God does bless everyone — no exceptions

I saw a bumper sticker today that said “God bless everyone — no exceptions.” It was on a rainbow- colored background, so I assume the unspoken message is God bless those who practice immorality — no exceptions. This sentiment seems to show up more and more these days. Today there was a “gay pride” parade held in Jerusalem, for example. There were a small number of people — 2,000 — who marched in the parade, sponsored by the Jerusalem Gay and Lesbian Center, over the protests of many Jerusalem residents and the Orthodox community. Now why, I ask myself, is it so important to the Jerusalem G&LC, to have this parade, when it is so offensive to so many? If you must be gay, no one is stopping you, but why the driving need to flaunt it or make it public? Why make this immorality the defining feature of your identity?

Some topics are appropriate for social situations and public discourse, and some are just not. “Public” assumes mixed company, children present, people of various religious or cultural sensitivities — so conversation appropriate for “public” does not include [s-x], out of respect for those in the potential audience. Why are homo[s-x]uals the tolerant ones, when they publically disrespect and offend others without regard or mercy?

Back to Jerusalem: it is the city of the Great King, Jesus said. The city of He who said, “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.” The city of the One who destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. Having a parade in that city, of all places, is the best way to magnify rebellion against the Great King to His face.

Back to the bumper sticker: should God bless everyone, no exceptions? Perhaps something that hasn’t occurred to the writer of this bumper sticker, or to the car owner who displays it, is that by God saying, “Do not practice this immorality, it is an abomination,” He is blessing everyone, no exceptions. For when Adam chose the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, he really burdened mankind with the responsibility of knowing what was good, and what was evil, and making the correct choice between them. Man is no good at that, as the society in Noah’s day (and ours) shows so well. For there is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. God, in His mercy toward us, in His blessing of us, told us His paths of righteousness, that which was good, and that which was evil, so that we would know which path would produce blessing in our lives. God, because He loves us, and desires us to be blessed, told us that following the path of unrighteousness would hurt us and others, and open our lives to myriads of troubles. He is blessing us by telling us to walk in His ways. May deaf ears hear Your blessing, Lord, and blind eyes see it.