.

 

Here's an arithmetic-like formula that suggests how we can get to that ‘R’ word. It starts with what Job modeled for us: Humility.

Humility >> Recognize Truth >> Admit Guilt >> Seek Forgiveness = Reconciliation

 

The world of politics, at least in the United States in 2024, has a dilemma unlike what has gone on before, one which is aggravated by the amount of information and the variety of information sources that citizens have to navigate in order to make well-reasoned choices, especially in election years. How does one know who’s telling the truth? We’ve already addressed this in a previous blog entry (Christians for Ethics in Politics: True or False?) on 1 August 2024, so let’s not repeat that. The issue here is that once truth is known, it is often avoided, or somehow swept aside in favor of ‘just moving on’. Our formula above tells us, however, that real reconciliation between conflicting parties in a dispute (our politics is so often disputatious, by nature) cannot be reached without truth, and guilt-admittance, and forgiveness-seeking happening first, not to mention humility first and foremost. Are our politicians incapable of this today? Could they learn something about this from Christians? Yes, on both counts. Here’s some examples of biblical reconciliation, and some other reminders from Jesus about fault-finding in others. Finally, there’s also a link to an earthly example of how one country – South Africa – employed truth as part of a method to reach reconciliation in the post-Apartheid period of their history:

 

·         Judges 10: 10-16 – one of many episodes when Israel admitted their sin and cried out to God for deliverance and forgiveness

·         Job 42:5-6 – mentioned above in first paragraph also

·         2 Samuel 12:13; Psalm 51 – how King David got back in a right place w/God after sinning with Bathsheba, etc.

·         Acts 2:37-38 – note how Jews, when confronted with the truth, repented and got forgiveness through accepting Jesus as Lord and Christ

·         Matthew 23:24 – See what Jesus has to say to people who are acting like hypocrites…the truth about ourselves is often the hardest to hear

·         Matthew 7: 3-5 – More by Jesus as he takes on people who want to point fingers at others before taking care of themselves first.     

 

Truth and Reconciliation Commission (South Africa) - Wikipedia

 

See here for information about the artwork, Job, by 19^th Century artist Leon Bonnat File:Léon Bonnat - Job.jpg - Wikimedia Commons. This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 100 years or fewer. {{PD-1996}} – public domain in its source country on January 1, 1996 and in the United States.

Equal Justice -- Civilization's Fairness Principle

"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

 

Remember reciting that as a kid in elementary school? It was habitually said every school morning, but was it ever really discussed, including the last three words of this pledge? From the lowest citizen to the highest official in the land, justice for all ideally means that every person is subject to the same legal standards in a democratic society in which rule of law is expected. An old 1970s TV cop show, Baretta, had a theme song that offered some good advice to would-be wrongdoers, no matter who you are; one line went as follows: ‘Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time, um hmmm, don’t do it’ --  Bing Videos. Israel’s first king, Saul, found out the hard way in the end that being a wrongdoer didn’t pay, even if he was king. Samuel and the people discovered that Saul’s impatience (1 Sam. 13:8-14); his disobedience, excuse-making, and lying (1 Sam. 15:9-23); his bitterness at being rejected (1 Sam. 15:24-36); and then his deep envy for his successor David (1 Sam. 18-26) drove a wedge between himself and the righteousness that God wanted in a ruler. His eventual death by his own hand (1 Sam. 31:4) served to underscore his self-destructive behavior, and marked the ultimate justice he received on earth. (See 19^th Century artwork “Death of King Saul”, by Elie Marcuse.) He might have been the Israeli nation’s leader, but his penchant for iniquity was the fundamental flaw in his character – he was just not the man after God’s own heart (1 Sam. 13:14), while a one-time shepherd boy was willing to hew himself (for the most part) to God’s standard for right and wrong, and especially when he needed to confess that he was guilty of wrongdoing.

 

Saul’s political career should be a lesson for people even in the 21^st Century, for it seems like something that all civilized states and societies should remember. Look for yourself and answer: Are people learning from the mistakes of their human ancestors, particularly in matters of justice? Cynically, it seems that today, people – especially the voting American public – are overlooking and shrugging their collective shoulders about justice for all. How much evidence needs to accumulate for a highly tribalized public to say ‘enough!’ Nevertheless, historically some pretty infamous crimes have gone unpunished, sometimes for years, making one ask God the age-old question – Why? Herod Antipas, with the help of the daughter (Salome) of his mate Herodious (his illegitimate wife) – a corrupt bunch of people, to say the least – beheaded God’s servant John the Baptist (Matthew 14:3-12). Much later in history, one could point to tyrants like Josef Stalin and Adolf Hitler, and ask ‘did they receive equal justice for the deaths of millions?’ In our 21^st Century, can we expect Vladimir Putin to receive equal justice for an attack on Ukraine that has killed thousands? What does civilization say is fair in the realm of justice for all?

 

Before we become too jaded, let’s remember that God does watch, and will act in His sovereignty, on His own schedule. Others in history have been punished, like another Herod (Agrippa), Antipas’ nephew, who died immediately from an angel strike and worms that consumed him (Acts 12:21-23) because he allowed a crowd to call him god, a blasphemy that the true God will not tolerate. And, though the maniacal Hitler created havoc for over a decade (1933-45), he died by his own hand in a bunker while Germany disintegrated around him. Yes, God cares about justice, a word that is used biblically several dozen times (depending on the translation, between some 130 and 170 times). It’s a characteristic of Himself that God pledges will prevail, and which is perhaps most poignantly recalled around the Christmas holidays from Isaiah’s prophecy (Isaiah 9:6-7); notably, justice is mentioned in connection with a righteous government there: For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. Do you think God’s heart breaks for those crying out for justice, amidst what seems sometimes like a sea of injustice? How about Job, a despairing soul, who in his growing anguish accused God of withholding justice (19:7; 27:2); was then admonished by a young friend Elihu that God is indeed just (34:5-17; 36:3,17; and 37:23); and finally, was directly confronted by His Creator about this (40:8)? Oh yeh, then read the epilogue (ch. 42) and see how God rejuvenated Job’s life. Was Jesus also alluding to justice when He taught those closest to Himself to pray -- your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven? (Matthew 6:10)    

 

American politics has traveled through many ups and downs on the road to justice. The Constitutional framers must have guessed that this might be an issue, even amongst the highest appointed leaders. Otherwise, they would not have inserted the impeachment clause therein -- Article II, Section 4 allows for the impeachment, conviction, and removal from office for high crimes and misdemeanors – justice for all, even for the highest elected officials. Lest we be despairing, like Job, when it seems as if justice delayed will consequently be justice denied, Americans can be encouraged by our own history. Theodore Parker was a minister in pre-Civil War America who advocated for slavery’s abolition. One of his sermons, entitled “Of Justice and Conscience”, spoke of the eventual triumph of right, and even though human eyes cannot oftentimes see its approach, one’s conscience can. A condensation of what Parker said was repeated many times hence, including some 100 years later in 1958 and 1964 by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice. -- The Arc of the Moral Universe Is Long, But It Bends Toward Justice – Quote Investigator® ‘Can a criminal’s occupation of high office endure for long’?, some of us might say in exasperation. We won’t know, until God makes up His mind that His will has been accomplished, that a lesson has been learned. Until then, keep standing for justice, and be reassured that God does hear and care that this basic characteristic of Himself is reasserted and reaffirmed in our age.  

 

See information on the work of art-image here: File:Elie Marcuse saul.jpg - Wikimedia Commons. This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 70 years or fewer. {{PD-1996}} – public domain in its source country on January 1, 1996 and in the United States.