Proverbs 14:34 (NIV) and Psalm 33:12 (NIV)
Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin condemns any people.
I’m not sure what else could be said that is not embodied in our Verse of the Day. Yet, observe how King Solomon addresses the matter as a collective issue: A NATION! Yes, a nation is lifted up by its righteousness … which is inherently composed of the individual righteousness of each citizen. A nation cannot be righteous if its people live in sin…. And what we have seen so prevalent within the past few decades is a deepening moral decline within our nation. There has been a discernable shift from the “condemnation” of sin to the “celebration” of sin; and it seems more pervasive now as our culture displays a ravenous appetite for sinful behavior … even taking “pride” in it. To be sure, we cannot continue to celebrate and glory in sinful conduct and expect our nation to be upheld by our Holy God who loves righteousness and justice….
I cannot help but to see the application of personal righteousness being extended to the greater community around me. For a nation to be righteous, it must have people with a heart for righteousness … people who live with a fear of the Lord as the foundation of their faith … for it is the foundation of life. (Cf. Proverbs 14:27) “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil.” (Cf. Proverbs 8:13) The people of a community (whether a local church, a local town, a county, state, or nation) cannot live in rebellion, disobedience, or indifference to God or His Word and expect to be prosperous or exalted. Sin condemns! Righteousness begins with individual hearts and then extends to the larger communities of people. A church cannot function as the Body of Christ if its members are unwilling to confront their own sin and deal with it through confession and repentance. Neither can a nation stand if its citizens abandon the wisdom and knowledge of God our Creator. And I sense that our country is headed down a dangerous slope into destruction if it continues to reject the truth of God and to embrace the lies coming from spiritual forces of darkness….
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He chose for His inheritance.
King David, too, affirms that a nation devoted to God Most-High, Creator of heaven and earth, shall be exalted … shall be blessed. Indeed, we find both David and Solomon admonishing the nation of Israel to direct their collective hearts to a mindset of reverence for Father God. Each individual is responsible to self-examine in this regard in order for the larger society to flourish as a people (a nation) under the authority and reign of God. Perhaps, we should look closer at how David envisioned the relationship of God with His people … a nation whose God is the Lord:
Psalm 33:1-22 (NIV)
Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise Him. Praise the Lord with the harp; make music to Him on the ten-stringed lyre. Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy. For the Word of the Lord is right and true; He is faithful in all He does. The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of His unfailing love. By the Word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of His mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea as into a heap; He puts the deep into storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere Him. For He spoke, and it came to be; He commanded, and it stood firm. The Lord foils the plans of the nations; He thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of His heart through all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He chose for His inheritance. From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; from His dwelling place He watches all who live on earth— He who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do. No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. We wait in hope for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name. May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you.
Wow! What a beautiful meditation! It speaks to the communal nature of our praise … our trust … our hope … our life as a people. Indeed, I believe the metaphor that Paul used to describe the interdependent relationships of God’s people as a single body with many members is quite fitting in this context:
Romans 12:4-5 (NIV)
For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
Ephesians 2:19-22 (NIV)
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of His household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone. In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit.”
It is through Christ Jesus that all believers become one Body … one Family … one Kingdom. The Apostle Peter affirms this oneness; declaring that we are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that we may declare the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His wonderful light. Once we were not a people, but now we are the people of God; once we had not received mercy, but now we have received mercy.” (Cf. 1 Peter 2:9-10) Yes, we are heirs together with Israel because we have been chosen for His inheritance in Christ Jesus. In Christ, there is great diversity … yet no division. As Paul affirmed, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Cf. Galatians 3:28-29)
My friends, as we celebrate the founding of our nation today, I want to encourage us to remember and celebrate the founding of the “holy nation” that God ordained for His people to become. “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘Behold, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who relies on it will not panic.” (Cf. Isaiah 28:16) And, “The stone that builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” (Cf. Psalm 118:22) Yes, the “holy nation” that believers form in Christ should celebrate its foundation and coming together and the purpose for which it has been founded.
And just as we celebrate the liberty and freedom we enjoy in this country, let us celebrate the liberty and freedom we have obtained through Christ Jesus our Lord. Jesus declared that He was sent by the Father to proclaim freedom for those who are captive or oppressed and to release from darkness those who are blind. (Cf. Luke 4:18; Isaiah 61:1) To the Jews who had believed Him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So, if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (Cf. John 8:31-32; 34-36) As Paul wrote, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” (Cf. Galatians 5:1)
I hope everyone has a wonderful and blessed celebration today! Our Declaration of Independence is worth celebrating and our Constitution is worth commending because our nation was founded upon the principles of human dignity and liberty. Though as a nation we have not always lived up to the standards ascribed, its guidance has served to form a more perfect union of people. Likewise, the Body of Christ as a “holy nation” was founded upon the Word of God activated through the Holy Spirit abiding in us! Truth and grace came by Jesus Christ … the light and manifestation of God’s love. So let us celebrate Jesus today for the liberty He has granted us! Amen.
So Now You Know…
Have a Blessed Day!
So Now You Know 