31 Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways.
32 For the froward is abomination to the Lord: but his secret is with the righteous.
If you are concerned about corrupt leaders and abuse of power commonly seen in the world of business, government, and religion, then this writing is for you. If you are concerned about those who gain power and prosper from following corrupt leaders and movements within business, government, and religion, then this writing is for you too.
The world is full of people who devise evil against other human beings. The world is full of people who are power hungry. The world is full of people who think that they know best, therefore anyone who opposes them and becomes a threat is considered fodder for their fire. The world is full of fearful people who take the path of least resistance in order to save their skins, even if it means going along with the plans of the oppressors.
Your view of this will vary depending on who you see as the oppressor. Your view of this will vary depending on who your God is.
Here is my take on this currently, for what it’s worth:
Mankind oppresses. We have all been oppressors. We all think that our ways are right, and we are willing to abuse anyone who stands in our way. Maybe we think that we would never kill anyone, but we might support those who do, either directly or indirectly. We might say demeaning things that tear a person apart and feel a sense of gratification and power, especially when others agree with us. We might think up ways to tear others down should they oppose us, and we justify ourselves because our cause is right and theirs is not.
Any cause that is not the cause of Jesus is going to be corrupt. Any business doing, any government agenda, and religious way that is not aligned with what Jesus teaches is going down the path of an oppressor who devises evil against others. Any way that is not His way leads to ruin and is therefore abominable in His eyes.
We have all been abominable to one degree or another. We all need forgiveness. We all need guidance. We all need Jesus so that we can approach God and learn His ways—the ways of true wisdom that bring peace and goodness to this world. His ways also hate iniquity. Jesus and those who “sit with Him on His throne” will “rule all nations with a rod of iron.”
What do we suppose that entails? What is the iron rule of Jesus like? Most likely, it will not be what we naturally expect. For one, Jesus is no respecter of persons. He does not choose sides according to the way of man. He chooses His side—and His side is going to be in opposition to ALL the ways of man including ALL the ways of corruption in business, government, and religion.
Stop choosing sides according to man and stand with Jesus instead.
This will put you on the outskirts of most everything. That is not easy, I know. Doing so is uncomfortable and can put you at odds with most everyone—but it can also bring peace because you can find common ground with most if you’re willing to lay aside your own biases in favor of what Jesus deems best.
You can gain an outside perspective of understanding and reconciliation of yourself and others to God through Jesus as your become privy to His council instead of the councils of man, or at least grow in this regard. You will also partake of His iron rule, and He will give you words to speak that stop your enemies in their tracks. I know I need more of this, and such wisdom is far more valuable than anything this world has to offer. We must be willing to lay it all down, take up our cross, and follow Jesus.
The ways of man are perishing whether we follow Jesus or not, and in Him alone will we find security.
I do not want our country to fall. I enjoy living in a land of plenty. I like having a variety of food to eat, comfortable and affordable clothing, electricity and running water, and the conveniences of modern technology. I love that the name of Jesus is preached, even if it is preached by those who corrupt His name. Haven’t we all corrupted His name in some way? Jesus forgive us and show us a better way.
No man knows when the day of the Lord will come. Maybe our time is not yet. Maybe we have many more years of life and blessing in this world. I don’t know. I don’t know when His patience runs out, but I know that it does run out eventually and we only have this life, so in this life I want to follow Him and not this world.
I also submit to the fact that modern conveniences come at a great cost to our soul, so if they must be destroyed then this is God’s will for us and this is good.
Jesus paid the price for our soul, but do we wear His blood disrespectfully? Are we wearing His blood as a wedding garment or are we draped in shame because we take His sacrifice for granted and use His blood as an excuse to wallow in corruption? Do wear His blood in shame because we choose to stand with things that are perishing instead of His ways?
Do we envy the ways of the unjust? Do we stand in the ways of the unjust who devise murder, or do we stand in the ways of the Prince of Peace?
The Prince of the World has power and He will take power in greater measure one day. Those who follow him are more than willing to kill and destroy any who oppose. We need to get out of this mindset now. We need to find the ways of our King and follow Him now. Though the wicked seem to have control and prosperity, we know that all ways that are not the ways of Jesus are perishing.
I am pleading with you. Choose the ways of Jesus. If you are not a Christian, now is a good time to learn what Christianity is really about. Many are among us who are not of us, and many make the name of Jesus into something it is not. Do not reject Jesus because of the evil done to you by others. He is the only real way to find peace on this earth.
If you are a Christian, let go of this world—not just in a judicial sense through the blood of Jesus, but in a real and meaningful way lest you wear His blood in shame. It is hard to let go. It can be frightening and confusing, but Jesus will show you the way and there are people out there who are happy to help.
Each man and woman according to their conscience has something they must leave behind, so leave it behind. I cannot say what you must leave behind because we each have our own walk in Jesus, but I can say that we should be careful to make sure that the ground we stand on is the rock of Jesus and not the shifting sands of this world.
Jesus Alone 