History Repeating Itself

Any time I read Old Testament Israel history in the Bible, it reminds me of how far this country, America, has fallen away from God. There has been an ongoing discussion for more years than I've been alive whether this country began as a Christian nation or not. Regardless of the motives of the forefathers, their values and morals were far higher than what exists in this country today. As Israel was rescued from slavery in Egypt by God and led to the land of milk and honey, so these forefathers were led to this country but not out of slavery but from a denial of freedom to worship God according to scripture. And so, this country has moved away from God in much the same way Israel did. The sin of this nation rivals that of Israel before and during the exile.

 “Son of man,” he said, “do you see what they are doing? Do you see the detestable sins the people of Israel are committing to drive me from my Temple? But come, and you will see even more detestable sins than these!” Ezk 8:6

One of the reasons those who fled England was to escape a church governed by the state. Think about it. If you disagreed with the church, you could be killed in a variety of gory ways. So, this country began with people seeking a religious freedom and the freedom to worship God according to scripture and not deadly political mandates.

That's a rough and brief idea of how this country began. In my lifetime, I can remember businesses and stores being closed on Sundays, TV being family oriented and church on Sundays and Wednesday evening being a natural way of life. Now, not everyone attended church nor was everyone a Christian. But those values were a way of life for most people.

In Chapter 8 of Ezekiel, God is showing Ezekiel the sinful practices of Israel and Judah. They had fallen so far away from the Lord and He had begun to exile them into a foreign land as He had warned.

Now, the US is not Israel or a replacement for Israel, but nothing changes much as time goes on and taking a look at the sin in this country is not much different than what we read concerning the sin of Israel prior to the exile.

Reading the history of Old Testament Israel is almost like reading the history of this country and how far it has moved away from the Lord. Many Christians pray for this country every day and ask God to restore it and bring it back to Him. God is sovereign and can do as He pleases. This country is steeped in deep sin and the mind set of this country is to go even deeper into sinful lifestyles and activities. As God shows Ezekiel the sins of Israel, so we see the sins of this country and for now, there appears to be no repentance as a whole in this country. Those who reject God and Christianity have no respect for either. They openly mock God and His Church and don't even flinch as they do it.

The Church in this country has allowed this depraved culture to march right in and have a strong influence. Again, we see the comparison to the Israel God is showing Ezekiel. But it doesn't mean we stop praying. It doesn't mean we throw in the towel. It's more of a reason to tell as many people as we can about Jesus. We don't know who is to be saved but it doesn't mean we stop telling others about Jesus and His gospel.

Don't fall into the activities of the cultural church who just wants to be entertained. Don't become stale in your relationship with Jesus. Pray and ask God to get you excited about reading His word and telling others about Him. Don't fall into the Old Testament Israel trap of idol worship, cultural influence and having an adulterous relationship with the world. We can't lose our salvation by acting this way but we will have to answer for it as we stand before the judgement seat of Jesus. Our Lord and savior died on the cross to save us from our sin and the wrath of the Father. We should not trample on that just to satisfy our fleshly desires.

--Bill Petite

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