Articles
Living in a Treacherous Nation
"Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, children who deal corruptly! " Thus, opens the book of Isaiah to the people of Judah. The people of God had become sinful and treacherous. God warns Judah of impending judgment because they are people who "call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! " Judah was sure God protected them. God told them, "Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight! " Judah worshiped at the temple while sinning grievously against the Lord. Jeremiah warned them, “Behold, you trust in deceptive words to no avail. Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, ‘We are delivered!’—only to go on doing all these abominations?” (Jer. 7:8-10 ESV) Their past relationship with God will not save these sinful people.
Some say our country is a "Christian Nation." How can that be true when our people practice fornication, witchcraft, infanticide, abortion, divorce for any reason, murder, rebellion against parents, and hatred towards one another? In our wisdom, we redefine marriage and normalize deviant sexual practices. God thunders from heaven, "Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and shrewd in their own sight! "
Today, people scream in the streets for the murder of an entire race of people while demanding that authorities provide them with food that won't trigger their allergies or offend their sensibilities towards animals. After all, it is righteous to kill a Jew while not murdering an animal. Micah warns against people who "all lie in wait for blood, and each hunts the other with a net."
Families are divided over ideologies and politics. Families break relationships over political beliefs! Anyone in our culture who deviates from accepted values is canceled, their career is ruined, and they may be threatened with legal action. Micah warned the faithful remnant of Judah, “Put no trust in a neighbor; have no confidence in a friend; guard the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your arms; for the son treats the father with contempt, the daughter rises up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house.” (Micah 7:5-6 ESV)
The powerful in the nation are treacherous. Our government leaders are taking money from our enemies, kickbacks from industry, and twisting the legal system inside out for their benefit. Micah warns, "Both hands are skilled in doing evil; the ruler demands gifts, the judge accepts bribes, the powerful dictate what they desire— they all conspire together. The best of them is like a brier, the most upright worse than a thorn hedge.” (Micah 7:3-4 NIV11)
Those who reject we are a "Christian Nation" make the argument that these warnings are not for us but for a people God chose to be His nation. True, but God does punish wicked nations. God used Assyria and Babylon to punish his people for their sins, but that does not mean he ignored their sins. Consider this promise made by God: "I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity, declares the LORD, making the land an everlasting waste. I will bring upon that land all the words that I have uttered against it, everything written in this book, which Jeremiah prophesied against all the nations. For many nations and great kings shall make slaves even of them, and I will recompense them according to their deeds and the work of their hands.” (Jer. 25:12-14 ESV) Any nation that sins against God will be punished.
We live among the nations. If a nation is punished for its evil, we will suffer with it. The faithful in Judah suffered exile due to the nation's sins. They escaped with their lives because they remained faithful to God. We must live as "strangers and exiles" in this evil land. We must "keep our behavior excellent" among the people of this country. (cf. 1 Pet. 2:11-12) We must remember our "citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Phil. 3:20 ESV) "Await a Savior" is the key to surviving and thriving among this treacherous people. Micah encouraged the faithful remnant, “But as for me, I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.” (Micah 7:7 ESV)
Whether God punishes this country now or later, we must "wait for the God of " our "salvation." Do not be distracted by all the evil and unrest now roiling the land. It is the fruit of a sinful nation that no longer acknowledges God. Keep your eyes on the prize and look to “Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:2 ESV)
