| by John Jewell (London, England) |
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| Poet John Masefield wrote “All I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by.” Oh, if only mankind as a whole could find such satisfaction and happiness so simply stated. Today, however, in nation after nation of the western world, there can be few who find any satisfaction with their life and/or lot. At this point why not carry out the simple test of asking ones-self the question “am I honestly really satisfied and happy with my life in today’s world” or what’s life all about anyway!” Many people in the western world can get some physical satisfaction by having an adequate income. An income which covers their physical needs and many, if not most, of their wants and desires. Even so there will probably still be a need which may not be physical, but will often be a spiritual or nonphysical need; with each one most likely getting in the way of the other. However, most people’s needs, whatever they are, still have to be met. Obviously, there are exceptions when faced with a natural disaster such as suffered by Christchurch in New Zealand which is still suffering the effects of the unusually powerful earthquakes which wrecked most of the city and many homes further away. Australia is still feeling the effects of the severe flooding which hit the nation some time ago. Outside the western world, mankind’s needs are all too real and fundamental and are brought upon the people so often by corrupt governments. Governments which are also totally incompetent. Dreadful suffering continues to be inflicted upon the people of Haiti. You will probably recall the powerful earthquake which hit the island some two or three years ago. The reports, which came out from western journalists who managed to get into the nation quickly, in order to tell the rest of the world what had happened, triggered an outpouring of sympathy and very large sums of money in order to provide immediate help. And then helping in rehousing the people in something a little more adequate and permanent. Britain and the US were well to the fore in helping. However, to this day many, if not most, of those who suffered have still not been rehoused. A recent television program showed how many are still living in the ruins and rubble of structures wrecked by the earthquake. Barely any roads have been repaired. One wonders what has happened to the funds that were made available so readily. Becoming aware of the problem and of the desperate needs of the people, some charities in Britain and the United States as well as other nations of Europe, have, to their credit, set up organizations to help ease the problem of emergency housing. My wife and I visited one such charity, Habitat for Humanity, recently which had set up, in a local park, a display of the rough shelters that, at best, are all that is available to meet the immediate and desperate needs of those of the third world who are homeless or have become homeless and probably have families to take care of. Added to which it is most likely there is little or no work and what there is will pay very little. These rough structures, they can hardly be called shelters, are put together from whatever scraps of wood, cardboard and/or plastic the individual can find. He might be lucky to find a scrap of metal. But whatever he can put together will very likely have to do for a family with several children who, with their parents, have to share the same small, barely covered space. Seeing the examples of such structures that Habitat had put together brought it home to the visitor what so many hundreds of thousands of people have to suffer in today’s world; with little, if any, help from their own governments. Habitat for Humanity specializes in providing immediate shelter to as many as possible of the almost one billion people living in the world’s cities in what has to be described as very temporary shelter. This gives a respite during which it is hoped that more permanent housing can be provided. They say that the UN’s statistics show that getting near to a half of those living in what we call the developing world are living in slums and desperately need better shelter. This exhibition helped to focus the attention on how widespread, and serious the problem is, and how little is being done by the appropriate governments to ameliorate it. The charity has even developed what it calls the Habitat for Humanity Home. Housing tends to be regarded by too many in today’s world as a milch cow! As a means of getting rich quickly by holding the threat of eviction over the heads of the tenants; thus removing any security from them. Habitat in their literature quoted the UN again when saying how in the developing world there are almost a billion people living without secure tenure, thus bringing in an insecurity to not only the immediate area, but the nation as well. A nation is the sum of its occupants, its citizens. If there is any lack of security amongst the population there will be, of necessity a lack of security for the nation. It is no surprise then to find that the bible, the word of God, covers these subjects very well and succinctly. Basic principles are given in the scriptures, and in some cases developed more widely with good examples given so that there is no possibility of anyone misunderstanding. First of all, it addresses the basics. In Isaiah chapter 11 verse 9 it makes it clear that in the future world, the world that is to be established at the return of Jesus Christ, the law governing the lives of the inhabitants will be the law of God. He says quite clearly and definitely in a broad statement that “they shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” He repeats this same point in Jeremiah 31: verse 34 that everyone, without exception, is going to know God. And, whether people like it or not, they are going to be taught the law of God and required to keep it. Man, whoever he is, whatever nationality, whatever wealth he has, whatever position in society he has, he is going to be required to know, understand, and keep God’s law. Verse 35 makes it even clearer as to whom is speaking and can and will make it happen! He’s the one who had and has, the power to arrange it so that the sun gives mankind light and power by day and then the softer light of the moon and stars for mankind to be able to move around at night. And also use the same stars and their pattern to be also able to travel at night. Within the scriptures in both the Old and the New Testaments there are clear instructions as to how to conduct ourselves as human beings, as citizens, as employers, employees, fathers, mothers and even children – one scripture says that children are to honor their parents. Not very much of that happening in todays’ world! Either taught, learned, or put into practice! The bible in Isaiah 3:12 again refers to today’s world when it reads that children will be oppressors of God’s people. Who can deny that the statement in Isaiah is certainly true of today’s America and Britain? We have been speaking of houses and have looked briefly at some of the problems concerning their occupation and their possession. In Isaiah 5:8 God spells out some basic requirements for house construction in today’s world. He says that those who build houses in terraces, in long lines or in apartment blocks and then join these all up into vast areas will run into trouble. And we certainly do! City after city, town after town, nowhere, as He made clear, would be free from them and the severe problems they bring. We have ignored the clear scripture, the clear instruction with its strong warning as to the result! What did He say? He said that so much would be built like this that there would be virtually no land left on which to build even one house standing on its own and not connected to another. We have indeed reached that position. And we are now paying a penalty for doing this. There is now no easy answer for the British housing problem. Instead of town and countryside it will be urban and less urban! Yet in Proverbs chapter 19 verse 14 tells us that houses and finances should be the inheritance a man is able to leave to his children. An earlier verse says that a good man will leave an inheritance to his grandchildren. In other words, the whole system of housing, construction, financing, and ownership is wrong. The problems that exist bear witness to the truth of the bible when it makes the point. But it’s too late! We are already paying the price as the bible said we would. Yet, if we, including our governments had obeyed God how different life would have been. An example is given us of King Solomon. There is a phrase which one may still hear on occasion – it refers to the wisdom of Solomon. It speaks of the respect the citizens of Israel had for him. For, as the bible says “… they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do judgment.” The bible record tells us that the nations of Judah and Israel lived safely all the days of Solomon. That is for the 40 years he was actually on the throne. Those nations were well blessed by virtue of living under the government of Solomon. But here was a leader of the people – one who had been brought up to understand God’s laws, His ways and to come to judgments and decisions by consulting the laws of God first and also talking to God in prayer. As the bible clearly says in the Psalms and specifically Psalm 111, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments. And, yes, Solomon did talk to God, part of one of his prayers has been preserved for us. It is in 1 Kings chapter 3, verse 9 – this is how it goes: “… Give therefore your servant an understanding heart to judge your people, that I may discern between good and bad for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?’ Under Solomon, today’s nations would not need international charities such as Habitat for Humanity. It’s going to take the return of Jesus Christ, the son of God, before real, lasting changes are made to our nation and to the world in general. We can be absolutely assured that those changes are going to be made. |
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