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“Evaluating America”
Most of us place a high value on "personal" messages. Form letters and mass mailings are the norm in
our daily lives today. It is always refreshing to receive a "personal"note from a person or organization, especially
if it is hand written. Some have made a concerted effort to make their mailings seem to be "one-of-a-kind."
Today it is difficult to tell what is personal correspondence and what is "mass mailing."
Sometimes it may seem the same with scripture, God’s written word. Many televangelist get confused
when the Bible writes about Israel. Is it talking about the Jews? Is it talking about the nation of Israel? Is it
speaking of England – Canada – Australia, ect – ect – ect? Or is it referring to America?
Spiritual speaking– it is a blanket statement to all nation of the world! Today, the subject on Israel will
be narrowed down to America by asking, “What would God say to America, if He spoke audibly to us, today?
I believe He would remind us of Proverbs 14 verse 34, “Righteousness exalts a nation: but sin is a reproach to
any people.” These truths hold true for any nation today!
History is littered with the echoes of failed nations. Nineveh, the Egyptian Dynasty, Greece, the Roman
Empire. Today, the United States is a proof text for verse 34 of Proverbs 14! To see that we will divide Proverbs
14: 34, thoughts into four sections.
The first word of Proverbs 14:34, is “Righteousness.” It is a word seldom spoken of outside of
conservative churches. Today, we “Do not” hear our politicians speak: about righteousness, nor do we hear
the news media say anything about righteousness .
There are at least three implications of the word, righteousness. One, It implies sovereignty. If there
is such a thing as righteousness, then someone sovereign must determine what it is. Humankind has a varied idea
of righteousness. Man alone could never in a life time agree on what is righteous and what is unrighteous.
God, however, is an authority on righteousness. Notice Psalm 71:19, “Thy righteousness also, O God,
is very high, who has done great things: O God, who is like unto You?” Now look at Psalm 98: and verse 2,
“The Lord has made known His salvation: His righteousness has He openly showed in the sight of the heathen.”
Implication two, righteousness implies a standard. Society today does not want a standard; they will
not even acknowledge that one exists. Lying is ok, truth is evil! What does God thinks about that standard ?
See what Jeremiah says in Jer. 9: 3, “ And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant
for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not Me, saith the Lord.” Verses
5 and 6, “And they will deceive every one his neighbour, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their
tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity. Thine habitation is in the midst of deceit; through
deceit they refuse to know Me, saith the Lord.” This is the main reason that the word of God has been attacked
and ridiculed by unbelievers. Again in Psalm 119: 40, “Behold, I have longed after your precepts: quicken me
in Your Righteousness.” Now, Psalm 119: 142, “Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Your
Law is the truth.”
At the founding of our nation, the Bible was held in high esteem. There are both direct and indirect
quotations in the correspondence of the founding fathers.
The third thought of righteousness implies “straightness.” We just heard a sermon from Mr. Fleming
titled “crookedness” that needs to be straightened. And Mr Martinez sermon spoke on how to live a Christian
life on a solid foundation.
It is one thing to admit that there is a standard, and it is quite another to make that standard your own pet.
The word in our Bible implies a personal righteousness, and a personal morality. The Judeo-Christian moral
principle has guided our nation from its founding up until this generation in which we live.
Our forefathers chose the righteousness of the Bible as it's guiding light. Notice-- Moses exhortation to
obedience in Deut. 4: 5, “Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the Lord my God
commanded me, that you should do so in the land whither you go to possess it.”
Who can doubt that America has been exalted among the nations? Some Americans, like
Nnebuchadnezzer in the book of Daniel, takes the credit for such exaltation. The mentality is --that we somehow
deserve the greatness and power of our past. That is a sad mistake to make.
America has been exalted and blessed because of God’s love and mercy, not because of our goodness and
personal holiness thinking! Let us examine the word “exalted” a little more closely to determine just what God
means in the term most “Righteousness exalts a nation ... !” An exalted nation is set - apart.
One of the meanings of the word “exalted,” is "to be lifted up; to be made high. The Bible teaches us that
God Himself is exalted, the holy scripture is exalted, and the House of Israel is exalted above the heathen
nations. In Psalms 46: 10 we find a promise that the righteous nation also will be lifted up and made high. “Be
still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” In Psalms 37:
34, God tell us we will be exalted also, “Wait on the Lord, and keep His way, and He shall exalt you to inherit
the land: when the wicked are cut off, you shalt see it.”
There is no nation in the history of the world which has been lifted up and exalted more than the United
States of America. The United States has dominated history throughout the 20th century. Another sub –
meaning of the word "exalt" is “To raise high” as an in accessible fortress, out of the reach of danger. Psalm
32:7, “You [Lord] art my hiding place; You shalt preserve me from trouble; You shalt compass me about with
songs of deliverance.” Psalms 119:114, follows up by saying, “Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope
in Your word.”
Many nations have been destroyed by their enemies or by God himself through natural disasters, plagues,
pestilence, war, and unbelief have destroyed many countries, but America will celebrates her 241st birthday this
July 4th. What a testament that is to God's protection and preservation!
An exalted nation is seen as being strong. Another shade of meaning of the word “exalt” is to triumph
over its enemies. Win wars! A mere glance at the history of America will reveal the hand of God's protection
watching over us in war and in peace.
Think of the odds of the colonies defeating the most powerful nation in the 18th century world, the
British Empire, yet, it happened. We take for granted our victory in the Revolutionary War. We assume that our
power then resembled our power today. Not true! It was a miracle from God that America gained her freedom
from England. Why did the Civil War not tear this nation apart? Could it have been the protection of God ?
In World War II, America took on much of the world essentially single handedly and assured freedom
throughout the globe. That was a time when our citizens proudly said, “America has never lost a war!” That’s
history now! We must give God the glory for past victories. For He has protected us. Psalms 144: verse 1,
gives us some insight, on this subject. “Blessed be the Lord my strength, which teaches my hands to war, and
my fingers to fight:”
Knowing there is two sides to every story, we will now look at “the revolt of a nation” and how “Sin”
plays its part.” We will find this depressing aspects of God's promise to “any nation.” Remember the verse we
started this article with. “As surely as righteousness exalts a nation, sin destroys it” (Proverbs 14:34)
Today, many people want a “buffet-style” religion. They want a God who is merciful, loving and kind.
The God of Christianity today fulfills that desire. But the God of mercy and love, is also the God of judgment
and damnation. People turn away from such a God today! But here is a problem. This verse is a couplet, having two parts. The parts are opposite and contrasting.
One cannot be accepted without the other. They stand together as a testimony of God's unapproachable holiness.
The truth is, that God will judge sin! He will not wink at it, forget it, or misplace His records. To understand
this truth, let us examine the meaning of the word “sin.” Sin is an undisciplined aim. To sin is “to miss the
mark,” as an archer misses his target. Psalm 2:1, “Help, Lord; for the godly man cease; for the faithful fail from
among the children of men.” Mankind is bound to fail, seeing we are only flesh. But our sinful nature is not an
excuse. Missing God's mark is the result of an undisciplined aim, a careless shot at God's perfection.
America does not demand greatness of itself anymore, nor does it honor what is good and right.
contrariwise, we honor and reward the evil and the froward. Look at our culture. The “bad guy,” is now the
norm; the “good guy” is the potential hypocrite who bears watching. Reading God’s word sin is an unwise
assurance.
Another meaning of “sin”is to stumble, to err from the path. Again, it seems that we have a built in
excuse. Which of us has not stumbled from the path through no fault of our own? It is human nature to fail, and
to stumble at times. Our stumbling and erring from the path comes from a false assurance, a careless attitude.
America has taken for granted the blessings of God, assuming that He will continue to bless and protect
us in spite of our sin. Psalm 59:12, “For the sin of their mouth andthe words of their lips let them even be taken
in their pride:” Sin is ungrateful actions. The crown meaning of “sin” is an outright transgression, and rebellion
against God’s word! Daniel 9:11 tells us, “Yea, all Israel have transgressed God’s law, even by departing, That
they might not obey Thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us ... because we have sinned against God.’
The clearest of all definition of sin is, 1 John 3:4, “Whosoever commits sin transgresses also the law: for
Sin is the transgression of the law.” God’s laws!!
Continuing our thoughts on the verse we started with, Proverbs 14:34, “Righteousness exalts a nation:
but sin is a reproach to any people.” The reproach of a nation “.. .is a reproach ... “ The first mention of the
word “reproach” in our English Bible can be found in Genesis 3:23: “And she [Eve ] conceived, and bare a son;
and said, God has yaken away my reproach:” Eve had borne a son whom she expected to be the promised
Messiah. Her “reproach” was the curse that God placed on her because of Adam's sin. Sin brings a reproach,
whether it is in the life of the individual or in the time line of a nation.
Continuing to look at different meanings of scripture when thinking of reproach. Number one
definition of reproach is “to be brought low, to go from the heights to the depths.” In Nehemiah 1:3, is found
an example that Nehemiah reported, “The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the Province are in great
affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.”
Israel's sin had caused them to go into captivity and now their capital city stood in ruins. The remnant was
brought low by their sin.
We too, have been brought from the heights to the lows by the sins of the House of Israel. God is bound
to judge sin. He will not turn a blind eye to America's folly just as He judged Israel [House of Israel] and the
gentile nations.
Think of how often God had to destroyed cities because of homosexuality. Tens of thousands marched
in gay parades last Sunday, June 11, 2017! Notice God’s clear thinking about that parade! “And God saw that
the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only
evil continually. Vs 12, And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; For all flesh had corrupted
his way upon the earth.” God’s answer for this sin, Sodom and Gomorrah comes to mind!
Dishonored is another definition of “reproach.” It means “to be ridiculed, to rail on, to revile.” In I
Samuel 17:26, a young David said, “ ... what shall be done to the man that kills this Philistine, and Takes away
the reproach from Israel? For who is this un-circumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the Living
God?” Israel was powerless in the face of Goliath and the Philistines. They were ridiculed and reviled by their
inability to control the situation at that time. Goliath mocked the army of Israel and the whole nation.
America knows something about such disgrace. We are the richest and most developed nation in the
world, but we are reviled by much of the world. The Muslim nations and communist thinking China have little
respect for our system of government or our culture. We were reviled and ridiculed by the former Soviet Union
until God brought them low. We cannot think that the same thing cannot happen to us.
Defeated is the final definition of “reproach”it means: “to pluck or strip away all that is good.” Our
culture today is in the process of doing just that. Our defeats are coming from the hands of foreign invader.
who has built a shadow government that lies, back stabs, and cause division! They are no longer thought of
as Americans by true Americans!! This “shadow government,” secret government that our former president
Oboma trained, speaks of splintering people into competing special interests groups .
Politicians pit one group against another. Racism pits one group against another, these are the things that
weaken America, they keep us divided.
The city of AI in history, was a little speck on the map of the Israelite army. After the great victory at
Jehrico, AI would be a simple campaign, a “mopping up” exercise, but the sin of one man brought defeat. I
believe there is another sin that is defeating America. It is found in the street corner churches. And yes, I
recognize our culture is rotten; and our society is eaten up with evil.
But the church going Achans are hoarding up the world's gold and garments and allowing the gospel truth
to fall short of it assigned task .
Some final thoughts: America has been great because of God. If we fall, it will be because of our
failure to honor God as our sovereign authority and Lord. Do we have to watch America, our beloved land
become mired in the slough of compromises and fearfulness?
It is God’s called out servants that must standup for what is right! We must not fear the wrath of man or
the condemnation of sinners. They hated our Lord of lords and King of kings, Jesus the Christ. If we are the
light which exposes their evil, they will hate us as well.
What would God's personal message to America be if He spoke to us audibly in this day? I believe He
would say, “Righteousness exalts a nation: but sin is a reproach to any People.”
Let us pray for our land and resolve to do our best to make America great again. But, we must keep in
mind if we achieve anything, it is God which must accomplish it! ☜
James Russell