Happy Independence Day on Yom Kippur!
INDEPENDENCE
By Rev SEIK PITOI
AS you are reading this, the nation is winding down after celebrating our special day. Business houses, mainly run by our Asian friends, have once again made big bucks from marketing merchandise draped in PNG colours throughout the nation.
National flags, hats, bags, dresses, blouses, shirts and other items in striking patterns and designs are sold in shops and resold in market places and along the streets. Apart from national colours, provincial colours and flags too are being promoted quite heavily.
Yet, is it a coincidence that our 46th birthday falls on the Day of Atonement on God’s calendar? What is God saying? Moreover, I sense a disquiet among the people, a foreboding sense of discontentment brewing among many that prompts them to ask: celebrate what? We will come back to analyse that question. But let’s begin with a quick glance at the beginnings of our nation.
Our journey
PNG’s journey along the path of nationhood has seen her survive and thrive despite many challenges. Various markers point out the events of significance in our short history. Our ‘discovery’ and introduction to the modern world saw us emerge from the shadows of the Stone Age to the light of the ‘new age’. It was the Spanish explorers who first sighted our shores in the 1500s. Fascination of this large piece of land saw more contacts being made, especially along the northern part of the nation. Then finally, Captain John Moresby in 1860 sailed into Fairfax harbour, opening up the land to all and sundry. In they came – government workers, missionaries, traders and opportunists of sorts, all with their vested interests.
Our forefathers fascinated the foreigner. We were studied, analysed, prodded and subdued – with the gun and with rum – and also with the message of ‘another god’, one we would gladly add to our collection of deities!
The land opened up, thanks largely to the work of missionaries. Then, while progress and development began to transform the land, the rumblings of war could be heard. These were distant rumblings at first in 1917, when World War 1 broke out. It was far from us but of course, the effects reached us nonetheless. Suddenly, the rumblings got louder, throwing us unwillingly into the ‘theatre of war’ in the Pacific in 1944. World War 2 had come upon us. Development was put on pause as our colonisers put down tools of work and took up weapons of war. With our forefathers by their sides, they fought for our benefit, plus to protect their own interests as well!
Peace was soon restored, the ‘pause’ button was disengaged, and progress continued. With the church being a major player, the partnership between church and state brought progress, development and modernisation to many parts of PNG. Businesses flourished as locals tried their hand at making money, and a vibrant indigenous bureaucracy took shape, led by a batch of promising young men, some of whom would become founding fathers of the nation. With this, a healthy political climate was established, paving the way for self-governance in 1973 and eventual independence in 1975.
Looking back, we notice one thing – no bloodshed! There was no struggle, fights and bloody riots as was the experience of other nations. This can be attributed largely to the wisdom of our ‘national fathers’, and a very understanding ‘colonial master’, Australia, who led us peacefully to independence. While we are to be grateful for the above, we should never cease to thank God – the ‘real’ architect behind the scenes!
God’s faithfulness amidst our hypocrisy
As we celebrate our 46th anniversary, we can all attest to the fact that the hand of God has been upon this nation. We have been blessed. In all our human frailty and fallibility, we acknowledge the mercy of God over our affairs. We see His grace bestowed upon us in many different ways and so we are grateful.
But looking beneath the hype and euphoria of being a blessed ‘richest black Christian’ nation, we can see problems lurking. Wickedness is abounding and our streets are no longer safe. Corruption is forever a concern. Regardless of who is in power or who minds the national purse, corrupt practices and draining of the national coffers will always be an issue.
The ordinary struggling man and woman has no idea why those who are paid huge amounts of money as fortnightly salary can spread their dirty fingers out to steal more. Why is it that we proudly label ourselves a Christian country yet our women are no better than the womenfolk of Afghanistan who are attacked, abused and sexually assaulted in broad daylight? Why is it that we claim to be one people under one flag, worshipping one God – yet we see some of the worst ethnic wars erupt in our provinces and onto our city streets?
The sentiment expressed in the opening paragraph shows people are fed up with the rhetoric. Celebrate what? Some Christian leaders are getting tired of the same platitude day in day out that we are a ‘special people’ in God. During the recent Repentance Day service, one pastor said, “Repentance is not just a word. This is all we hear year after year. ‘We repent. We repent for land grabbing. We repent for harassing the local people. We repent for abusing women’. Then after prayer, we go out and do exactly the same thing again. God must be tired of listening to us spit out lies to each other every Repentance Day”! I couldn’t agree more.
In fact, the Greek word for repentance is metanoia, which means ‘to think differently, to change your mind or direction’. It refers to a 180% turn, to turn and walk the other way. We don’t just say, “We repent”. We actually change. We stop doing wrong stuff! Matt 3: 8 says repentance must have fruit. That means, there must be genuine change in our lives. Is there fruit in our Repentance Day observations? Otherwise these are just empty words we use every year just to impress ourselves! God is certainly not impressed.
Qualifications for righteousness
God’s formulae for a strong nation is for everyone, leaders and citizens alike, to build on Christ as the foundation (1 Cor 3: 11), and walk according to the light of God’s word (Psalm 119: 9, 11, 105). The Bible also says “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people” (Prov 14:34). What about leadership? God’s word particularly points out: “Show me a righteous ruler and I will show you a happy people. Show me a wicked ruler and I will show you a miserable people” (Prov 14:34). In these contrasting qualities, we see the word ‘righteous’. A righteous leader is a leader who is above board in conduct and speech, privately and in public. A righteous leader has his integrity intact, and isn’t afraid of making the hard and fair decisions. He is not afraid to speak out against corruption, even to the point of endangering his own political career. He is not a perfect man, but he is set on abiding by God’s holy precepts. Such leaders are in short supply today!
Let me give you one more verse from Ezekiel 14:13. “Son of man, when a land sins against me by persistent unfaithfulness, I will stretch out my hand against it; I will cut of its supply of bread.” God is serious. Yes, He is merciful but He is also righteous. How long will He tolerate our rebellion? How long will God sit and watch as our innocent women and girls are subjected to sexual attacks in taxis and PMVs? Will He keep silent as criminals do hold ups in broad daylight like at Erima crossing? Will He entertain us as we sell drugs for guns to wipe out neighbouring tribes, or intimidate harmless people to steal their land titles for their homes? Will God’s mercy continue upon us regardless? I think not. Payday will come sooner than later!
The Yom Kippur connection
I believe God has a redemptive purpose for all nations. He has a purpose for our nation as well. But individual repentance will draw us towards that purpose. Let’s examine our own lives, not our neighbour’s or our local MPs. Check our own hearts. It is not a coincidence that the holiest day on the Jewish calendar this year falls on our Independence Day. On Sept 6, the Fall feasts (Lev 23) began with Yom Teruah (Feast of Trumpets). This ushered in the 10 days of Awe, a time of self-examination, repentance and restitution. Then, on September 16, we have the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur).
On this day hundreds of years ago, the High Priest took the blood of the lamb in and poured it on the altar in the Holy of Holies. When God accepted the sacrifice, the priest lived and the nation was spared for another year (Lev 16: 1-17).
Today, we have the perfect Lamb for our Atonement – the Lord Jesus Christ (John 1: 29). His death atoned for our sins (Heb 2:17). While we like to call PNG a Christian nation, the reality is that every individual has to make a personal decision to receive Jesus as Lord and Saviour. When we allow Christ to be Lord of our hearts, He will change our lives. True repentance takes place when we exhibit real change in our lives. When we love people from different provinces or tokples, when we stop stealing and instead give to bless others; when we treat women as our mothers and girls as our sisters, then we will see this nation rise to the level that God desires and where He is glorified. That will usher in true blessings!
Is that possible or is it just a whimsical belief in some utopia? Maybe. But then, maybe if we all do what is right, we will see positive changes! Christ the Lamb of God has atoned for us, therefore in His name, let’s live right and see real change in our 46th year and beyond!
- Happy birthday, PNG; Mazal tov and hag sameach!