In his anger
the Lord said that because of the abominations Manasseh and Israel had
committed he would bring such disaster on the nation that every ear who heard
of it would tingle. He said that he would even forsake the remnant of his
heritage and give them into the hand of their enemies to become prey and spoil
to them.
…….
A couple of
years later a very good king began ruling in Jerusalem, King Josiah (2 Kings
22). King Josiah started ruling when he was eight years old; he restored the
forgotten Law of the Lord and rid the land of all the idols Manasseh had
erected. There was no king before him or after him who turned to the Lord with
all of his heart, soul, and might according to the Law of Moses (2 Kings
23:25).
Bear with
me…
Even though
King Josiah turned to the Lord with all of his heart, soul, and might, and even
though the whole nation of Israel turned again to serve the Lord, God did not turn away from his burning anger and
planned wrath against Israel that Manasseh had provoked in him years earlier. The
Lord still planned to destroy Israel.
…….
So how can
we relate this story to our lives today?
In America,
the majority of people do not serve carved idols. We don’t bow down to them or
offer sacrifices: child or monetary. We don’t even know what an Asherah pole is.
But I
believe what America has done is worse. We have not been deceived into
worshiping heavenly hosts or images that we believe are gods. No, we worship
ourselves.
Our children
are not sacrificed on an alter to satisfy a statue’s desires. No, our children
are sacrificed in our bellies to satisfy our own. We do not lay down the first
fruits of our labor- our money, our food, our gifts of any kind- at the feet of
an idol in some sort of temple. Our first fruits are spent on ourselves. And we
certainly don’t waste our money to build high places of worship for the heavenly
hosts; no, we live in mansions (compared to the rest of the world) filled with
stuff, always wanting more, bigger, better. The lusts of these foreign gods of
these ancient nations are manifest in our own lives today.
And this is
not a new phenomenon. It is, and always has been, the American dream.
Even if a
president rose who restored this nation into a God-fearing, Bible following,
perfect society, I believe it is too late for America to be saved. The
detestable abominations we have done in the Lord’s sight, I believe, are too
evil not to be punished.
I look at
these old nations in the Bible and at the Israelites… at least they were
serving false gods. At least they were serving something they perceived to be
bigger than their selves.
But, not us.
Not Americans. We are our own gods… and after all, wasn’t that the reason for
Satan’s fall in the first place? Didn’t he
consider himself an equal with God? The Lord made redemption available to
fallen men who were tricked into believing a lie. He did not provide an avenue
of restoration for the spirits who declared their selves to be god. It is the
ultimate rebellion.
America,
what are you doing?
It is a
grave sin, and I am afraid for your future.
