03.03.12 The 10th Snare that Causes Some Seemingly God-Fearing People to Succumb to Corruption
10. Moral Decay
Everyone knows that there is rampant degeneration of moral values globally. This tsunami has swept some people with it, propelling them to engage in corruptive activities. Isaiah 1:4 decried a similar situation when he said (AMPC): “Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, children who deal corruptly!” Hosea 9:9 mentions such a situation when he says (AMPC): “They have deeply corrupted themselves ...”
Actually, the root of moral decay is none other than the absence of unconditional love for the people one serves at work, home and in the community. When a person develops the habit of loving oneself more than others, the propensity to become corrupt increases. Despite what Jesus commanded in Mark 12:31, corrupt people fail to ‘love their neighbors as they love themselves’. They are heartlessly self-centered, claiming that ‘everyone is for him or herself and God for us all’. And because corruption is infectious, one may find an entire unit, department, directorate or organisation infected with this vice. There are even some nations in the world whose people are globally known to be corrupt. Some of these entities are so decayed that they do not even hide it; they ask for bribes openly!.
As said elsewhere, God lamented about moral decay in Genesis 6:11-12 after which he sought to destroy His entire creation. That scripture reads (NIV): 11Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. 12God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways.
The Psalmist also laments about moral decay when he says in Psalms 55:10(CEV): …9cruelty and violenceare all I see in the city, 10and they are like guards on patrol day and night. The city is full of trouble,evil, 11 and corruption. Troublemakers and liarsfreely roam the streets...
When you read Micah 7:2-4, you discover that morals had become so degenerated in those days that even the most honest person amongst the people was like an entangled thornbush. The Message Translation relays just how bad that situation was. That scripture reads (MSG): 1-6I’m overwhelmed with sorrow! sunk in a swamp of despair! I’m like someone who goes to the garden to pick cabbages and carrots and corn And returns empty-handed, finds nothing for soup or sandwich or salad. There’s not a decent person in sight. Right-living humans are extinct. They’re all out for one another’s blood, animals preying on each other. They’ve all become experts in evil. Corrupt leaders demand bribes. The powerful rich make sure they get what they want. The best and brightest are thistles. The top of the line is crabgrass. But no longer: It’s exam time. Look at them slinking away in disgrace! Don’t trust your neighbor, don’t confide in your friend. Watch your words, even with your spouse. Neighborhoods and families are falling to pieces. The closer they are—sons, daughters, in-laws - The worse they can be. Your own family is the enemy.