Introduction: The eyes of the world are focused on the United States of America right now. Many Americans are living with a sense of suspense. Who will be the next president? What does the future hold for the United States of America? Today I want to look at our nation from a biblical perspective. I believe that we mirror the ancient Israelites in many ways. Lets look at where we have come from, where we are right now as a nation, and where we are headed.
The bible describes the time of the judges as a time of great confusion. It says, "In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes." This closing verse of the book of judges describes a state of moral chaos which stemmed from a lack of leadership. Sounds much like our society today. How did they get like that? How did we? It wasn't always like this.
I. THE STORY BEGINS WITH A BLESSED GENERATION
In verse 7 the bible says, "And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the Lord, that he did for Israel."
The story begins with a blessed generation, the people who entered the land of promise with Joshua. They were blessed above all the other Israelites that had gone before them. Their parents wandered in the wilderness for forty years. They conquered Canaan in the power of God.
They saw "all the great works of the Lord, that he did for Israel." This was the generation that saw God miraculously part the waters of the Jordan and they passed over on dry land. This generation saw the walls of Jericho crash to the ground by the power of God. The commander of God's angelic hosts appeared to their commander before they went into battle. This generation in one battle saw God destroy more of their enemy with hail stones than they slew with the sword. It was for this generation that God caused the sun to stand still for 24 hours while they slew their enemy by the light of day. It was a blessed generation. And they served God.
It reminds me of our own nation and its beginnings. From the pilgrims who fled religious tyranny in Europe to establish communities centered upon Christ and governed by the Word of God, to our founding Fathers who fought and died to establish one nation under God, A rag tag army of farmers defeating the mighty British War machine. Many of our founding fathers were committed Christians and the ones who were not understood the importance of a Christian ethic to the success of democracy. James Madison recognized by historians as the chief architect of the Constitution said, "We've staked the whole of our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind for self government, upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God."
George Washington, recognized by all as the Father of our country wrote this in his field notebook, "Direct my thoughts, words and work, wash my sins in the immaculate blood of the lamb, and purge my heart by thy Holy Spirit, Daily frame me more and more into the likeness of thy Son Jesus Christ."
And God responded to the commitment of our forefathers and He richly blessed this nation with massive revivals; the first and second great awakenings, literally thousands of people saved by the power of God. He has blessed us with great men of God like George Whitfield, Jonathan Edwards, Charles Finney, D.L. Moody, Billy Sunday, and Billy Graham. Preachers with power that has not been witnessed since the days of the Apostle Paul.
The word of God, the Bible has been published and distributed in this nation more widely than any other nation upon the face of the earth.
And God has used America as a great missionary center sending more missionaries to more nations than any other country in the world. Our nation has never been perfect but it has been greatly blessed.
This is where we come from. Lets Go back now to our text and focus on the Israelites. Something happened in verse 10. It says another generation rose up.
II. IT WAS THE BIRTH OF A GODLESS GENERATION
The text says in verse 10, "all that generation were gathered unto their fathers (the blessed generation died off) and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel." When it says they knew not the Lord it doesn’t mean that they didn’t know about the Lord or the things he had done for them. It means they chose not to acknowledge the Lord. They forsook him verse 12 tells us, and verse 11 says they turned to Baalim.
Baal worship involved burnt offerings and incense, child sacrifice, temple prostitution, and self mutilation. How in the world could a nation that had been so blessed and enlightened by God, turn and offer their children as sacrifices to a false god, and fornicate with temple prostitutes, completely forsaking the living God? Before we condemn the Israelites we need to look in our own back yard.
How could a nation like ours with so much light and blessing; sacrifice our children on the altar of convenience. Over 30 million babies have been aborted since 1970, more than a quarter of the living population in America today, A government that allows the barbaric and cruel practice of partial birth abortion. And we wonder why a teenager would throw a baby in the trash can at a high school prom. How could a nation like ours condone homosexuality, teaching it as an alternate lifestyle in our schools, accepting it in the military and other government agencies as a legitimate way of life, the boy scouts of America being ridiculed and discriminated against because they refuse to allow homosexual scout masters. God calls it an abomination. How could a nation that’s been so blessed market murder and violence in its video games, television, movies, and music and then wonder why children are killing children. How could a nation that’s been so blessed deny the witness of God in creation and teach our children that they evolved from apes? We have become a generation of people that have forsaken God and turned to the gods of money, and pleasure, and entertainment, and self gratification, and self exaltation.
What does God do with a people that once knew Him, that were once enlightened and then turn and forsake Him? Read verse 14. It says, "And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and He delivered them into the hands of the spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies." You see the Israelites still had enemies remaining in the land. The same God that enabled them to conquer their enemies when they entered the land enabled them to stand as a strong nation in the midst of their enemies round about. However, when the people rebelled He began to withdraw His sustaining hand from the nation and they could no longer stand before their enemies, and they became conquered and oppressed subjects of the nations around them.
I'm afraid that God has begun to withdraw his hand of protection and sustenance from off of our nation. Leonard Ravenhill wrote a book called "Sodom had no Bibles". The implication is clear. If God judged with fire and brimstone a people that did not even have the light of the Word, how much more will he hold us accountable who have had so much. To whom much is given much is required.
Is God lifting His hand from us now? We are seeing for the first time in our nations history large scale terrorism on our own shores, Oklahoma City, the World Trade Center, Mass shootings in Schools and Churches, things that were once relegated to war torn countries over seas. Now its here.
We are seeing more natural disasters like tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, and fires than ever before.
The most telling sign of judgment is the decline of morality in our nation. According to Romans chapter 1, when a people turn their backs on God He "gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts,...He gave them up unto vile affections.....God gave them over to a reprobate mind..." When God judges a nation He turns them over to the filth of their own immorality as it spirals them downward to the sewer.
Just as individuals are accountable to God, so are nations. He "raises up leaders and deposes them, and causes Kingdoms to rise and to fall." If God entered into fierce judgment with His own chosen nation, how much more will He enter into fierce judgment with our rebellious and immoral nation?! We haven't even begun to taste the terrors that lie ahead. Peace and safety, peace and safety, then sudden destruction will come upon us like a women in travail.
Is there any hope? Yes. Look at verse 16. "Nevertheless the Lord raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them." The Lord would hear the groaning of the people in their distress and oppression and he would raise up a leader called a "judge". A judge was Spirit empowered leader. Leaders like Gideon who God used to slay thousands of Midianites with 300 men. Leaders like Deborah who ruled her people with great wisdom. Leaders like Samson who slew a thousand philistines with the jaw bone of an ass. The book of Judges is filled with accounts of these Spirit empowered leaders who delivered their people from oppression.
God has raised up a judge for us in these last days and he is the only hope for America. The Bible calls Him Immanuel, which means God with us, He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the scepter shall not depart from him for he is the lion of the tribe of Judah. All authority in heaven and earth has been given unto him. He is seated on a throne not in Washington but at the right hand of God. Of course the only hope for America is Jesus whom God hath raised from the dead.
When Peter preached the first Gospel message he cried out to those who would hear him, "Save yourselves from this crooked generation." The cry remains the same today. Jesus will save all those who call upon his name. He will wash away your sin by his blood, he will save you out of this nation that is headed not just for physical judgment but eternal damnation in Hell. He stands waiting to forgive and cleanse you.
And there is hope for our nation if the church will turn back to Jesus. "If my people which are called by my name (today that’s the church) will 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." We are the salt of the world, we are the nations preservative from evil and decay, but if we lose our effectiveness we are no good for anything Jesus says. We are the light to show the way, but our light is under a bushel, and the nation remains in darkness. What shall we do. Humble ourselves before God and pray. Seek God in earnest prayer for ourselves and our nation. Give up political party allegiances and begin to pledge your allegiance to Jesus, vote how he would have you vote. He is Lord of all or not Lord at all. Seek his face and repent. Repent of apathy, repent of immorality, repent of compromise, repent of silence. And the Lord will pour His Spirit out upon the church, and the nation will see Jesus in the church once again, and there will be hope for America in Jesus. Amen.
