Don’t be Ignorant
I’m reading through the Old Testament and I came across this phrase in two places:
1 Chronicles 12:32 men of Issachar, who understood the times and knew what Israel should do
Ester 1:13 Since it was customary for the king to consult experts in matters of law and justice, he spoke with the wise men who understood the times
The past summer and semester, I’ve been trying to understand this topic of redeemed living and the unintended separation of the scared and secular. There is this idea that stems from this topic that Wisdom is synonymous with Righteousness. Wise living is the same as righteous living (as found in Proverbs) since there is no separation between the sacred and secular, it’s all the same. (The correct way or the wise way to live is the right way to live or living in righteousness. Sorry, it’s hard for me to put these thoughts into words since I’m still pondering it. Reference: Not The Way It’s Supposed To Be: A Breviary of Sin which is the only book I’ve read related to this topic so far. I have another one on my list.)
This phrase “understood the times” coupled with “know what Israel should do” seems to be applied to wise men. They knew the current social, economical, and political situations and what to do. They understood the times they were living in and knew how to live in a proper (wise) way. They also know how the Kingdom of God (Israel) fit into their current socioeconomic (using this as an umbrella term for pretty much everything) times. This concept, coupled with the idea that wisdom is righteousness, makes it seem that the righteous man is informed and well-versed in current events and how God is moving and using his kingdom, the church, through the times. I’m totally ignorant regarding society and many things going on. As been said multiple times – we need to pray with the Bible in one hand, and the newspaper in another.
How does the current economic situation of the US impact it’s missions sending capabilities? How the do current political campaigns affect the direction of our country and our ability to be used by God? How does the “green” ecological movement relate to the command to “Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground” (Gen 1:28b)?
I think at the very least, this highlights to requirement that Christians be informed citizens and influential agents in society ushering in the “already but not yet” Kingdom of God.
Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. Ps. 84:5-6. We are to be agents of transformation, bringing life to the society we live in.