Such a Nation as This…
How shall I pardon thee for this? thy children have forsaken me and sworn by them that are no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots' houses.
They were as fed horses in the morning: every one neighed after his neighbour's wife. Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this? (Jeremiah 5:7-9)
WHEN A GOD-FAVORED NATION REJECTS GOD, the first two things to go wrong are sex and abuse of children. At some point the power of its economy and the integrity of its money will be sacrificed. Its military power shrinks because there’s no money to pay for it. It becomes a third world country. The nation sinks into poverty. Irresponsible sex produces divorce, which produces poverty. Women and children suffer the most when the family breaks apart. God knows a lot about making things and He knows a lot about the advantages of a thriving family. The family was God’s idea.
ISRAEL DRIFTED AWAY FROM GOD THROUGH IDOLATRY, plunged into sexual corruption and then began sacrificing their children to idols. Such a nation as this covers all the nations of the world, including the United States of America. God made the world, owns the world, and holds it responsible to Him. The Roman Empire did not fall for lack of politicians. Some historians believe that Rome slowly rotted from within and fell in on itself.
THE ASSYRIANS, THE BABYLONIANS, the Persians, the Greeks and the Romans all rose to great power and fell. How did they rise to power and why did they fall? Why did world power shift from Europe to America? Is there not a God in Heaven who presides over the rise and fall of nations? Benjamin Franklin thought so (and he was no angel) and persuaded his fellow politicians to establish prayer before congressional meetings and that practice continues to this day.
AMERICA HAS DRIFTED AWAY FROM GOD FOR SEVERAL REASONS, but the core reason is that we have indoctrinated several generations of children and young people with the religion of evolution, posing as science. When we went through our last presidential election, we got out the hatchets and started bloodying one another over who gets to sit in the chair. There were no perfect candidates, so we set out to vote for as little evil as possible. That doesn’t set well with some people. But I’m an old dog and I stand by it.
THIS IS THE NATION THAT HAS SLAUGHTERED 60 MILLION INNOCENT BABIES in the womb and has adopted into public policy what God has called an abomination. Before that, we buried the Bible so we can do anything imaginable without troubling our conscience. I posted a similar article twice before and such a nation as this continues to bother me. God will have the last word, just you wait and see.
ISAIAH GIVES A SOBERING THOUGHT: And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them. (Isaiah 3:4) I have long believed that the easiest way for God to bring America down is for Him to remove His protecting hand and let us destroy ourselves.
I SPENT SEVERAL WEEKS READING IN JEREMIAH, renewing my mind of why God was going to destroy the southern section of Israel known as Judah (Judah and Benjamin) of which Jerusalem was the capital. After the death of Solomon, the 12 tribes of Israel split into the 10 tribes of the north and the two tribes of the south. The northern King set up idols for those people to worship so they would no longer make the three trips a year to Jerusalem.
IN SO DOING, THE PEOPLE ACCELERATED THEIR RATE OF DEPARTURE FROM GOD so that after sending prophets, especially Elijah, God wrote them off and brought upon them the army of Syria and led them into captivity. The Syrians scattered them throughout the empire and we never hear from the ten tribes again. God knows where they are be we don’t know. A few of them stole away and made it back to Jerusalem and they are mixed into the Jewish bloodline.
THE IDOLATROUS KINGS OF ISRAEL AND THE PEOPLE WHO TRUSTED THEM, had thought the game was simply to rule through political power and give the people some kind of religious symbolism to satisfy their religious cravings. We know their type better as we think about Ahab and Jezebel and Elijah whom God sent as His last effort to reach their hearts. Elijah tried, warned Ahab, brought on a horrific drought and showed up to call down fire on the altar he built. Surely the people had changed as they said: “He is God!” The fire fell and burned up the sacrifice, the water and even the stones.
Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. (1Kings 18:38) Then came a gully washer of a rain that prompted Elijah to outrun Ahab’s chariot and washed the 400 dead prophets of Baal out into the Mediterranean Sea. But sometimes the spectacular does not change hearts. The people said the right thing, but their hearts never turned to God. They became slaves and disappeared.
A HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS PASSED, and the southern kingdom had descended into the same debauchery as the northern kingdom. God sent Jeremiah to tell the king and the people that their time had come: repent or be hauled off to Babylon (Iraq) as slaves for 70 years and lose their precious Temple. God put it off as long as His mercy could endure. Through Jeremiah He said: Shall I not visit them for these things? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this? (Jer 9:9) Three times Jeremiah the prophet of God used these exact words. (Jeremiah 5:9; Jeremiah 5:29; Jeremiah 9:9)
Please notice that God does not limit His message to the people of Judah. The immediate message is for Judah but it extends far out to all the nations of the world and for every century that was to follow: “such a nation as this.” Is it not wise to ask ourselves if America is included in His warning: “such a nation as this?” In devotionals we are accustomed to a message that encourages us for the day. But there comes a time when our greatest need is not to be encouraged for the day but to tremble before the God of Heaven who has weighed us in the balance and found us wanting.
IF GOD KNOWS HOW TO MAKE NEBUCHADNEZAR OF BABYLON EAT WITH THE COWS for seven years until he comes to his senses (Daniel 4:31-37), then we should not think it is too radical to assume that God is weighing America in his scale and measuring the rebellion and wickedness of America the Beautiful.
IT IS TIME TO PRAY. IT IS TIME TO SEARCH OUR HEARTS for what God may be about to unleash upon us for our wickedness. Do we think God has not noticed that 60 million murdered babies have shown up in Heaven ahead of schedule? Has God not noticed that America has at last officially embraced the pride and perversion of Sodom? Do we think our open borders to the south are admitting no terrorists?
THE BIBLE SAYS: Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness. (Proverbs 30:20) And: Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! (Isaiah 5:20-21) A man’s pride gives him permission to commit all manner of sin. A nation’s pride gives itself permission to commit all manner of sin. What is God going to do with America?
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. (2Chronicles 7:14)
Read Through the Bible in a Year
FEBRUARY 19, 2019 – TUESDAY
A.M. Numbers 1-2 P.M. Mark 3:1-21
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)
A Good Verse to Memorize:
Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice. (Psalm 55:17)
Song for Today:
Battle Hymn of the Republic (5:18) (U.S. Army Field Band)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jy6AOGRsR80
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Health Tip:
Liquids. Tablets. Capsules. Jells. Shots. IV’s. Salves. Drops. Foot soaks. These are most of the various ways we get medicines into our bodies. Most patient-administered medicines are tablets and capsules. It you are taking vitamins and minerals, I suggest you lean toward capsules and be careful about attempting to swallow things too big for your esophagus/throat. A few tablets are designed to dissolve when only slightly moistened. Most tablets are not soft, and some may never dissolve but pass on through the body. I’ve read the testimony of the caretakers of porta-toilets who say that they flush out an impressive collection of undissolved vitamin/mineral tablets.
The down-side of capsules is that when they begin to dissolve, they may be sticky and stick to the throat. Tablets or capsules should not be swallowed unless you have a full glass of water at hand. If a capsule lodges in the throat, don’t take anything on top of it. Maybe crackers or bread will move it, maybe not. I trust a good shot of water more than anything. It’s almost like getting a fishbone stuck in your throat. Milk or orange juice may dislodge it easier than water. A teaspoon of flax or chia seed plus a bit of water will create mucous that may help.
If you are using water for swallowing pills/capsules, it should be room temperature and not iced tea or ice water. The cold will contract the throat. Some things like aspirin or ibuprofen will burn your stomach. Hold an ibuprofen in your mouth a few seconds and you will see why you want to drink plenty of water with it. It’s a good rule to have some food in your stomach when you take medicine, to “pad the floor.” If you have had acid reflux for a while, your esophagus may be shrunk because of scar tissue. Some people have a surgeon to stretch their esophagus to make swallowing easier. Ω
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