Sometimes people suffer due to the sins of their community.

Judging from the number of times He condemns them, it appears that three types of sin provoke the Lord's special wrath against a nation-namely, refusing to honor God (idolatry), shedding innocent blood, and oppressing the poor and the weak (e.g. Exodus 23:6-9; 2 Kings 21:1-16; Jeremiah 7:5-7; 22:1-5).

When the sin of the Amorites "reached its full measure," God removed them from the land and settled Israel in their place. But the Lord sternly warned Israel that, if they embraced the Amorites' wicked ways, then they too would perish (Genesis 15:6; Numbers 33:55-56).

Community leaders bear special responsibility because their power and influence can shape the direction a society takes. The Lord promised Israel that, when the king "does wrong, I will punish him with the rod of men, with floggings inflicted by men" (2 Samuel 7:14). He kept that promise when Manasseh and other leaders led the nation away from the Lord:

Manasseh king of Judah has committed these detestable sins. He has done more evil than the Amorites who preceded him and has led Judah into sin with his idols. Therefore...I will wipe out Jerusalem. (2 Kings 21:11-13)

When destruction came, those who had remained faithful to the Lord suffered along with those who provoked God's wrath. Righteous men, such as Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, entered Babylonian Exile along with the idolaters (Daniel 1:1-8). This illustrates that how we live impacts those around us, and how they live impacts us-shaping the community for good or for ill. We are our "brother's keeper" (Genesis 4:9).

In this light, some of the Lord's regulations for the Israelite community take on new meaning: The whole community must stone an offender, showing that the whole community bears responsibility for resisting evil (Leviticus 20:1-5; Joshua 7). And the whole community must atone for a murder committed in secret, showing that society bears some responsibility for the behavior of its members (Deuteronomy 21:1-9).

If unrighteous behavior can destroy a community, then the reverse is also true. Righteousness can work to preserve a community. This is probably part of what Jesus means when he calls his disciples "the salt of the earth," since salt was the primary preservative of the ancient world (Matthew 5:13).

God, in His mercy, was willing to save Sodom and Gomorrah for the sake of even a few righteous people (Genesis 18:20-32). And Moses and Abraham saved their communities by interceding for them (Genesis 20 and Exodus 32).

Likewise, we Christians should pray for our leaders (1 Timothy 2:1-4) and actively seek to influence our communities in positive ways. As the Lord told Israel,

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)

... for Today

We err if we try to establish an "acceptable" threshold of community sin or the "necessary" level of community righteousness. All sin hurts us and all righteousness helps us.

God's ancient word is not particular to Israel. (Note the Amorites.) It applies to today, and it gives us both cause for pause and reason for hope. Our sin impacts those we don't see; our pursuit of godliness touches those who are invisible.

Each of us bears responsibility not only for ourselves, but also for the community we live in and shape. John Donne got it right: "No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main."

Discuss...

1. What "sins of the community" can you identify (especially in light of the second paragraph above) that hurt us all?
   
   
2. How might we make a "righteous difference" in our communities?