Do What You Can To Help

 

A mighty warrior riding a magnificent horse was flying down the road, his cape fluttering in the wind behind him. The common folk made sure they got out of his way clearing the road for his passing. He noticed, however, directly in his path in the middle of the road, a sparrow. The bird was lying on its back with its feet sticking straight up in the air. The equestrian stopped and got off his horse and went over to the sparrow and asked, “Are you dead? And if not, what are you doing in the middle of the road with your feet in the air?” “No,” answered the bird, “I’m not dead, but I heard the sky might fall down and I’m helping to hold it up.” The warrior shook with laughter. He rolled on the ground and at last he wiped the tears from his eyes and said, “You silly bird! Even if the sky did fall down, what difference could you possibly make with those puny, spindly legs?” “Well,” exclaimed the sparrow. “You do what you can do to help.”

[Romans 1:18-2:11] Jeroboam II was the thirteenth ruler of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. He reigned for forty-one years (793-753 B.C.) during those days when both Jonah and Amos were doing their prophetic work. In the 250-year history of northern Israel his reign was one of the most prosperous. He successfully conducted wars against Syria, and he recaptured territory that Israel had not possessed since the days of David. During this era, Israel was very stable economically. Trades routes developed and wealth poured into the nation. The upper classes especially prospered, with certain families growing very wealthy in the acquisition of both land and money. In view of his remarkable success as a political leader, one would think that Jeroboam’s leadership would have been heralded in the Old Testament record, but that is not the case. The Bible largely ignores his administration. Jeroboam’s entire regime has been recorded in just seven verses (2 Kings 14:23-29). And this is his brief epitaph – “…he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah.” This account, as well as others, clearly reveals the fact that the Lord does not evaluate political administrations in the same way men do. Of a political leader who has built roads, increased revenues, expanded boundaries, and created better living conditions, most would say, “He was a great leader!” However, it is not riches that make a great nation, it is righteousness (Proverbs 14:34). It is not fortune, but faith. It is not smooth highways, but spiritual homes! It is superficial how Americans generally evaluate national leaders today. They want to know – can he lower taxes? Not - can he reduce moral corruption? Will he generate jobs? Rather than asking – will he attempt to initiate a regeneration of the nation’s ethical policies? Can he produce a higher quality of economic living? Or will he support a lower, sleazier level of laws that will accommodate and promote debauched lifestyles? What each citizen should be asking about potential leaders is: Does he acknowledge God as a sovereign over the nation? Does he seek to help the innocent and downtrodden find a fair level of justice? Does he value the sacredness of human life; of humanity as being in the “image” of the creator? (Genesis 9:6). Does he act on principle, or is his approach the way of political pragmatism? Will he labor for the stability of the human family, the divine arrangement of marriage between one man and one woman, or will he cater to special interest groups who craft their own values from the perversity of their self-indulgent lifestyles? Any individual who is swayed more by economic stability rather than moral stability has revealed a lot of information relative to the content of his character. Such are oblivious to the truth that prosperity is the result of goodness. Hold your hands up to heaven. Pray for our country. Do what you can to help.