Jeremiah 22:3 – Do Justice and Righteousness

For several months, I’ve been attending our local school board meetings.  When it came to light earlier this year that an email letter was sent to over 700 students in the high school under the principal’s signature that advocated for the Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) club and provided a link leading to – arguably – a wealth of pornographic materials, one parent, who followed that link, became incensed.  Righteously indignant, she protested against this transgression of the values she and her husband were trying to instill in their daughters.  This triggered their attendance at the next school board meeting and the awakening of others in the community as to what moral code the school was propagating.  What had been occurring elsewhere in the nation had come to our area.

Over these months, various parents and concerned citizens have spoken out as more violations of children’s rights have been revealed.  If you’ve watched what has gone on elsewhere in various, more publicized meetings, it will come as no surprise to you that the members of our school board ignored our concerns.  In fact, the board enlisted allies among teachers and other left-leaning community members to also attend the meetings to counter and mute our voices.

Over the course of these months, some of the outspoken families protesting the direction of the school have experienced retaliation.  This has come in the form of subtle attacks to their homes, e.g. loosening lug nuts on their car tires and other more direct assaults.  They have received threatening letters, and their children have been the object of bullying.  These reprisals have caused many of these families to pull back in fear for their safety and for concern about the potential for opportunity lost in various school activities, e.g. sports or band participation.

At one of the school board meetings, those of us in attendance were told that all members of the board had received a threatening letter in the mail.  One member, who is a policeman, recounted how when his daughter got the mail and read the letter, he feared for his family.  The board president spoke of these letters and clearly indicted all of us who were present as being responsible for the content and implied threats.

This didn’t go over well with many of us.  One question that arose was why the policeman would allow his daughter to open and read his mail.  That was curious.  Additionally, why were all of us deemed guilty for the presumed actions of one individual?  These issues caused some of us to question the validity of the letter: Was there one, or was it made up in  order to project shame upon the audience for daring to object to school board policy?

Interestingly, two weeks following the revealing of this letter incident, the national school board association wrote to the U.S. attorney general complaining about parents as domestic terrorists, with the AG promising to have the FBI investigate.

Since this time, few actual parents remain actively involved in contesting against what the board continues to stand for.  The majority of us remaining are older and don’t necessarily even have a direct stake in the matter, other than wanting to stand for what is right.  I don’t know what has happened in this respect elsewhere in the nation, but with fewer involved parents, it certainly appears as if the unresponsive school board will continue on the path they’ve been following.  They simply don’t care.

All this came to mind in reading about the response of the king of Judah when Jeremiah called out the sins of the people and what God intended to do as judgment.  The Lord through the prophet said to the king of Judah in Jeremiah 22:3:

“Thus says the Lord: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place.”

Jeremiah had made the king, the rulers of Judah, and all the people well aware of their transgressions against the Lord.  He urged them continually to repent and turn back to following Yahweh and His commands.  If they didn’t, He would bring disaster upon them.  Here was the response as recounted in Jeremiah 22:21:

“I spoke to you in your prosperity,

    but you said, ‘I will not listen.’

This has been your way from your youth,

    that you have not obeyed my voice.”

No one would listen because no one cared.

Sound familiar with what I related above?

Those in power thought they were untouchable.  They could do what they pleased and simply ignore the righteous claims arising from those injured by their policies and actions.  Yet, God had a Word for such people as Jeremiah 22:5 tells us:

“But if you will not obey these words, I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that this house shall become a desolation.

God would not let unrighteousness remain among His people at that time.  I have confidence that He will not allow wrongful actions to remain unpunished.  The only question as to such retribution by the Lord is when He will bring it.  Will it be while we who are in Christ remain on this earth or after the Rapture?  Will these people harming children, as they pretend to watch for their welfare, suffer judgment during the Tribulation or only at the end when they stand before God?

Ironically, the school board president is the “pastor” of a very liberal church which welcomes homosexuals and has no intention of preaching righteousness and transformation to them.  Like the king of Judah whom God declared he and his sons would perish in captivity in Babylon, one wonders the fate of such a man who pretends to represent God.  In those meetings, I can only speak the Word of God and warn him and the others that they are treading in very deep water.

The Lord desires that there be justice and righteousness practiced throughout the land – whether Israel or any other nation.  When it is not – when abominations arise – God is angered.  He allows such transgressions to continue for a time in the hopes that some of those committing evil will relent and turn to Him.

Let us pray that some now embracing wickedness will have Saul to Paul conversions.  Wouldn’t that be something to witness?

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