Blessed is the Nation Whose God is the Lord

(Psalms 33:12) "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance."

Throughout the Old Testament the words expressed by the Psalmist are made very clear. A nation who chooses to serve the Lord is blessed and the nation who opposes the Lord is in trouble. With what the Psalmist has said (Psalms 33:12), the proof by the actions of God in the Old Testament, and other passages; we as citizens of the United States of America need to be concerned.

Our Government is making one choice after another in opposition to what the Lord desires. Locally, in the state of Pennsylvania, we have seen the state support the actions of Homosexuals in clear opposition to what God has said on the matter (Genesis 18-19, Leviticus 18:22; 20:13, and Romans 1:27). Our state is approving of even more forms of gambling which is going to destroy families, tempt men and women to earn wages by theft, and bring about more crime in areas where the state will allow these slot machines they are talking about putting in places like Pittsburgh. The Federal Government continues to allow the taking of innocent life in abortions, which the Lord doth hate (Proverbs 6:16-17). Our Government is having debates about whether or not the "Ten Commandments" can remain in a courthouse, forgetting that our country was supposedly founded upon religious values and that the Law of Moses was the first written law for mankind. Many of our current laws are patterned after the Law of Moses. One has to wonder when the challenge to take "In God We Trust" off of our currency will occur. The pattern we see in the Old Testament surely shows us that we are heading down a dangerous path as a country.

The Pattern in the Old Testament Regarding God's Punishment of Nations

In the book of Daniel we find King Belteshazzar calling upon Daniel to interpret the writing the King saw upon the walls and round about. In Daniel's words he points out an important fact to remember: (Daniel 5:21) "And he was driven from the sons of men; and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses: they fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven; till he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever he will." One needs to understand that God does not direct us as chess pieces on a board, but His providence is very active in the kingdoms of men. As one reads through the Old Testament they can see God's reactions to the disobedience of the nations of the earth.

From Isaiah chapter thirteen through Isaiah chapter twenty-four we see nation after nation being punished for disobedience. Isaiah does not stop there, but continues in other areas to speak towards the judgment God would bring upon nation after nation. We are going to use some areas of the book of Isaiah and the nation of Assyria to illustrate our point in this article.

In Isaiah chapter eight God discusses how He will use Assyria to punish Judah (v. 5ff.). Two chapters later we read this: (Isaiah 10:5-6) "O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation. I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets." Clearly, Assyria was a nation that God was going to use to carry out His judgment.

A continued study will cause one to note that just a few verses later God expresses the fact that He will also punish the nation in which He used to bring punishment upon the disobedient children of Israel and Judah. The reason would be that they were a proud and arrogant nation who would not give glory unto God, but take glory unto themselves. Notice the text: (Isaiah 10:12-15) "Wherefore it shall come to pass, that when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks. For he saith, By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom; for I am prudent: and I have removed the bounds of the people, and have robbed their treasures, and I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man: And my hand hath found as a nest the riches of the people: and as one gathereth eggs that are left, have I gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or peeped. Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? or shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it? as if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself, as if it were no wood." As a student of the scriptures I stand in awe, as any reader should, of God's ability to clearly illustrate the lesson in this context. He compares Assyria to an axe (only one of the many illustrations He used), which is merely a tool that does no cutting without direction from a handler, and says that the axe is trying to take the credit. God gave them the power, but they chose to leave Him out of their thanksgiving. For this, they would be punished.

Assyria would conquer Israel and come up to the neck of Judah (Jerusalem), and then God would intervene and show His might in one night (Isaiah 8:8 and II Kings 19:32-37). However, God did make it clear that His saving of Judah was because of His promise to David (II Kings 19:34). Now, notice the pattern of what we have seen involving Assyria. God granted them land, victory, and power. In return they did not glorify the almighty God. So, God punished them in the midst of their glory days of conquering land.

Conclusion

It does not take much to notice that God has truly blessed the United States of America. However, in return our country is not returning thanks to Him. We are proud, arrogant, and powerful. Those are the same characteristics that lead to the downfall of Assyria. One wonders when God may choose to humble our proud nation.

During the events of September 11th, 2001, some in our country decided to get religious really quick. Some members of congress prayed publicly, our President in several of his speeches urged the nation to pray, and many others did the same. However, as prayer seemed to be on the minds of our nations leaders, it was, and still is banned publicly in most of our nation's public schools. Our country is good at seeming to want God, but keeping him at a safe distance. God is not an animal that needs to be seen from a distance. To be a nation whose God is the Lord we must be willing to walk according to that which God demands and allow Him to be front and center in our decisions and policy making instead of money, Hollywood, and humanism. Before that can occur, our nation needs to learn many lessons such as humility and dependence.

What can Christians do to help our country? First of all we can heed to the inspired words of the Apostle Paul: (I Timothy 2:1-3) "I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour." Secondly, we need to make sure that we are voting for the best possible candidates who will put morality into our nation. In other words, [most of ed] the DEMOCRATS ARE PRO-ABORTION, PRO-HOMOSEXUALITY, PRO-GAMBLING, etc. Last of all, we can aim to teach our family members, neighbors, co-workers, and acquaintances that God needs to come first in their lives. Thus, through the preaching of the Gospel in the world (Mark 16:15-16), we can help save our country one soul at a time.