The Head and Not the Tail

The Head and Not the Tail

“And they forsook the Lord God of their fathers . . . and they followed other gods from among the gods of the people who were all around them . . . . And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel. So He delivered them into the hands of plunderers . . . He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies.” Judg. 2:12-14.

“You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4.

We are called to be the head and not the tail. Wherever we go, we shall provide guidance and set the tone. We have that power in the Holy Spirit. We can learn that from Jesus and the apostles and all God-fearing men. This also applied to Israel as long as they served the Lord only. Then they were exalted above all the nations and were victorious wherever they went. Deut. 28:1.

However, Israel forsook the Lord and served the gods of the nations around them. Then God sold them into the hands of the nations whose gods they served. This is written for our instruction. You are a Christian, but you are plagued by the unsaved. They do not respect you. The reason is that you worship their gods, and as a result they gain power over you. You look up to that which is great in the world just like they do. They can see that you love money, are worried, and are vain just like they are. Consequently, they despise you, you who say you are a Christian. They gain power over you, and you become like salt that has lost its strength. You are being trodden down by the people.

“Thus says the Lord God: ‘This is Jerusalem; I have set her in the midst of the nations and the countries all around her.’” Ezek. 5:5.

The intention was that Jerusalem should be exalted above the hills and that the word of the Lord should go out from Jerusalem. Micah 4:1-2. God put land around Jerusalem, and there they could cultivate and rule according to the laws God had given them so that all the Gentile nations around them could see what God was doing. This is a picture of the church and each one of us as individuals. We, too, have an area for which we have responsibility and where we can demonstrate our Christianity. We have our homes which should not be a testimony to this world, but rather that we are sojourners who seek God’s kingdom first. This also applies to our place of work where we can demonstrate that we are not driven by the spirit of the times. The merchant can say much about his individual customers. This is where we need to be the light of the world and salt. If you serve the Lord your God only, you will have boldness, and then the heathen around you will respect you. You will be the head and not the tail.

However, Jerusalem sank in a marvelous way. Lam. 1:9. The spirit of the times has gained power among Christians, and worldliness has entered in. They are conformed to this world and Jesus’ name is being blasphemed. The heathen who live round about them despise these so-called churches, because they recognize the same idolatry that they practice.

“A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.” Matt. 5:14. If we read the Sermon on the Mount we will see how Jesus wants to lift the people up. The Pharisees did their works to be seen and had the trumpet blown for them when they gave alms. Jesus wanted to lift them out of all this and said, “Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” If we are to ascend the mountain—if Jerusalem is to be lifted up above the hills—we must do what it says in the Sermon on the Mount. When we turn the other cheek if we are slapped on the one, and when we let the sun rise over the evil and the good, only then will the heathen begin to look up to the Christians.

This is where each individual and the church have great opportunities. Let us execute God’s will in the area which God has given us, so that the heathen can see God’s wisdom and power.