Sermon: Judges 2:6-16 “Political Violence”
Presbyterian Church of Easton
January 10, 2021
We are experiencing political violence in our country. Peaceful protests over police misconduct, last summer, turned into riots in American cities. Peaceful protests over election irregularities turned into violence at the US Capitol this week. Political violence seems to be getting worse. We need to turn to scripture to see what this is all about. And we need to pray for God’s protection of our nation.
Heavenly Father, we turn to you in this trying time for our country. We ask that you bless us with your protection. We ask that you deliver us from those who riot and plunder. We ask for peace. And we pray this in the name of the prince of peace, your Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Here are some headlines from this week.
Daily Wire:
https://www.dailywire.com/news/police-chief-at-least-fourteen-officers-injured-amid-capitol-violence
At least fourteen police officers were injured amid the demonstrations and subsequent violent unrest in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, including two police officers who were hospitalized after getting attacked while on-duty.
One officer was hospitalized after “he was pulled into a crowd and assaulted,” and another officer was hospitalized with facial injuries after getting “struck by a projectile,” said Metropolitan Police Chief Robert Contee in a press conference Wednesday evening.
The other injuries weren’t as serious in nature, said Contee, but were still concerning. It’s not clear where exactly the injuries took place.
“These officers should be commended for their work. They fought hard to protect our Democracy, not only today but every day they wear that uniform,” said Contee.
The police chief also said that four people died amid the Capitol building unrest, which began after anti-certification protesters stormed the building and halted Congressional proceedings.
One woman, who was part of a group allegedly attempting to gain access to the House chamber, was killed after she was shot by a plainclothes Capitol police officer, said Contee. The woman, reportedly an Air Force veteran, was transported to a local hospital, where she was pronounced deceased.
Another three people, one woman, and two men died in what Contee described as apparent “medical emergencies” in the area surrounding the Capitol grounds. He did not provide additional information about those three individuals, and it is unclear when exactly they died in relation to the unrest.
Having abandoned the House and Senate chambers mid-session, members of Congress reconvened at around 8pm, after the police department and U.S. Capitol police swept the buildings and removed trespassers established a secure perimeter, and pushed back remaining individuals in the area.
Contee also said police recovered a pipe bomb at the Democratic National Committee, another pipe bomb at the Republican National Committee, and a cooler with Molotov cocktails on the grounds of the Capitol. More than 52 people were also arrested throughout the course of the day, including 26 people on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol for curfew violations or unlawful entry violations.
Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser, who called the incident an “unprecedented attack on our American Democracy,” said the nation’s capital would remain under a nightly curfew for the next fifteen days “so that we can continue to ensure peace and security” through inauguration day.
Vice President Mike Pence, addressing the Senate after it reconvened for the evening, called the situation a “dark day in the history of the United States Capitol” and condemned the violence.
“As we reconvene in this chamber, the world will again witness the resilience and strength of our democracy, for even in the wake of unprecedented violence and vandalism at this Capitol, the elected representatives of the people of the United States have assembled again, on the very same day, to support and defend the Constitution of the United States,” said the vice president.
Today’s sermon will not be political. I don’t really care if someone voted for Trump or someone voted for Biden. I have my own political views, but the pulpit is not the place for their expression. Rather the pulpit is where the word of God is proclaimed. And so we came this morning in the midst of political violence to hear what God has to say.
First, let me say something you will find surprising. As I read scripture, it is evident to me, that political violence is not the exception, rather it is the rule. Time and time again in scripture the people of God suffer political violence. In the early chapters of Genesis, we read this story.
Genesis 14:8 Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboyim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) marched out and drew up their battle lines in the Valley of Siddim 9 against Kedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goyim, Amraphel king of Shinar and Arioch king of Ellasar—four kings against five. 10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits, and when the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some of the men fell into them and the rest fled to the hills. 11 The four kings seized all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food; then they went away. 12 They also carried off Abram’s nephew Lot and his possessions, since he was living in Sodom.
So the kingdoms of Sodom and Gomorrah lost the first war recorded in the Bible. They were plundered and Abram’s nephew was carried off as a slave.
This set the pattern for what follows. Over and over again people engage in political violence. Why? Why can’t we live peacefully with each other? The answer to that question is sin. When sin came into the world, political violence came with it. And we still suffer from it. So, what will God do about it? Here is what God did after the first incident of political violence.
Genesis 14:13 A man who had escaped came and reported this to Abram the Hebrew. Now Abram was living near the great trees of Mamre the Amorite, a brother of Eshkol and Aner, all of whom were allied with Abram. 14 When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he called out the 318 trained men born in his household and went in pursuit as far as Dan. 15 During the night Abram divided his men to attack them and he routed them, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus. 16 He recovered all the goods and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people.
So what did God do? God sent a deliverer. God sent Abram to redeem his nephew and recover the plundered goods. What we learn from this is that God does not prevent political violence from occurring. Rather God blesses the faithful living in the midst of violence.
This pattern of political violence followed by divine deliverance can best be seen in the Book of Judges.
Judges 2:6 When Joshua dismissed the people, the Israelites all went to their own inheritances to take possession of the land. 7 The people worshiped the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work that the Lord had done for Israel. 8 Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of one hundred ten years. 9 So they buried him within the bounds of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. 10 Moreover, that whole generation was gathered to their ancestors, and another generation grew up after them, who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.
So the people enjoyed peace for a generation. Throughout that time they worshiped the Lord, God of Israel. God blessed them richly with peace. Then another generation came along that did not know the Lord. Here is what happened to them.
Judges 2:11 Then the Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and worshiped the Baals; 12 and they abandoned the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; they followed other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were all around them, and bowed down to them; and they provoked the Lord to anger. 13 They abandoned the Lord, and worshiped Baal and the Astartes.
14 So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he gave them over to plunderers who plundered them, and he sold them into the power of their enemies all around, so that they could no longer withstand their enemies. 15 Whenever they marched out, the hand of the Lord was against them to bring misfortune, as the Lord had warned them and sworn to them; and they were in great distress.
So as long as the people worshiped the Lord they were blessed with peace. But as soon as they abandoned God they experienced political violence.
For 100 years after the Civil War, our churches were full and growing. We experienced the blessings of God with peace. The wars we fought were far away in Europe and Asia. Here at home we were basically free from political violence. We were blessed and protected by God.
But for the last generation we have been pulling away from God. The doctrine of the “separation of church and state” has caused many to think that the government no longer needs to pay attention to God. The Bible no longer has any authority when determining public policy. Our culture denigrates Christians in movies and books. Our schools teach materialism. Athletic events for children are scheduled for Sunday mornings conflicting with worship. And we see falling attendance in churches. So is there any surprise that political violence has been unleashed upon us?
The good news is that with our God there is always hope. Let’s return to the Book of Judges and see God’s plan to deal with the political violence we face.
Judges 2:16 Then the Lord raised up judges, who delivered them out of the power of those who plundered them.
God does not want us to suffer from political violence. And God will send someone to lead us back to faith and deliver us from evil. But sin continues to lift its ugly head. And people forget what God has done for them. They again pull away from God and find themselves once again in the midst of political violence.
And that is where we are today. We have pulled away from God and we are now suffering the consequences. Political violence is with us.
King David lived in a time of political violence. He turned to God in prayer.
Psalm 140:1 Deliver me, O Lord, from evildoers;
protect me from those who are violent,
2 who plan evil things in their minds
and stir up wars continually.
3 They make their tongue sharp as a snake’s,
and under their lips is the venom of vipers.
4 Guard me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
protect me from the violent
who have planned my downfall.
6. I say to the Lord, “You are my God;
give ear, O Lord, to the voice of my supplications.”
7 O Lord, my Lord, my strong deliverer,
you have covered my head in the day of battle.
8 Do not grant, O Lord, the desires of the wicked;
do not further their evil plot.
King David knew what we should remember. That our true deliverer from political violence is God.
We need to turn away from our secular ways and return to God. The whole country needs a renewal of faith. We need another great awakening. We need to acknowledge God as our deliverer. We need to confess Jesus as our savior. We need a fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit. This is the only way that political violence will end and peace will be restored.
Political violence is a product of a sin-stained world. People turn to God and ask for deliverance. Peace arrives and we respond with gratitude by worshiping God. But as the years pass we forget how God has blessed us. We turn away from God and political violence returns. That’s where we are today. Our only hope is for the nation to return to God. Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, our nation is filled with violence. Last summer our cities burned and were looted. This week our Capitol was violently occupied. All of this is because our nation has turned away from you. We ask, Lord, for your protection in this violent time. And we ask for a deliverer who will lead our nation back to you. This we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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