The books of the Kings of Israel recount the history of the nation from the highest point in their history under David & Solomon to the destruction of the Northern Kingdom in 721 BC, followed by the destruction of the Southern Kingdom in 586 BC. There were 21 Kings in the Northern Kingdom. None of which were really called “good kings.” There were 20 Kings in the southern kingdom, of which six made some efforts at restoring the spiritual values God had given Moses as the guiding principles for living successfully in the land. Only two of the six, however, gained much headway.
When God sent Joshua into to take the land he told him that as long as the nation made God’s word central in all they did they would be successful. If they ignored God’s moral standards, they would fail. This is exactly what happened.
They are living examples of what happens to a nation when they turn their back on the God that created them and gave them absolute values upon which to base their behavior.
I’m not sure where America stands on the scale of it’s highest to lowest point in history, but it seems to me we’ve fallen a long way from where we were in Abraham Lincoln’s day. He wrote an address to the nation during the Civil War that was at least as important as the Gettysburg Address. It was his proclamation for a national fast-day, by which he designated and set apart Thursday the 30th day of April 1863, as a day of national humiliation, fasting, and prayer. Lincoln wrote: “It is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God; to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord.”
May God bless America!
Chuck
“I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.” 1 Timothy 2:1-2(NLT)