Thursday, September 15, 2016
Now this is
what the Lord says: “I will
uproot from their land all the evil nations reaching out for the possession I
gave my people Israel. And I will uproot
Judah from among them. But afterward I will return and
have compassion on all of them. I will bring
them home to their own lands again, each nation to its own possession. And
if these nations truly learn the ways of my people, and if they learn to swear
by my name, saying, ‘As surely as the Lord lives’ (just as they
taught my people to swear by the name of Baal), then they will be given a place
among my people. But any nation who refuses to obey me
will be uprooted and destroyed. I, the Lord,
have spoken!” Jeremiah 12:14-17(NLT)
Jeremiah didn’t have an easy message
to hear. God was about to discipline his
chosen family by up-rooting them along with the surrounding evil kingdoms that
had helped corrupt his people. The
destruction would lead to captivity and slavery for the whole nation. They had become the opposite of an obedient
witness for JHWH
The point is well-made that you
cannot take a prophecy that was given to one person or nation and apply it
directly to another. That isn’t good
Biblical interpretation.
You can, however, look closely at a
prophecy like Jeremiah’s and draw lessons that are universal and always apply,
no matter what nation, or what individual.
As Paul wrote to Timothy:
All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true
and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are
wrong and teaches us to do what is right.
2 Timothy 3:16(NLT)
It is in this way we again make the
point that America, birthed in the robes of freedom, justice, and, as de Tocqueville
penned, “…pulpits aflame,” has decayed to the point of killing their unborn,
turning to the ways of Sodom and Gomorrah, and become a nation of disrespect
towards the God who shined the light and goodness of blessing upon this
people. What’s worse is we congratulate
ourselves on how blessed we are, and how pleased God must be that he blesses
America, land that we love.
A look at the worship attendance
reality of the average church in America tells quite a different story; even
the basic command to remember to be faithful in worship with other believers is
ignored:
And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but
encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing
near. Hebrews 10:25(NLT)
· On any given Sunday less than 20% of
Americans attend church
· Nearly 6 of 10 church members are
totally inactive[ii]
Collectively, America is not a godly
nation…not even close.
As in Elijah’s day the remnant
of faithful believers who will pray for this nation, refuse to bow
the knee to contemporary culture’s ways, and stand in the gap for righteousness
are about all that’s keeping us from being destroyed like Israel of old.
For You Today
Here’s a good question – not an easy
question – about your walk with Christ today:
What is it that marks me as part of a
faithful remnant in a faithless land?
Go to VIDEO
NOTES
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