Because of my love for this country and what it has meant to me I desperately desire to see it preserved for those who will come after me. Because of this, these columns often deal with events and trends I see that are moving to destroy the America that I have known and replace it with an America that is subservient to some global authority with a philosophy of government that is 180 degrees from that of our Founding Fathers. In so doing I sometimes lose sight of the title under which these articles are presented: From a Christian Perspective.
Most of the time when I am looking for a topic to discuss I will ask God to provide something that will honor Him and our Lord Jesus. Most of the time He will provide one within a day or two. Last evening, as I was finishing my prayers, I asked for a topic. Immediately the thought “look to my Word” came to mind. This morning I opened the Scriptures to Jeremiah 18. You be the judge.
The paragraphing in the quotation above is mine. Many people will try to say that these passages refer only to the Israel of the Old Testament, that they hold no relevance to our country or our time. I beg to disagree.
Note in the third paragraph God changes His reference from “Israel” to “nations” and “kingdoms.” He is clearly stating that He is the one who builds up the nations and the one who pulls them down. He also clearly states His reasons for doing this: “If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them.” and “ If it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them.”
While it is good to call people’s attention to events and trends that are leading our nation down the wrong road, we must always keep in mind that God is still in control and that everything that is happening is of His active or passive will. And when we examine the actions taken by our national leaders over the last fifty years (apparently with the consent of a majority of the people since those kind of leaders remain in power), we can only come to the conclusion that we have turned away from the God whose blessings built our nation and have turned to the worship of many false gods, just as did ancient Israel so many centuries ago.
We haven't built Asherim on the hilltops, but we have built stadiums in the cities; we haven’t installed altars in our homes wherein to place golden idols, but we have bowed down to the lures of Wall Street and state lotteries; we haven’t enthroned Caesar as a god, but we have turned to the state to be our protector and our provider. You may be able to think of your own analogies, there are hundreds available.
In the final analysis it will not be the enemy without that destroys our nation, it will be the evil within. For forty years Jeremiah tried to warn Israel, we have had voices crying out in the wilderness for at least that long. Israel would not listen, are we listening?
