WBC VIDEO NEWS PRESENTATION: http://signmovies.com/?tab=news&vid=20140910TopekasGrief
“Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.” (Job 1:20-22)
These words of the Patriarch Job flowed out of a man who is described by God as “a perfect and an upright man”. They flowed out of a man who had just lost ten children simultaneously, together with several of his servants for whom he had great affection. Job was in grief beyond expression.
When a human might think that grief could not be further aggravated; further exacerbated; further piled upon by more grievous events, Job’s health was wholly removed such that his bones burned within him and his skin was covered with grievous sores and boils that busted out all over him.
Then, to top all of this off, his wife – that one soul who was given him for his comfort and support – told him that there was no hope. She told him that there was no reason to maintain hope of anything good to ever again enter their lives. She said “Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.” (Job 2:9)
Grief. Waves of grief. Overwhelm of grief.
On Sunday last, the City of Topeka had one of her sons slain. One of those to whom the citizens of Topeka look for civil peace and safety. A symbol to this community for peace has been destroyed. Grief now pours out of every citizen. Every news source is talking about it, writing about it, tweeting about it; filling the city with words to provide some remedy for the grief.
Westboro Baptist Church members live in this city. We know the citizens. We know the police. We know the leaders. We know the members of the press. We know grief. Listen to these words from the prophet Amos:
“The lion hath roared, who will not fear? the Lord GOD hath spoken, who can but prophesy?” (Amos 3:8)
The God of Creation has spoken to the inhabitants of Topeka, Kansas. That speaking, in the actual, on-the-ground context of this event, in these times, in this place, is a perfect expression of this short passage about the impending return of Christ:
“Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.” (Psalm 2:1-5)
Since God has spoken to this city, it is time for His servants to prophesy. It is time to place this event into proper Bible focus and give an answer to the flood of lies that has begun – and will continue – to flow from every quarter of this City about this grievous event. This is indeed a grievous event.
Let me say here that this is not about the man. He was not a notorious sinner against God like, for recent example, Joan Rivers. So we are not speaking to his life example as we have hers.
Let me say here that this is not about the Topeka Police Department. Many in that group, such that I can fairly say it is the predominate characteristic of the whole department, have done evil against the peaceful members of WBC in the exercise of their relatively insignificant and temporary power. In truth, there have been a number who have been gracious and professional in their dealings with our members. God gets credit for that, not man.
Therefore, this message is not one of wrath or vengeance against any one or more of them. We dare not speak or hold our tongue out of wrath or favor, lest we be respecter of persons and offend our God.
Let me say here that this is not about the rulers of this City – present or past – though they have time and again abused their legislative, executive, and judicial power in hatred against God and against His servants who live here. There have also been right-behaving ones among them through the years. Indeed, by many amazing works and mercies at the hand of our King, we have fully subdued this kingdom and worked great righteousness in this dark, sinful place. [Hebrews 11:33] God gets credit for that, not man. Therefore, this message is not one of vindictiveness or petty spite. As God instructed the prophet Jeremiah:
“if thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth” (Jeremiah 15:19)
The precious is God’s pure standard; the vile (or common) is all the human bona fides that infect every other preacher in this corrupt city, nation, and earth. We must peacefully speak to you in fearful warning about God’s standard and His promised vindication of His holy Word. If we do not … if we will not; we shall not be as His mouth. That is, we will be left in the same gross darkness the inhabitants of this city presently walk in.
So, what is to be said when so grievous an event comes upon a city? What is to be said when the very symbol of peace is removed violently? When one who is loved is taken? The Apostle Peter tells us:
“Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.” (James 5:11)
The “patience of Job” there spoken of is not a quiet, stoic, “we’ll get through it with our head up and a stiff upper lip” attitude — like this nation of proud, unrepentant sinners love to praise. The “patience of Job” there spoken of is not the raucous roar of motorcycle morons parading through the streets with banal bluster and flags flapping off their tailpipes. The “patience of Job” there spoken of is not filling large venues with professional weepers to surround a vacant carcass and steal God’s glory for the works of His providence.
The “patience of Job” there spoken of is a heart-sickened, grief-stricken, tender and sincere recognition that God has spoken in His providential dealings with you. That God has exercised His exclusive prerogative to dispose of His creation as He sees fit, and — as the Patriarch puts it simply God “canst do every thing, and that no thought can be witholden from” Him! (Job 42:2)
When Job’s wife – in her own personal, angry, spiteful, fit-throwing speech – demanded of Job that he “curse God and die”, Job showed his full confidence in God and His judgments by saying simply:
“What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?” (Job 2:10)
When God deals with us, we have a duty to see His hand in the matter. We have a duty to hear His instruction. We have a duty to understand the exercise of His prerogative to do what He will with His own creation. In everything that He does — whether it be “good” or “evil” from the perspective of the weak creation, we must say plainly and humbly: “blessed be the name of the Lord“ or otherwise put, “Thank God!“
I love you. Amen.