“Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?” (Ezekiel 33:11)
Last week we saw the demise of yet another brutal dictator, Moammar Gadhafi. By the way, how many ways did this guy spell his name? Besides the most common form “Gadhafi”, I have seen Qadaffi, Kaddafy, Gaddafi, and probably a few others. How can anyone follow a man who can’t even spell his own name? An entire nation has been liberated from the yoke of this strange and evil man, and he has gone on to meet his maker and receive his eternal reward. By the way, it is NOT 72 virgins! It has been the plight of mankind to be under the yoke of bondage of dictators like this since the time that there were enough people to form governments. The old adage fits. Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Proverbs 27:20 says, “Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.” Man can never get enough. It doesn’t matter how much sex, drugs, money, or power we get, we think we need more. It reminds me of one of my favorite cartoons of all time: “Pinky and the Brain”. It was created by Stephen Spielberg, and it was brilliant in its simplicity. It was the story of two laboratory mice who had a plan to “take over the world” every night, yet they failed miserably every time. Each episode always ended the same way, with them heading back to their cages after yet another failed attempt. Pinky would ask, “What are we going to do tomorrow night, Brain?” Brain would answer, “The same thing we do every night, Pinky, try and take over the world.” It was animated so the children would enjoy it, but it was deeply profound in its sarcasm and wit as Spielberg would relate it to current events and historical figures. Google “Pinky and the Brain”. It is no longer being produced, but I am sure you can catch old episodes on line. It is insanely hilarious, and a great commentary on the folly of human nature and our lust for power.
Whenever we see a man like Gadhafi fall, we sort of breathe a sigh of relief and think, “It’s about time. Good enough for him.” The people of Libya are celebrating profusely, and rightfully so to a point. But God’s word has a little different take on these matters. Why did God let this man stay in power for over 40 years? There are a whole host of answers to that question, but one of them is that he is not willing that any should perish (II Peter 3:9). He loved Gadhafi as much as he loved you. He sent his Son to die for his sins as well as yours. His rejection of Jesus Christ sealed his eternal fate, but it does not lessen the desire God had to see him come to repentance and faith and gain his home in heaven as well. Libyans are rejoicing at the demise of Gadhafi, but God does not rejoice in the death of the wicked. One soul is worth the entire world, and God grieves when one of them is lost. 42 years in absolute control of a nation was not enough to satisfy this man. Judgment and justice were finally served, but God gave him every opportunity and every grace to come to the knowledge of the truth.
No one reading this blog will ever get to the status of a world leader and dictator like Gadhafi. Thank God for that. But every one of us knows people who have been given 40 or more years of grace, yet have still not come to the knowledge of the truth. They “reign” over their own little domain, as puny as it may be, and make every effort to “try and take over the world” on a daily basis – at least the world they live in. They need to come to the one who owns it all. Those of us who have received him as Saviour are “joint heirs” with him (Romans 8:16-17). I don’t need to worry about becoming a supreme ruler over a country. I own the Universe.
Share the truth with the lost. What they think they want and need is not what they really need. Jesus came to deliver us from the bondage of sin, and he is coming soon to “take over the world”. Only those who have trusted him will be the “Pinky” to rule with the “Brain”.
No comments:
Post a Comment