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The Lord looks down from heaven and sees the whole human race (v. 13, NLT).
I’ve noticed a trend, increasingly, where Christianity is presented as an evil demagogue that has swamped, shut down, and ruined the culture of many peoples and lands.
From his throne he observes all who live on the earth. He made their hearts, so he understands everything they do (vv. 14-15).
Psalm 33 explains that God is the Creator and God of everyone.
Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him (v. 8).
Culture today follows a pluralism where all gods are considered equal – separate peoples with differing gods. And that all religions are good and it’s egregious for Christians to convert others.
For the word of the Lord is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness. He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord (vv. 4-5, NASB1995).
In current video productions of history, missionaries are presented as hypocritical liars, thieves, and immoral – worse than those they are trying to convert. And that the good news is forcibly preached in a manner insensitive to other cultures.
Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine (vv. 18-19).
Guilty!
Many mission attempts of the past were oppressive and not loving. However, missionaries around the world were an impetus for education, hospitals, representative government, and the abolition of slavery.
The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations (vv. 10-11, ESV).
Evil uses the hypocrisy of those proclaiming righteousness as evidence for a pattern of life or a way of thinking that leads to utter ruin. Watch out for a sideways view of history that challenges the goodness of God.
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage! (v. 12)
The entirety of the message of the Bible is that all people have one Creator – a God of truth, justice, love, goodness, and righteousness. A God who calls peoples and nations back to His Presence.
We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone (vv. 20-22, NLT).
Revelation 22:1-2 describes God’s ultimate purpose for all of history . . .
Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations.
Amen!
Let the godly sing for joy to the Lord; it is fitting for the pure to praise him (v. 1).
He loves whatever is just and good; the unfailing love of the Lord fills the earth (v. 5).