DILUTED

NEHEMIAH 1

The church (Israel) had been absorbed by the big world empire of that day, following their unfaithfulness to God. For decade after decade Israel became worldlier and less godly as a nation. They rejected God’s messages through the prophets and adopted the idols, ideas and entertainment of world culture and become increasingly ignorant of God’s word and his purpose for them. God was displeased and he progressively gave them up to the very world that they lusted after. As they were attracted by the temporary power and thrill of world culture, he reduced the measure of his special care of them. Israel exposed themselves to greater and greater dangers as they made God their enemy. He used the powerful world empires of Assyria, Babylon and Persia as instruments of discipline on the church (Israel).

Eventually, Israel was over-run by its enemies and was gutted. Jerusalem was burned to the ground and the Temple and walls completely destroyed. Its resources and most talented people were carried off as captives and resettled in Babylon. The few that remained in the land lived there as transients and in poverty, bullied by the peoples that the Babylonian emperor resettled there. There was this great intermixing and relocating of peoples aimed deliberately at diluting and weakening individual cultures so that they all served the world culture. Israel had been put to shame and its people lived in captivity to the very power of world culture that it had idolised.

Sound familiar? Dilution of distinct Christian living challenges the Church in our time.