Christian Nations

I was listening to the radio a little while ago, and there was a discussion about state this country is in and how the time for a spiritual revival is needed. The topic then turned to miracles and one of the hosts mentioned how they were expecting a time of great miracles that would appear to all the people of the earth. At that point, their guest made a statement to the effect of, how will we know that these miracles will be from GOD?

That started me thinking about if the children of Israel ever had a question about where the miracles that they witnessed originated from. They saw some pretty spectacular things, especially during their time in Egypt. For instance, they saw 10 plagues that tormented the Egyptian people, a pillar of smoke or fire that would lead them through the desert. That the sea would part to allow them to walk safely away from the armies of Pharaoh. Day after day, mana appeared on the ground to prevent them from starving, and when they were thirsty, water sprang forth from solid rock. When you then see how much they whined, it almost seemed like the miracles were too common place for them. They had all of their needs cared for, but they still wanted more. Luckily, not all of them were like that, and can read about those who saw things differently.

We can almost see a hierarchy of this understanding.

For the general public, they really do not seem to care how a miracle might happen, as long as they are fed and happy, everything will be fine.

Then we have people like Joshua. He saw that there would be equal parts of effort from him to work in conjunction with the works that GOD would provide. He did not question how they would claim the promised land, only that since it was promised to them, they should move forward and take it.

For Moses, it was a balancing act between keeping the people trusting in GOD, and trying to keep his own sanity. He knew that GOD would, through him perform many miracles, for the purpose of at first, getting the people out of Egypt, and then, leading them through the desert to the Promised Land. He knew that it would be a long process, but that there would/should not be an end to the miracles as there was a covenant between the people and GOD.

Moving to a later time, we see it with David and Jonathan. David was not afraid to face Goliath. He knew that something must be done to stop the Philistines from mocking GOD. For Jonathan, it was whether to go up and attack the enemy soldiers.

1Sa 14:6 Jonathan said to the young man who carried his armor, "Come, let us go over to the garrison. It may be that the LORD will work for us, for nothing can hinder the LORD from saving by many or by few."

1Sa 14:7 And his armor-bearer said to him, "Do all that is in your heart. Do as you wish. Behold, I am with you heart and soul."

1Sa 14:8 Then Jonathan said, "Behold, we will cross over to the men, and we will show ourselves to them.

1Sa 14:9 If they say to us, 'Wait until we come to you,' then we will stand still in our place, and we will not go up to them.

1Sa 14:10 But if they say, 'Come up to us,' then we will go up, for the LORD has given them into our hand. And this shall be the sign to us."

1Sa 14:11 So both of them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines. And the Philistines said, "Look, Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hidden themselves."

1Sa 14:12 And the men of the garrison hailed Jonathan and his armor-bearer and said, "Come up to us, and we will show you a thing." And Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, "Come up after me, for the LORD has given them into the hand of Israel."

1Sa 14:13 Then Jonathan climbed up on his hands and feet, and his armor-bearer after him. And they fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer killed them after him.

1Sa 14:14 And that first strike, which Jonathan and his armor-bearer made, killed about twenty men within as it were half a furrow's length in an acre of land. (This would be about 330 feet, or about the length of a football field.)

1Sa 14:15 And there was a panic in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. The garrison and even the raiders trembled, the earth quaked, and it became a very great panic.

I find it interesting that it does not appear that Jonathon ever thought that they might not fight the Philistines. The way that he speaks to his armor bearer is that they will fight them at the top of the hill, or the enemy will come to them in the valley. Either way, Jonathon showed leadership, and his armor bearer trusted in that leadership.

I think that this is an important contrast to what is commonly pushed as a message today from churches. More and more, I feel that churches are trying to mold their congregations into a place of acceptance. I do not feel that they are teaching how to be quietly confident in your beliefs.

The Bible does give us a pretty good example of someone who not only showed leadership, but also faith.

Gen 12:1 Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you.

Gen 12:2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.

Gen 12:3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."

Gen 12:4 So Abram went, as the LORD had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.

Gen 12:5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan.

Abraham was called out of land that he was living in, an ungodly land. And he went forth willingly to be led to a place that was promised him. He took all that he had with him, and even gained additional things during that time. For all intents and purposes, I feel that Abraham himself became a nation. He had to establish borders around his flocks and herds. His herds became so large, that he could not share the land with any other peoples. He had to separate from Lot to ensure that the herds could find enough to eat. And in doing so, it appears that the protection that Lot had, overflowing from Abraham was slowly removed, or wore off, it is hard to tell how that came to be.

We are also told that there was a time when Lot and his family are captured and taken away.

Gen 14:8 Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out, and they joined battle in the Valley of Siddim

Gen 14:9 with Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goiim, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar, four kings against five.

Gen 14:10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of bitumen pits, and as the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some fell into them, and the rest fled to the hill country.

Gen 14:11 So the enemy took all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way.

Gen 14:12 They also took Lot, the son of Abram's brother, who was dwelling in Sodom, and his possessions, and went their way.

Gen 14:13 Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, who was living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and of Aner. These were allies of Abram.

Gen 14:14 When Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he led forth his trained men, born in his house, 318 of them, and went in pursuit as far as Dan.

Gen 14:15 And he divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them and pursued them to Hobah, north of Damascus.

Gen 14:16 Then he brought back all the possessions, and also brought back his kinsman Lot with his possessions, and the women and the people.

Can we learn something from Abraham? I think that the calling of Abraham out of Ur is similar to the early Christians feeling the need to leave the old world and seek freedom in the new world. They went out on faith to an undiscovered country to strive to worship God without persecution. And they took all of the experiences that they had, and all of the trials of living in the wilderness, and founded a new nation.

After doing some research into the founding of this country, it really is quite amazing how all of the parts came together and the decisions were made to form a new nation built upon godly principles. And after looking at all of the sacrifices that were made, it can, at times, be really painful to hear people say that the US is no longer a godly nation. Or that the founding fathers did not believe in GOD.

But thinking about Abraham, it is really kind of irrelevant where you are living because GOD can and will call you out and shape you to become a Christian nation on your own. And I think that once you have reached that point, you stop looking for miracles as proof that GOD exists, and move more to seeing them as events that will happen as needed to bring to closer to the goal set up in his plan for your life.