What Happened To Our World? What Happened To Society?
When Light Looks Away … Darkness Looks In
by Moses | Staff Writer | Eternal Affairs Media
How did we come about having nations not expressing keen interests in God or His ways? Why are more nations becoming godless? Right before our eyes, the knowledge of God is diminishing in our respective societies. It is worrisome that a generation is growing willfully deciding to ignore God and all that is related to Him.
Did we push them to this? Perhaps the Christian community failed at a point along the line.
Is it possible that darkness is becoming more pronounced, not because it has the energy to do so but because light, which should check it, is no longer interested in shining?
Each time I read the account of how Israel got fed up with God and sought a king like other nations, I end up thinking of the ripple effects of failed leadership on the followers or citizens, as the case may be.
The elders of the land of Israel did not suddenly rise to demand a king from Samuel – they came with facts to back their claim.
Seeing the failure of Samuel’s children to uphold righteousness in the land, more so that Samuel had grown old to make further remarkable changes in the land, the elders demanded that he should find them a king to reign over them like other nations.
They had seen, and only God knows how long they had studied other nations with kings. They had an eye on other nations, just as they kept the other eye on situations at home. With an eye in and out, they compared notes.
The failure of Samuel and his sons was not the first. Before this was the failure of Eli and his two sons – Hophni and Phinehas.
When Eli failed, they believed in a second chance, especially seeing that Samuel was growing up differently and positively in the land and his office. They could overlook the failure of Eli because they had Samuel at hand as a great replacement.
However, when Samuel failed, it was one failure too many to cope with. It was a failure they noticed when he was already old – they couldn’t stomach it this time around. They had seen it played out before, but this time with Samuel, it was different.
When Eli failed, it was obvious that Samuel was a better replacement. However, when Samuel failed, there was nobody good enough at hand to take over and change the narratives. Samuel’s failure was without a man of remedy in his office.
Given this, the elders sat and concluded it was time to consider a fresh option. The system of government must change from a theocratic to a monarchical form of government. It was a drastic change, one necessitated by what looked like a continuous and helpless failure of those meant to represent God and make Him acceptable among men.
I may be wrong, but when darkness walks bold, light must have, at a point, walked timidly. The failure of light makes darkness a success. The moment men of light consistently crumble, men of darkness cash in on the opportunity to rise.
Yes, say the elders must have been silently desiring to be like other nations, but if they did not find an excuse in the failure of God’s servants, perhaps they wouldn’t have been so bold to declare they had been understudying other nations. Our failure expresses the excuse in the hearts of men.
When men disdain our God, let us not be quick to call them godless. Perhaps we have lived to create an impression that our God is such to be disdained.
Will it be wrong to check if the missing link is from us? What if it is?
Will it be a wrong move to check our moves that may have been moving people away from the Church and Christianity in general? When the Lord is no longer respected, perhaps they got a clue to disrespect Him having seen how disrespectful we have been to Him.
If only Samuel had gotten it right with his children. If only he hadn’t allowed the error of Eli to repeat itself in him. If only Samuel’s two sons, Joel and Abiah, had raised the priesthood bar in Israel, all quiet and illicit desire to live by the style of other nations wouldn’t have found an expression.
If only the Body of Christ didn’t start a romantic relationship with the world, perhaps men would still be longing to seek to live by the Word. The confusion in the Church strengthens an ungodly world. Living clueless of the Word, men have found inspiration to become worldly.
But I know that once The Light is lifted, darkness takes a bow. When light takes charge, darkness discharges, struggling to make its presence felt.
I repeat by saying this is not a blame game but a nudge on the spirit of men saddled with the responsibility of making God attractive. It is an attempt to push the Body of Christ, you and I, into the reality of who we are.
When light looks away, darkness looks in.
