Jonah 1:1 Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. 3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish"... 4 "And there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken. 5 Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them"...
This passage of scripture teaches us that we do not live in isolation from the world around us, but that whatsoever we do, whether it be good or evil will have a ripple effect on others who may have had nothing to do with our actions. A thorough understanding of this fundamental truth is of critical importance, especially in our day when so many natural and man-made disasters are occurring daily, with apparently no reason for the loss of innocent lives. Omega truth has written extensively on this principle in times past, and will again reiterate it today, because of the many questions that are arising in secular circles concerning the goodness and fairness of God in dealing with His earth-born children.
In the passage above we see clearly where the lives of the sailors and other passengers on the ship were put in grave danger, simply because of Jonah's disobedience, even though they had absolutely nothing to do with his sin. We also observe in the narrative that his disobedience affected the weather in adverse ways, which in turn cost other people their belongings and material goods. The reason for this is that the law of sin carries with it penalties that are often inflicted on the innocent, who had nothing to do with actual transgression. For instance, when Bernie Madoff deliberately chose to sin by practicing fraud and embezzlement, many innocent victims who had nothing to do with his sin also suffered and were driven to the poor house, as a result of the collateral damage his sin caused.
The carelessness and presumption which triggered the massive BP oil spill in the gulf, caused many businesses to go under, and as a result many people lost their livelihood, and all they had worked for all their lives. In addition to this, many mortgages could not be paid, and credit scores suffered, all because of the principle of collateral damage when sin is committed. This sacred truth is written over and over again in the Bible, and very soon, someone in the higher echelons of society will connect the dots, and see that the real reason why unending tumults, wars, earthquakes, famines and unnatural storms such as hurricane sandy, is not the result of global warming, but rather the effects of global sinning. Let's read:
Isaiah 24:2 And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him. 3 The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the Lord hath spoken this word. 4 The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish. 5 The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. 6 Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.
When David sinned against the plain command of God by numbering the people, seventy thousand of them were slain by the destroying angel, even though they had not directly participated in David's sin. They were probably harboring the same sentiments as David, but they did not command anyone to number the people, and when David got wind of the terrible plague which thousands were succumbing to, he cried out in remorse and regret, for at this point in his experience he did not yet fully understand the principle of collateral damage. His ignorance of this sacred truth was thus expressed in mournful words. Let's read:
1st Chronicles 21:16 And David lifted up his eyes, and saw the angel of the Lord stand between the earth and the heaven, having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders of Israel, who were clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces. 17 And David said unto God, Is it not I that commanded the people to be numbered? even I it is that have sinned and done evil indeed; but as for these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, O Lord my God, be on me, and on my father's house; but not on thy people, that they should be plagued.
Again, when Achan sinned by stealing the goodly Babylonian garment and the shekels of gold, several lives were lost in the battle with the men of Ai, even though the slain soldiers had no knowledge of Achan's sin, neither did they participate in any way in his transgression. Then when Joshua prayed unto God for the reasons for their defeat, the answer given by God shed light on the principle of collateral damage, a truth which still remains greatly misunderstood or unknown, even in our modern era. Let's read:
Joshua 7:1 But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi"... "took of the accursed thing. 5 And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men"....."wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water. 10 And the Lord said unto Joshua".... 11 Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff. 12 Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you.
In our day many people are following in the footsteps of Achan, for the "Accursed thing" is just about to be made the law of the land. If for any reason the marriage institution is overturned by the laws of men, the principle of collateral damage will again be engaged, and very many innocent people, both nationally and internationally, who had nothing to do with its passage, will feel the adverse results of transgression, and then it will be that Christians need to be very careful of jumping on the bandwagon of asking the question, "Where is God", for He is still on the throne of the universe, instructing and cautioning us against these evils, lest we bring upon ourselves untold agony and unnecessary difficulties.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which cautions all, both Christians and secular folk, to live soberly and righteously in this generation, for it is the will of God that we repent and forsake our individual and national sins, before we reach a point of no return. Let's read:
Isaiah 1:19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: 20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
May The Lord add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word. God bless!