Davidisms - Abhor, Endure, Embrace

This one is from my dad. He said it over and over again to explain the insidious decline of American civilization.

Abhor, endure, embrace. The three cycles of decline for almost every civilization.

First, a civilization abhors sin. It stands against what is morally wrong and evil. It seeks to stop sin from recurring.

Next, it endures sin. Starts to put up with it. Looks the other way instead of trying to make sin cease.

And finally, it embraces evil. It calls what is evil good, and what is good evil (Isaiah 5:20). Sin which would have once been shocking, now becomes accepted. Welcomed. Applauded. And people glory in their shame (Philippians 3:19). They actually heartily approve of what they should be ashamed of.

In the book of Judges everyone did what was right in their own eyes. And it became the darkest days of Israel’s history (Judges 21:25). There was no king, no moral authority, and evil abounded.

In fact, 19 of the 22 major world civilizations have been destroyed from within. That’s nineteen worldwide incidents of history repeating itself.

We must all hate sin. And love God and obey his will from the heart. It’s the only way for a civilization to survive.

And the only possible way to stop the vicious cycle of abhor, endure, embrace.