By Ed Chinn

My wife loves birds.  She has feeders all around our deck.  So that area is often a blur of flapping wings and choir of bird chirps.  What on earth would these creatures do without Joanne?

I recently found out. When she went out of town for a few days, something slowly dawned on me: I did not see or hear birds.  My great detection powers soon revealed that the feeders were empty.

And then I noticed something even more significant.  No dead birds.

Apparently, they found other sources of food.  Maybe Jesus really meant what He said about His heavenly Father feeding the birds of the air (Matthew 6:26).  Let's face it: the whole earth is a pantry for birds.  Joanne is a miniscule part of that provision.  She is not vital to their sustenance.  The bird feeders are really for Joanne, not the birds.

In the same sense, most human agencies - governmental, private, religious - exist for themselves, not those they claim to "feed."

During my years in Washington, I learned that most people in government and politics are as decent and dedicated as the people who work in small town hardware stores or grain elevators.  But their "north star" is always their own survival.  They simply leverage the conditions of many in order to sustain an agency and a career.  That is true, in equal measure, of conservatives and liberals.

Beyond Humanitarianism

A wealthy man once told me that he did not believe in tithing.  "Look," he said as he rolled his eyes, "I give much more than ten percent."

In that moment, I understood why Jesus said that it's easier for a camel to pass through the eye of needle than for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God (Matthew 19:24).  Wealth often represents massive self-reliance.  They did it and they will continue to do it "my way."  It is the only way they know.

So, naturally, when it comes to tithing, they have their own ideas and initiatives on how to do it better.  They will make the decisions about where, when, how, why, and if to write a check.

But God is not impressed and He does not need their money. That is not the issue at all.

In Malachi 3:10-12, the Lord makes it simple. Bring the tithe (literally, one tenth of income) and gifts into His storehouse.  That's it.  Leave it and walk away.  When we do that, then He will do what only He can do.  As the Maestro of all creation, He will orchestrate harmony and wholeness throughout His world.  He will direct His creation into shalom, the release of abundant health and prosperity.

Where Does Shalom Come From?

Shalom captures the primary yearning of the human heart.  That ancient Hebrew word transcends its typical translation as "peace."  Shalom paints a panoramic view of societal wholeness - including prosperity, rest, joy, health, safety, wellness, harmony, and justice.

It represents God's intentions for home and community. 

Whether we know it or not, that situation we all reach for is God and His rule.  In fact, the ancient prophet, Isaiah, saw that shalom could only be found through God's government.

His ruling authority will grow, and there'll be no limits to the wholeness he brings. Isaiah 9:7 (The Message)

When the prophet Amos cried, "Let justice roll down" (Amos 5:24), he saw justice and righteousness pouring from heaven and out over the earth like a great river.  He did not see an energized government or church program. Amos saw the beauty and expansiveness of the Kingdom of God.

I hate cynicism, but when I hear terms like "social justice" or "human rights," I feel like someone pulled a gun on me.  Such phrases seem designed only to grant raw power.  Like a gun, they provide no reason and permit no discussion.

Only God can give social justice; it "rolls down" from His realm.  When "society" tries to do that, it can see no further than a group of people - a bureaucracy, agency, or system - who have the power to seize and reallocate resources.  Ironically, when many Christian leaders proclaim, "Let justice roll down," they mean that earthbound civil governments should do it.

It is all utopianism - the idea that humans are perfectly capable of designing and enforcing a social order that brings wholeness to all relationships.  But utopia is hostile toward God as the Creator and Judge.  And because it does not respect Him or even discern His creation, it is, in fact, a dehumanizing vision.

The end result of God's shalom is that "there will be no more need."  (Malachi 3:10 - NAS).  No human vision or strategy - communism, capitalism, socialism, or laissez-faire - can achieve that.  None of them created the earth; none of them have the key to the pantry.

Our great King invites us to move beyond humanitarianism - that arena of "good works" which we create and control.

"Let justice roll down" is a prayer, not a program.  When we stop trying to program what only He can do, and simply obey what He tells us to do, then maybe we will find that we've been engulfed and overwhelmed by the glorious beauty of His shalom.

As a writer, Ed Chinn has been published in many US newspapers, magazines and websites. His new book, "Footprints in the Sea," is available here. Ed and his wife, Joanne, live in Middle Tennessee. Email Ed.