Following Judah's Lion

The Manhattan Declaration

Recently a group of people signed what they called The Manhattan Declaration. It was meant to express outrage over some moral issues. I was asked my thoughts. I will answer with a parable.

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The Owner of many pieces of property brings his hired servant out to view his land. As they both scan the landscape they notice thousands of dead corpses laid out across every piece of property. The Owner points to these corpses and instructs the servant to take the electronic paddles that he provides for him and go corpse to corpse using the paddles against each chest. The Owner tells the man that every once in a while a corpse will come to life, but that he should not be discouraged when most of them do not. The Owner also informs the servant that the servant himself was once dead and laid among these same corpses until someone placed the paddles on his chest and he came to life. The servant understands and the Owner departs.

The servant begins to go to each corpse and place the paddles against each chest and activate the electronic surge. He has done it to scores of dead bodies when all of a sudden one person comes back to life. The servant is surprised and ecstatic and rejoices with the now living person. The servant goes back to using the paddles on each corpse. After a while the servant begins to realize that these corpses give off a decidedly foul odor. And along with their smell, they draw many insects and scavenger birds. The entire atmosphere deteriorates and the servant begins to feel very uncomfortable.

When the environment becomes very unbearable, the servant puts down the paddles and sets about to perfume the corpses in order to alleviate the odor. He also begins to use pesticide in order to chase away the insects. He erects scarecrows to scare away the scavenger birds as well. The servant becomes almost consumed with attempting to improve the ambiance of his piece of property, and he calls out to the servant who is working on the adjacent piece of land. He and the other servant complain together about the residual effects the corpses are having on their respective work environments.

They call other servants together as well, and sure enough the other servants are experiencing the same problems. So the servants decide to sign a petition that states emphatically that they do not appreciate the odor, the insects, and the birds that seem to gather around these corpses. In fact, they become so passionate about their cause that they become deceived into thinking the corpses can actually hear and understand them. They pass out these petitions to the corpses and even tell them that they better quit smelling, and quit drawing insects, and quit being a source for scavenger birds.

Even though the corpses cannot hear them, these petitions make the servants feel bold and strong. They have made it public knowledge that they do not agree with these unfortunate circumstances and that in fact they are strongly opposed to odors, insects, and birds. Some of the servants even create organizations that are meant to oppose the unpleasant aspects of the fields and leveraging change through numerical strength.

But while the hearts of these servants may be sincere, they have actually been deceived. And there are two distinct deceptions at work here.

**First, their campaign against the residual effects of rotting corpses has attracted servants that do not serve their Owner, and bound by a common cause, they join with servants who are enemies of their Owner. Their Owner is not pleased.**

**Secondly, these energies against the outward effects of death have taken them away from their assignment and calling. The Owner did not promise them a pleasant labor environment, and He did not instruct them to complain about the things that are unpleasant. In fact, the Owner knows only too well about the horrors of laboring among corpses and He offers rewards for those who go about His business with humility, grace, and sacrifice. But instead of continuing to use the Owner’s paddles, these servants have now set their eyes upon their circumstances. Unwittingly, they now have become slaves to the corpses instead of obedient servants of the Owner.**

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Creating and signing petitions, manifestos, or declarations may seem noble and bold in the short run, but we as servants of the Most High already have our manifesto. We already have our assignment, and we must be about our Father’s business. We serve the Lord of Life in the midst of corpses where we ourselves were once laid. They do not need our moral engagement and they do not need our outrage because they act like corpses.

They need Jesus, the Lover of corpses Who offers them eternal life through His cross. We cannot afford to be distracted by the glitter of moral causes, and if persecution is God’s plan for us, let us receive it with joy in our hearts and a song on our lips. How privileged would we be to be allowed to suffer for His Matchless Name! We have a manifesto already written to those corpses, so let us sign it with our lives regardless of the environment in which we labor.

Heb.12:2-4 - Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.