Yesterday I was in a conversation with Allen Goddard the head of ‘A Rocha’ (International Christian environmental group) in South Africa and he quoted a text from Hosea that spoke volumes about South Africa and predicament it is in – Hosea 4: 1-3
1 Hear the word of the LORD, you Israelites,
because the LORD has a charge to bring
against you who live in the land:
"There is no faithfulness, no love,
no acknowledgment of God in the land.
2 There is only cursing, [a] lying and murder,
stealing and adultery;
they break all bounds,
and bloodshed follows bloodshed.
3 Because of this the land mourns, [b]
and all who live in it waste away;
the beasts of the field and the birds of the air
and the fish of the sea are dying.
The connection between humankind's spiritual dilemma spills out into our human relations and ultimately it destroys the very creation that sustains us. What one might suggest is biblical metaphor is a stark reality especially considering the Duzi river that flows through Pietermaritzburg (a town near Durban South Africa) which has I quote from the ‘Witness’ newspaper “The E.coli count of 29 000 measure in the river before the start of the Duzi canoe Marathon was 3000 higher than the 26000 that is acceptable in a functioning septic tank.” Psalm 19 guides the thinker when he ties the unspoken voice of God in creation with the “Law” or “Way” of God that when embraced brings life to all living things. “Moreover by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.” Ps 19:11.
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