During recent months there has occurred, within and outwith the United Kingdom, events of a serious and striking nature and which appear to be indicative of the divine pleasure toward us and other peoples in these times of forgetfulness of the one, living and true God and of manifest rebellion against Him. God is by his judgments known as viewing the sins and ungodliness of men in particular parts of the world and even in specific and limited localities. Obvious and outstanding adverse and afflictive providences are viewed by those who study the Bible, as being rods employed by God whereby He speaks to men and Nations regarding their sins and His divine displeasure in relation to their sins.
We published last month an extract from the pamphlet by Bishop Ryle, on “The Finger of God,” dealing with his Scriptural observations on the outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease in his day about one hundred years ago. The serious outbreak of this plague in England from October last year and now diminishing, was and is, a clear judgment from God upon our nation. We must not limit our view of this extensive destruction of cattle and sheep involved, as merely affecting the farming community; but as a voice from God to the people of this back-sliding nation in general.
Then the actions of the Government in cutting expenditure at home and the withdrawal of our forces from the Far East and Middle East, is said to be absolutely essential to deliver our nation from economic bankruptcy. Britain is declared to be in a desperate plight financially. This state of affairs is not divorced from the government of the Most High, who claims to be the One who can build up a Nation and also pull down a Nation. These aspects of divine government are revealed in the Word of God in relation to the religious and moral conduct of nations as such. In the realm of Parliament in recent years — irrespective of political parties — Bills and Laws have been approved which
have been clearly contrary to the mind of God as set forth in Scripture. Sexual immorality, gambling, divorce and the Sabbath, etc., have all been debated and dealt with more or less, and with scant regard for the teaching of God’s Word; and this in the Houses of Parliament of a professed Christian nation. Is not God visiting us for these things?
Then there has been the terrible and extensive damage caused by the unusual and terrific storm which swept over central Scotland from West to East, during twenty-four hours, one weekend in January last. Nineteen people were killed and eight million pounds worth of damage done to all kinds of property. It has been said that this devastation of property was greater than war damage in this area by enemy bombing. Surely the Lord has spoken thus in His anger to the people of Scotland. It is our view that the vast majority of those affected and distressed by this storm were living without God, without His Word, regardless of the Sabbath Day and despisers of His House and Gospel. Is not all this true of the most in Scotland and England? The Lord may withhold the rod of punishment for long periods from the nation and localities. But this powerful gale came unexpectedly, as a thief in the night and has left many in great temporal affliction. The Lord is therefore saying: “Hear ye the rod and who hath appointed it.”
In considering these serious events embracing economics, food, property and human lives, the deplorable fact is, that many in our land who do adhere to the professed Christian Church and attend religious services, are indoctrinated into thinking that the character of God must on no account be associated with wrath, anger or judgments against the sins of men. So that even multitudes who say that they are Christians do not discern or believe that God is immediately concerned with the events we have referred to. How very difficult for such to appreciate any reference to our need as a nation of repentance toward God, of recognising our national sins and ungodliness, of confessing our sins and of turning from our sins to the ways of truth and righteousness.
The revelation concerning the moral outlook of some Edinburgh University students, brought into the open by the resignation of the Rector, Mr Malcolm Muggeridge, is an indication of the complete lack of understanding as to the reality and evil of sin, in certain areas of society. When evil is said to be good, there is here no light at all upon the nature and character of the holy God of heaven. This abandonment of the morals of the divine ten commandments goes hand in hand with a rejection of belief in God and His hatred to personal and national sins. And therefore this leads to a scoffing at the very thought that temporal and outstanding afflictive events are divine judgments. One cannot
expect people who believe that fornication should be a normal practice uncondemned, will discern, in any event, the hand and rod of God.
The present day evidences of God’s controversy with Britain as a backsliding nation are indications to all God fearing persons as to what God may yet do, in greater measure, by way of punishing us as a people, if we repent not.
It is grievous indeed that there is as yet no expressed desire for a national day of prayer, from the leaders of the Church of Scotland and the Church of England. And as to the Houses of Parliament, no one has suggested that we should turn to God in our troubles.
In Hosea, Chapter 5, the Lord addresses the priests and the house of the king, in Israel, thus: “I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face . . .” If it were not for the small remnant of those who know and fear the Lord, in our midst, we should be exposed to the manifestation of the divine indignation, comparable with the case of Sodom. This was the case in regard to Israel in the days of Isaiah and as he records it at the beginning of his prophecy, “Except the Lord had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom . . .” Truly, we need, in all sections of the nation to give ear to what the Lord says: “Come now, and let us reason together saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” (Isaiah, Ch. 1, v. 18).