corruption – Tongue on Fire

Historian Jamar Tisby has said, “There’s a popular phrase that says ‘history repeats itself.’ More accurately, history doesn’t repeat itself—history rhymes.”

His quote came to mind as I was reading the story of King Jeroboam in 1 Kings 12. Considered a defender of the oppressed, Jeroboam was made King by the people of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. However, to ensure that the people would remain loyal to him and to consolidate his power, Jeroboam began to dismantle the religious and social structures that had been part of Israelite history and culture. To discourage worship at the temple in Jerusalem in the Southern Kingdom of Judah, Jeroboam built several new temples at Bethel and Dan. Instead of appointing Levites as priests as prescribed by the Torah, he allowed anyone–qualified or unqualified–to serve in the new temples. Jeroboam had 2 golden calves made–which he placed at Bethel and Dan–and declared that they should be worshipped as “God who led you out of Egypt.” He offered sacrifices to the golden calf at Bethel, leading the people to do the same. In addition, he introduced a new calendar based on the Egyptian calendar, replacing the traditional dates of Jewish holidays and diminishing their significance. It all has a familiar ring to it.

While there was condemnation of Jeroboam’s new policies–particularly from “A Man of God” who arrived in Bethel at the installation of the golden calf–the people of Israel who had made Jeroboam their king gave him their loyalty and devotion. Jeroboam reigned as king for 22 years in Israel.

But Jeroboam’s reign was offensive to God. Ahijah, an old blind prophet, pronounced God’s judgement on Jeroboam and his house in 1 Kings 14:9-10: “You have made yourself other gods and cast false idols in their honor. You have aroused My wrath by putting Me behind you. Therefore, beware. I will bring destruction to Jeroboam’s house.” And because the people of the Northern Kingdom had supported Jeroboam’s destructive policies and become complicit in his evil, God had a word for them too. “[God] will abandon Israel because of Jeroboam’s wickedness, which caused all of Israel to be wicked as well.” (1 Kings 14:16)

Jeroboam’s name became synonymous with wickedness. Every Israelite king that followed was compared to Jeroboam. Every one of them was described by this common refrain: “He walked the wicked path of Jeroboam, causing the Israelites to live sinful lives.” (The Voice translation).

Leadership matters. Character matters. Behavior matters. Government practices and policies matter. And loyalty to a corrupt leader and corrupt policies results in corruption and self-destruction.

Jeroboam’s name is remembered, but never honored. His reign is included in the annuls of the Kings, but it is a cautionary tale. The evil of his reign infected the reigns of every king who followed him for the next 200 years. The people who made him a King became complicit in his evil and became evil with him, infecting future generations.

Another story is embedded in the story of Jeroboam and the kings that followed him; it is the story of the prophets who stood against their corruption. Ahijah, Elijah, Elisha, and Amos–along with others. According to 2 Kings 17:13, “The Eternal One gave fair warning to Israel and Judah…through the mouths of the prophets and seers throughout the land: “Abandon your wickedness, and obey My commands and laws which I gave to your ancestors through the mouths of My servants, the prophets.” Sadly, the words of the prophets went unheeded and the rest is history.

History rhymes. And when it does, we will have to choose. Will we walk the path of Jeroboam or will we walk the path of justice and righteousness? Will we be the sycophants of this administration or will we be the prophets who speak for liberation? The path we are on right now is rhyming in my ears with “upheaval” and it will only take us to hell. There is still time to choose a new path, but I’m afraid that the window of opportunity is closing.

James 1:27 says, “Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.” (Good News Translation)

There are two signs of authentic faith. 1. Showing compassion toward those who are at risk of exploitation and especially prone to live in poverty, and 2. Keeping oneself from being corrupted by the values and principles of the world. These two faith facets are what God looks for from those who claim to know God and who follow Christ.

Most Christians I know are compassionate people and fulfill the first sign of authentic faith. They are generous with their time and resources. When Hurricane Katrina flooded much of New Orleans, churches across the country organized volunteer work teams to help with clean-up and rebuilding. When California wild fires destroyed the communities of Pacific Palisades and Altadena, churches collected relief offerings. When the water in Flint, MI, became toxic with lead and other chemicals, churches collected and sent truckloads of bottled water to those in need. When a neighborhood family faces tragedy, churches organize meal trains and childcare. These are wonderful and appropriate responses in the face of distress. But I have found that, for many Christians, compassion and generosity have their limits–relational limits, geographic limits, even political limits.

For example, consider JD Vance’s interpretation of the Catholic concept of “Ordis Amoris” or “the order of charity”: “[First] you love your family, and then you love your neighbor, and then you love your community, and then you love your fellow citizens in your own country, and then, after that, you can focus and prioritize the rest of the world.”. Vance used the ‘Order’ to justify mass deportations of undocumented individuals and families in an interview on Fox News because the US needs to protect its own citizens before “protecting” those who are not. Vance’s interpretation (and application) got the attention of Pope Francis, who responded: “Christian love is not a concentric expansion of interests that little by little extend to other persons and groups.” Cardinal Robert Prevost (now known as Pope Leo XIV) then tweeted more bluntly, “JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others.”

Besides the idea of a limited “love local” ethic, many Christians also limit their generosity on the basis of whether the person in need is considered “deserving” of their help. When tragedy strikes someone through no fault of their own, help is given without hesitation. However, it is often withheld if the person (in their assessment) is undeserving. People living under the expressway viaduct usually considered “undeserving” because they obviously could get a job, and giving them money only encourages them to be lazy and unproductive. In other words, the unhoused are to blame for their condition and are therefore “undeserving.” (Never mind that 40-60% of people who are homeless have a full or part time job.)

I also see the limits of compassion when Christians cry out for the protection of the unborn, but are strangely silent when “the born” are blown to bits by American-made bombs dropped in Gaza or are separated from their parents and placed in cages at the southern border. And just yesterday, House Republicans unveiled their budget proposal that would slash Medicaid spending by $715 billion–which could impact 8.6 million poor people–including children! The cuts in Medicaid would provide tax breaks for the wealthy. Are the unborn more deserving of our concern? Are children of migrants less deserving of our compassion? Do the widows and orphans of Gaza somehow deserve their distress? And who deserves health care? What does it say about a country that sacrifices children for tax breaks for the rich?

The moment our compassion is based on our biased deserving/undeserving scale, we have failed to fulfill the second sign of authentic faith–living free of the world’s contamination. The moment we buy into the myth of the “self-made man”, the myth of “Manifest Destiny,” and the myth of material success as indicative of God’s blessing for our godliness, we have adopted the values and priorities of the world. We have become corrupted.

It’s time for a “faith reassessment.” And it’s time for repentance.

This post was updated at 11 am today to reflect yesterday’s GOP proposal to slash Medicaid funds to pay for tax breaks.

Tag: corruption

The Path We Are On

Corrupted