Deuteronomy 28:1-7
1 "And if you faithfully obey the voice of the LORD your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. 2 And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the LORD your God. 3 Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. 4 Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. 5 Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. 6 Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out. 7 The LORD will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before you. They shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.”
Let me be clear, I am thankful beyond words that the sovereign God of the universe chose to place me in the United States of America. I am thankful for the freedoms we still have in this Nation, and I have happily served this Nation for eight years in the Air Force and one year in the Oklahoma Air National Guard. I served two and one-half years of that time overseas including a year in Viet Nam. I love this land, I have given over ten percent of my life to serving her, and I have put my life on the line for her.
Over our two-hundred plus years as a Nation, we have been a very pro-Christian Nation. Of course, we have never been a theocracy, or what could technically be called a “Christian” Nation, but for most of our history our government has been benevolent to those of us who are followers of Jesus Christ. Sadly, in recent years, we have seen this benevolent attitude toward the followers of Jesus Christ slipping away! Since the beginning of the Twentieth Century, America first became post-Christian; and is now becoming anti-Christian.
I tremble when I think of the kind of Nation this Nation will likely be as my children and grandchildren live out their lives. If God does not send a real revival among His people, those who determine to faithfully follow Jesus Christ are going to pay a very high price for their devotion to Him.
Deuteronomy 28, in the context of God’s promises to Israel, clearly shows the conditional nature of God’s blessings upon a people. While I do believe that Israel is uniquely a people of God, I also believe that God’s blessing upon any people is also conditioned upon that people’s obedience to God, His Word, and, upon their faithful keeping of His covenant with them.
This Sunday is July 3rd. No doubt, we, like most churches, will sing patriotic songs, honor those who serve our Nation, and give thanks to God for the blessing of living in the freest Nation on earth. But, we dare not think that we can disobey the commandments of God, scoff at His Word, and expect His continuing blessings upon us.
Let us pray that God will grant us a season of National repentance and pour out His Spirit upon us, our leaders, and our children. Let us pray that the American people will seek to be a people who bless God in all that we do.
To worship America is idolatry! We will not gather on this Lord’s Day, (or any other Lord’s Day) to worship our Nation; we will gather to worship the One True and Living God. May God forgive us, may He awaken us, and may He turn our hearts to worship Him and Him alone! May we live to see the United States of America once again as a pro-Christian Nation!
