Why did they do this? Why did they put on sackcloth and dust? Why did they do this as a corporate group? Wouldn’t it be appropriate to just handle it individually? Why did they stand and read from the book of the Law for one fourth of the day (at least 3 hours)? Why did they confess their sin for one fourth of the day (at least 3 hours)? Was this individual sin that they confessed, or was it corporate sin, or was it a combination of both? Why do the Levites in their ceremony recite the history of Abraham, the Exodus, the conquest, the judges, the time of the Assyrian kings (the exile)? After all, they were not even alive at any of those times. They were not the ones who sinned and brought on the exile. Why should they take responsibility for it? The Spirit of the Lord led them to do this.
This teaches us that the Lord holds us responsible not only as individuals but also as corporate entities. Don’t be misled by the terminology. I am not talking about business corporations. Corporate comes from the Latin corporātus a participle of corporāre. It means united or combined into one.[1] Does God still hold congregations accountable as a group? The letters of Jesus to the seven churches in the book of Revelation would indicate to me, “Yes, He still does hold churches accountable as a group.” As a matter of fact, He tells us in Revelation 2:5 “Look how far you have fallen from your first love! Turn back to me again and work as you did at first. If you don’t, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches. [2] At least in this case, if we do not corporately repent, he takes the church out of existence.
The clear implication of this passage is that they considered their current trouble to be a result of their corporate sin, both sin of the current corporate generation and the sin of their previous generation. How is it fair that they should be held accountable for the sin of previous generations? I will leave it to those smarter than I to figure out the fairness issue. However, this I know; because Adam sinned, I have a sin nature. Because I have a sin nature, I have affirmed Adam’s sin. There is some sort corporate connection there. Because there was corporate sin, there needed to be corporate confession and repentance.
What does this say about the congregation, of which I am a part? Maybe some of the trouble that we experience is a result of corporate sin. Because I am part of this body, I am responsible. Whether or not I was even around when it occurred, is irrelevant. The body will not progress properly until there is corporate repentance. Hmm. . . maybe if we are experiencing a lack of power as seen in the NT church, maybe we need to explore the possibility corporate sin that needs a corporate confession.
What does all this have to do with the glory of God? Look at what the Levites said in the corporate ceremony:
But You are God,
Ready to pardon,
Gracious and merciful,
Slow to anger,
Abundant in kindness,
And did not forsake them.
Yet in Your manifold mercies
You did not forsake them in the wilderness.
You also gave Your good Spirit to instruct them,
Moreover You gave them kingdoms and nations,
Yet when they returned and cried out to You,
You heard from heaven;
And many times You delivered them according to Your mercies,
These are but a few of the ways that the Levites glorified God in their prayer! When we are willingly repentant as a corporate body, it releases a great testimony to the community in which we live of the magnificent grace and glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Maybe we should investigate our need of corporate repentance. It could only magnify His grace! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
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[1] "corporate." Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 19 Jan. 2011.
[2] Holy Bible : New Living Translation. electronic ed. Wheaton : Tyndale House, 1997, c1996
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