Are We Being Punished

My Bible reading this week is Jeremiah. The Cliff notes version is that Israel and Judah have messed up and God is punishing them. The punishment is severe, but not complete, destruction. I couldn’t help but compare the situation of the Jewish state then with America today.

America was founded as an unapologetically Christian nation. Our constitution forbids establishment of an official state religion. But, our founders were almost all devout Christians and the principles that guided them were…..and still are……deeply rooted in Christianity.

Christianity and the Bible are deeply woven into the fabric of America. And……as a nation…..we have been richly blessed by God

But, we have drifted away from our roots in Christianity. That drift is accelerating. We have come to a point where our government is pushing ideas…..laws……that are clearly against the teaching of the Bible. Along with this drift away from God…….we are seeing a deterioration of our culture. We are seeing rapid increases in lawlessness. We are being threatened militarily by nations that are founded on atheism…….Russia and China. Is it possible that these two trends are linked? Is it possible that God is withdrawing his blessing…….or worse……that the current mess in our culture and the many external threats that we face are the beginning of God’s punishment?

Let’s examine some of the trends in our culture that violate the guidelines of the Bible.

Legal abortion kills 3,000 American children…..every day.

Children are a heritage from the LORD, offspring a reward from him.
Psalm 123:3, ESV

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
God, Jeremiah 1:5

Our teachers teach young children that gender is “fluid”.

whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.
Jesus, Mathew 28:6, ESV

Our federal debt is out of control……we borrow to pay the interest that we owe China.

the borrower is the slave of the lender.
Solomon, Proverbs 22:7

Organized looting in our cities is common…….and is tolerated by local government.

You shall not steal,
God, Exodus 20:15, ESV

Premarital sex and, even worse, extramarital sex are common and socially acceptable.

You shall not commit adultery,
God. Exodus 20:14, ESV

And many many more.

Every year we come to accept more ideas that move us further away from our creator and his expectations. Every year, the blessings that we have enjoyed dwindle.

Secular humanism, which is based on pursuing our appetites, is essentially hedonism…….and it clearly isn’t working. God may be withdrawing his blessing from this amazing nation………or worse. How long will we travel down what is clearly the wrong path?

If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

God, 2 Chronicles 7:15, ESV