The Encourager
“Under God by Bubba Garner”
Maybe we should take those words out of our Pledge of Allegiance. Not because they are unconstitutional, but because they are inaccurate.
How can we profess to be “one nation under God” when we can’t say prayers in school but we can distribute contraceptives for “safe sex”? How can we be “one nation under God” when we have laws that allow babies to be aborted but protect endangered species of animals? While we certainly have advanced immeasurably in every field of technology, we have digressed to the lowest depths in almost every area of morality. Can we call that progress?
We are all under God in the sense that He is sovereign, ruling every nation of men from His throne. And throughout history, He has caused kingdoms to rise and fall, punishing those who refused to honor Him or have regard for things that are right and pure. If He did not even spare the sons of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob from the day of destruction, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?
The history of God’s dealings with the nation of Israel was written “for our learning” (Rom 15:4) and as an “example for us” (1 Cor 10:6). It was not recorded so that we could wag our heads and say, “They must have been blind not to see that!” Rather, it should cause our humble contemplation, “That could be us if we’re not careful.” The same things that led to the fall of national Israel are the same symptoms that exist among spiritual Israel—a people who are supposed to be “under God.”
They Got too Close to the World
“All the officials of the priests and the people were very unfaithful following all the abominations of the nations” (2 Chr 36:14). They were warned about this possibility before they ever entered the land of milk and honey. The reason the Lord did not want them to marry or associate with other nations was because He knew they would turn the heart of His people away from Him. And that’s exactly what happened. First, they just wanted a king. In the end, they lost their whole kingdom.
The love of God cannot coexist with the love of the world. Jesus demanded a decision, one or the other (Matt 6:24). We try to get around that by saying, “I’m not in the world, but I’m going to get as close as I can to it.” The problem with that philosophy is that those who continually live on the edge, end up falling off. The question we ought to ask ourselves is not “How close am I to the world?” but “How far am I from God?”
They Put Their Trust in Things
Idolatry was their timeless plague. Despite all the wonders God worked among them and the power He displayed in their deliverance, they turned to graven images. They even took their idols and “defiled the house of the Lord which He had sanctified in Jerusalem” (2 Chr 36:14). Instead of trusting the living God, they placed their confidence in things that could not hear their prayers or see their predicaments or speak for their assurance.
Remember, Paul said that this is recorded “that we should not crave evil things as they also craved” (1 Cor 10:11). And in that same opening is the admonition to “flee from idolatry” (v. 14). We are naive if we think that serving idols is limited to worshiping a golden calf or bowing down to some statue. It is anything that stands between us and whole-hearted service to God. It is whatever we turn to when we ought to be turning to the Lord. We have been created in His image, not made to trust in created images.
They Mocked the Message
“And the Lord sent word to them again and again … but they continually despised His words and scoffed at His prophets” (2 Chr 36:15–16). They were given plenty of opportunities to repent. But as each spokesman came on the scene, “they laughed him to scorn and mocked him” (2 Chr 30:10). By rejecting the words of God, they rejected God Himself. Thus, “the wrath of the Lord arose against His own people, until there was no remedy” (2 Chr 36:16).
We dare not lose our reverence for the Bible, the inspired message of God. We do so when we reduce simple and straightforward Scriptures to a mere “matter of interpretation.” We do so when we make no time to read it as individuals or with our families. We do so when we neglect to put it to work in our lives so that others can see Christ in us. We do so when we regard it as outdated or old fashioned until there is no standard of right and wrong. Remember, “God is not mocked” (Gal 6:7).
Let us pledge our full allegiance to the Lord. Because no matter what happens in the courtroom or in Congress or in culture, we will forever be a people under God’s rule.
