“You cannot make a silk purse
out of a sow’s ear” is a saying that goes all the way
back to the 1500s. It’s
just another way of saying that you cannot take something of inferior quality
and make something of value. However, this is exactly what we have been doing
in this country since 1962.
In 1962 our esteemed Supreme
Court ruled that “officially sponsored prayer in public school was
unconstitional” in the case of Engel v. Vitale.
In 1963 the Supreme Court ruled
that “mandatory prayers and Bible reading in public schools was unconstitional”
in the case of Murray v. Curlett.
In 1980 the Supreme Court
ruled, “If the posted copies of the Ten Commandments are to have any affect at
all, it will be to induce the schoolchildren to read, meditate upon, perhaps to
venerate and obey, the Commandments. This is not a permissible state objective
under the First Amendment.” Stone v. Graham
In other words, our Supreme
Court was concerned that the students might actually read and follow the
teaching of the Ten Commandments. Now that is interesting. Here is what the Ten
Commandments say.
1.
You shall have no
other gods before me.
2.
You shall not
make for yourself idols and worship them.
3.
You shall not
misuse the name of the Lord your God.
4.
Remember the
Sabbath by keeping it holy.
5.
Honor your father
and your mother.
6.
You shall not
murder.
7.
You shall not
commit adultery.
8.
You shall not
steal.
9.
You shall not
give false testimony against your neighbor.
10.
You shall not
covet anything that belongs to your neighbor.
Seventeen years later, in
Paducah, Kentucky, three Christian students were murdered and five others
seriously injured by a fellow student. They had met in a school hallway where
the Ten Commandments could no longer be posted (thanks to our Supreme Court),
to enjoy Bible reading and prayer together. Maybe if the Bible, prayer and the Ten
Commandments had remained in school, the student murderer would not have broken
commandment number six. Just saying.
Our schools have never been
perfect since they are comprised of imperfect people, but at least our
hallways, play grounds and class rooms were safe environments when I was
attending school. I am 72 now (2019), so you do the math. By the way, no one
forced us to read the Bible or hear it read. No one forced us to pray, and no
one forced us to read and adhere to the Ten Commandments.
It is a travesty that a
Supreme Court of nine people has made decisions that has crippled the future of
over 300,000,000 of their fellow Americans. Why am I saying it has crippled our
future? Look around you folks. Since we kicked God out of our society we have
plunged into the sewers of immorality and anarchy. We have taken what is holy
and trampled it into the mud. We have spit in God’s face and proclaimed, “I’LL
DO IT MY WAY!” We have been trying to make silk purses out of sow’s ears and we
are falling apart as a nation.
We are now at the juncture of
our society that the most despicable and lurid sexual practices are being
forced upon decent Americans. We either hold our nose and eat from their plate
of debauchery, or suffer the consequences. Godly parents are concerned for the
welfare of their children, not because they might chew gum in class, but
because of fellow students who are brainwashed murderers, without conscience,
because they have no Biblical background which might have had a positive
influence upon them.
Illicit drug usage is
increasing at an alarming rate. Violence of every kind is out of control.
(By the way, my heart goes
out to good teachers and police officers who are having their hands tied behind
their backs while having to deal with this mess.)
One thing, among many, my
wife and I are noticing in our neck of the woods is the violence against babies
and small children. Just last week a little two year old girl was beaten to death
by her mother’s boyfriend.
This animal needs to be tried
in a court of law and promptly executed, but it won’t happen. He will be tried, given a few years,
eventually released on probation, and commit another atrocity upon someone
else. God instituted capital punishment, the death penalty, to administer His
justice upon evildoers.
“Whoever sheds human blood,
by humans shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made
mankind.” (Genesis 9:6)
Why are so many acting like
animals (my apologies to the animal kingdom)? When God is removed from a
society, Satan is right at the door to take over. There is a vacuum in the
human heart that must be filled. It’s either filled with the Spirit of God or
something else. When we removed God from our midst, Satan came in and took
residence. Now we are reaping what we have sown.
“For they have sown the wind,
and they shall reap the whirlwind …” (Hosea 8:7)
“Do not be deceived: God
cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh,
from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from
the Spirit will reap eternal life.” (Galatians 6:7-8)
Today’s society is all about
(1) self, (2) money and (3) pleasure. The theologians call that (1) humanism,
(2) materialism and (3) hedonism. Can anyone in all honesty deny that as a
majority, our society worships these three and have made them gods?
I am constantly reminded
of the following Scripture passage:
“Woe to those who call evil
good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put
bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.
Woe to those who are wise in
their own eyes and clever in their own sight.
Woe to those who are heroes
at drinking wine and champions at mixing drinks,
who acquit the guilty for a
bribe, but deny justice to the innocent. (Isaiah 5:20-23)
This is exactly, to the tee,
what we, as a nation, have done. Have we no fear of God? We don’t seem to. Now
please read the remaining verses in that chapter.
Therefore, as tongues of fire
lick up straw and as dry grass sinks down in the flames, so their roots will
decay and their flowers blow away like dust; for they have rejected the law of
the LORD Almighty and spurned the word of the Holy One of Israel.”
“Therefore the LORD’s anger
burns against his people; his hand is raised and he strikes them down. The
mountains shake, and the dead bodies are like refuse in the streets. Yet for
all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised.
He lifts up a banner for the
distant nations, he whistles for those at the ends of the earth. Here they
come, swiftly and speedily!
Not one of them grows tired
or stumbles, not one slumbers or sleeps; not a belt is loosened at the waist,
not a sandal strap is broken.
Their arrows are sharp, all
their bows are strung; their horses’ hooves seem like flint, their chariot
wheels like a whirlwind.
Their roar is like that of
the lion, they roar like young lions; they growl as they seize their prey and
carry it off with no one to rescue.
In that day they will roar
over it like the roaring of the sea. And if one looks at the land, there is
only darkness and distress; even the sun will be darkened by clouds.” (Isaiah
5:24-30)
Yes, I’m well aware these
words are to Israel. I am also well aware of another verse which says:
“For everything that was
written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance
taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.”
(Romans 15:4)
Many of us throughout this
great land must decide who we are going to serve. We are at a crossroads. When
God is not in our lives we revert to animalistic behavior, and that is what we
have become. Is this really what we want? There is no peace, no success but in
Jesus Christ. We must stand up for Him, if we are truly His.
“And if it seem evil unto you
to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods
which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods
of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will
serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15)
Grant Phillips
Email: Phillip5769@twc.com
Pre-Rapture Commentary: http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com
Rapture Ready: http://www.raptureready.com/featured/phillips/phillips.html
