Genesis 15 - Justice

Pretty much all the empires I've read about expanded their territory through naked ambition. Nothing restrained the aggressive expansion of borders other than resource and political strategy. The story of God's plan for his Kingdom Israel was very different.

I understand why we live in a time that is particularly skeptical about the notion of "empire" and "kingdom". Our history books are full of atrocities carried out by those enchanted by power. Some of these atrocities are even carried out in the name of "religion"*. As a generation we live in the wake of these abuses of power and we now struggle to trust anything that legitimises war or force.

Despite our skepticism I have been party to many conversations where we have desperately sought for answers on how to intervene in some of the worlds worst dictatorships. Inevitably I have heard the conclusion that we cannot stand by passively and watch these great atrocities from afar, surely we must do something to end the tyranny and oppression of these people. What peaceful intervention is available when the proponents are armed with guns and machetes?

The tensions surrounding this topic are huge. Many people argue that Tony Blair intervened in Iraq too soon and the regime should have been given more time and opportunity to change. I wonder if people would have thought his actions just if he had been patient and given them another 5 years to change. Perhaps some would insist even 10 years. Surely another 20 years of seeking a peaceful resolution to no avail would have finally justified military intervention?

20 years of tyranny and oppression seems a life time to me. Tony Blair would certainly have long been out of office and a new generation would be growing up. 20 years of standing by and waiting.

It is light of these thoughts that I want to return to this incredible passage in Genesis 15 that set the scene for God's dealing with His Kingdom. God's guiding principle for the establishment of the nation that he would use to save the world is justice. God hates injustice. The mantra of most Kingdoms is "expand, expand, expand". God's mantra to the patriarch of Israel is "wait, wait, wait". He didn't tell Abraham "5 years and then the land is yours". No he didn't even say 15 or 50. God said I will give the Amorites 400 years to change. Their atrocities, tyranny and oppression of others hasn't yet got bad enough for him to justify their destruction. God says "I will not intervene, I will be patient, I don't care how much oil is in the land!". God will not compromise justice for anyone, not even his own chosen people.

God is even willing to allow his chosen people to suffer 400 years of slavery in order that when he does decry "judgement" on the land of Canaan He is completely justified because the deeds of the whole nation warrant destruction.

The story of Israel is not one that compares to a typical empire or Kingdom, it is radically different. It is rooted in justice and demonstrates patience to a degree we cannot even comprehend.

As I sit here I cannot begin to take in the extent of God's patience and mercy. For 400 years God patiently endured the sin of the Amorites. For 400 years they had every opportunity to turn from their wicked ways, to listen to their conscience, to recognise their evil. For 400 years God waited and chose not to intervene. God is slow to anger and rich in mercy and yet many people think they would do a better job as judge than God. They think they can stand in judgment over him and accuse him of injustice. God is patiently waiting for us to turn to him but one day our 400 years will be up and the unrepentant will finally be brought to justice. Every year God watches our most atrocious acts of violence, oppression, greed, selfishness and rebellion. He stares at the suffering we inflict on one another and yet he is patiently holding his hands out to us, longing that we would turn and embrace him and lay hold of the provision he made for the forgiveness of our sin.


Footnote

* I just wanted to address the misconception that religion causes all the wars. There are 2 points to make here:

1. The major genocides of the 20th century have been atheistic regimes that are hostile to religion.

2. Religion is not the "Gospel" of Christianity. Religion is usually a system of betterment that people embrace to try and warrant their own salvation. In other words it is a program of works that if you stick to you will earn you place in some sort of paradise after this life. Religion either leads to pride or despair. You either succeed at ticking all the boxes of religion and therefore feel superior to others or you you fail and despair because you are not good enough for God.

The "Gospel" of Christianity is very different to religion. The gospel is about accepting that we have missed the mark and that by nature we always chose to run from God. The gospel recognises that Jesus Christ lived the life we should have lived and he died the death we deserved to die. In other words God did for us what we couldn't do for ourselves and he saved us. The gospel leads to grateful joy and humility. We are not ticking boxes to pass an exam, the change in our lives is the process of us walking into the fullness of life that God created us for and is a natural response to reality of God's love and kindness in our lives.

True religion is not the cultural label given to those who fight wars and crusades, it something that changes people and draws them to Love. God is Love.