A Time To Groan :: By Steve Schmutzer

The occasion was the recent US-EU Summit, and it was an amazing quote from the leader of the free world.

“I’m going to get in trouble. But, anyway, we’ll get back to that. But we, uh, you know….there’s a lot that, that is….it’s happening. I used to always…” (awkward silence)

Amazing? Yes, indeed – but not for the usual reasons.

It was amazing for its ineptness, its lack of cogency, and its public display of foolishness. There are reports of other world leaders snickering whenever the US President spoke, and laughing when he mixed up countries’ names and bumbled through ordinary discussions and introductions.

The folly does not stop there.

Under this nation’s current leadership, illegal border crossings have soared to record heights. Under this new administration’s short watch, inflation alarms are surging, once plentiful energy resources have been cut off, Mideast tensions and conflicts have sharply escalated, Executive Orders have skyrocketed to unprecedented levels, and law enforcement applications and morale have utterly tanked. That’s just scratching the surface of the rough news.

We don’t even know what “infrastructure” is anymore. It has always been about roads, bridges, airports, railways, and seaports. You know – the “hard bones” transportation stuff. That was always the accepted definition on both sides of the aisle.

Now, under the present leadership, it includes social programs, media aid, paid leave, ‘woke’ ideology, transgender initiatives, and childcare. Basically, “infrastructure” is now whatever assists a progressive-socialist agenda.

What’s happening here is a real-time display of Prov. 29:2, “When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice. But when the wicked are in power, they groan.”

The point of that verse is not a political statement. It’s a spiritual reminder.

The truth of Prov. 29:2 is clear. It’s been manifest throughout human history whenever leaders choose to ignore God’s laws. Every time leaders color outside those lines, a nation suffers. What God cares about is how leadership conforms to His laws and complies with His principles of righteousness.

Let me give you some examples. If a leadership is noted for its fraud and deception, then God does not approve of it (Lev. 19:11; Psalms 119:163; Prov. 12:22, Et Al). When an entire leadership actively advances lies – the situation is especially onerous to God.

If a leadership supports a globalist ideal, then they are supporting an agenda that will ultimately be condemned (Rev. 13:2-7). This has already happened before; an ancient globalist agenda was judged (Gen. 11:1-9).

Even in the future Millennial Kingdom, a time of near perfection during Jesus Christ’s physical rule on earth, nations will still exist (Rev. 21:24). Individual nations are a part of God’s design.

What about law and order? When humans were created, law-based structures were implemented (Gen. 2:16-17). That has not changed. God still condones government and its primary function to stop anarchy and preserve the law (Romans 13:1-7). During those times when “every man did what was right in his own eyes” (Deut. 12:8; Judges 17:6; Et Al.), things went very badly. Societies fell apart, and lawlessness abounded. These things are always a symptom of evil.

Justice is a big deal to God too. He hates it when a system of fair justice is suppressed, when there is one system of justice for one group of people and a different one for another, and when proper accountability is stonewalled (Prov. 11:1, 17:15; Psalms 43:1; Isaiah 10:1; Et Al.).

Dare I state the obvious? I will.

God’s design is FOR two distinct genders, no more. God’s design is also FOR heterosexual relationships, FOR the nuclear family, FOR the protection of the unborn, FOR national borders, FOR moral behavior, and FOR capital punishment. All of these things find their foundation in God’s inerrant Word. When anyone – or any nation – embraces an alternate view, they are on the wrong side of God’s divine intentions.

Here’s the nutshell. When people choose to reject God, to deny that He exists or that He made us and put us on this earth – or when people decide they want to define God by their personal preferences – they put themselves in a very dangerous spot (Romans 1:20).

When leaders and nations no longer tolerate truth – when they choose to censor facts, enforce acquiescence, or reinforce deception with intimidation – they have completely abused their position.

Violence and censorship are first cousins. Violence is a primitive effort to force compliance, just as censorship is a symptom of those who wish to deflect from their own lack of integrity. These actions are regularly practiced by those who do not fear God, and who detest His laws and all who follow them.

When this point is reached, foolishness is no longer a symptom – it’s a terminal condition. It’s obvious to everyone around. It’s even clear to the world at large.

Oh – I know, those who arrive at this point won’t see it or believe it. They get angry when they’re made to look into a mirror. The fact is they “can’t handle the truth.” They exist in a sticky and suffocating delusion, and they vigorously defend where they choose to be.

Contrary to the evidence, they imagine themselves to be forward-thinking, elite, insightful, erudite, knowing, and even wise (Romans 1:22).

They may even imagine themselves to be President.