Hebraic Musing – How can we expect God to Bless America?
In Isaiah’s and
Jeremiah’s prophetic messages to Israel and Judah, they are calling out the
ways Israel (North) and then Judah (South) are turning their backs and/or
spurning God’s promises to these “Chosen” Jewish nations. But God also promises to restore them as His
Chosen Peoples.
God
described the many ways Judah was turning to worship of other gods so He had
Jeremiah proclaim these to Judah. “You
have as many gods as you have towns, O Judah; and the altars you have
set up to burn incense to that shameful god Baal are as many as the
streets of Jerusalem.” Jeremiah 14:13
And that is why the LORD then orders His prophet, Jeremiah – “Do
not pray for this people nor offer any plea or petition for them, because I
will not listen when they call to me in the time of their distress.” Jeremiah 11:14 NIV This pattern of identifying behavior contrary
to God’s Word and condemning their future is repeated throughout the prophetic
messages from Isaiah and Jeremiah.
One of the many
examples of the LORD’s view is two chapters earlier in Jeremiah 9:13-14. “The LORD said, ‘It is because they
have forsaken my law, which I set before them; they have not obeyed me or
followed my law. Instead, they have followed the stubbornness of their
hearts; they have followed the Baals, as their fathers taught them.’” Key Question – In how many times and
ways is America’s culture, behaviors, and rules “forsaking God’s law”? Could what the LORD said to Ezekiel also be
said to America today? “Son of man,
you are living among a rebellious people. They have eyes to see but do not see
and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious people.”
Ezekiel 12:2 NIV
Us older Americans
still remember how God blessed America right from our nation’s founding. We grew up proudly singing ♫ “God bless America, Land that I love.
Stand beside her And guide her Through the night with a light from above”. ♫ We
acknowledge that God blessed us by singing ♫
“America! America! God shed his grace on thee. And crown thy good with
brotherhood From sea to shining sea!” ♫ We recognized the many blessings Almighty God provided
when He founded our nation. How often can
we proudly sing “I’m Proud to be an American”?
Today we find America’s
culture does not want to sing our National Anthem because it implies
that God is the one who blessed us with our freedom. ♫ “O!
say does that star-spangled Banner yet wave, O'er the Land of the free and the
home of the brave.” ♫ Why, in heaven’s name, are we hearing that
the National Anthem is not to be sung at events? Does somebody not like us recognizing that
our historical foundation, uniqueness, freedoms, and blessings are from
Almighty God? Has our background of
“Religious freedom” become a tool against our foundation of “Christianity”?
Do you see any reason
why God should Bless America in the future?
The Bible refers to God’s Chosen People for restoration and He clearly
means the Jews and Israel; BUT I do not find America mentioned. And when I hear of the sacrifices and
commitment of other people around the world accepting Christ at great costs, I
get the impression Americans, and America as a nation, are turning their backs
on Almighty God.
The America that I
knew growing up has changed and maybe that’s why I can see the change more
clearly. The younger generation doesn’t
feel the change. Are they like the
proverbial frog staying in water while it’s being heated to boiling? How can we help fellow “Christians” to stand
strong to the end?
Points to Ponder
What is
America doing with the blessings granted to us by our founders?
How many gods
are Americans being encouraged to follow?
or…
In how many ways is America going astray, defying Almighty God? or…
How many Scriptural sins does our culture now deem to be okay, acceptable,
forgivable, etc.?
When the
going gets tough, what will happen to those who are “Christians” in name only?
What should we be doing about it?
Is America
identified as His “Chosen” people, or even mentioned in the Bible?
Dare
to be a Daniel
Author: “Hebraic Insights – Messages exploring the Hebrew roots of our faith”
“Biblical Marriage (by Yosef)” Weekly “Hebraic Musings”
No comments:
Post a Comment