Daily Devo
One Nation, Under God
By: Bob Worzalla
Saturday, September 14, 2024
Woe to the sinful nation, a people whose guilt is great, a brood of evildoers, children given to corruption!
They have forsaken the Lord; they have spurned the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on him. Isaiah 1:4
When you read Isaiah 1, it sounds a lot like today’s news. Most of the nation had turned away from God and they were wallowing in all kinds of sin. But I envision that even in that evil nation, part of the population still worshiped the one true God. Isaiah addressed the nation's "problem" people, but he was also speaking to the people who were impacted by the nation's sin. He was warning the entire nation that terrible times were coming if they didn't change their evil ways. But notice, when Israel misbehaved, God didn't remove the bad rulers and replace them with good ones. He could have, but it wouldn't have fixed the real problem. The nation needed to turn back to God to regain His blessings and favor.
When Israel turned from God in Isaiah's day, God was patient, but His patience eventually ended. So, in verse 24 He starts to discipline them. In Isaiah, God warns his people that a cleansing is coming, but after He "cleans house", better times will come. The cycle of the OT nation of Israel is this: They would slowly turn from God, be judged, get disciplined, then be restored by obeying The Lord. This cycle is repeated throughout much of the Old Testament. Each time God’s people walked away, He sifted them to restore them. Maybe this Old Testament cycle is being repeated in our modern world today, because God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Romans 13:1
We know that God doesn't make mistakes, and He can use both good and bad leaders to accomplish His plans. In our nation, we have the privilege of voting to decide who governs us. As Christ followers, it's our responsibility to "vote the Bible" which means to vote for leaders that will use God’s commands and principles to steer our nation's course. Every time you vote, be sure to ask the Holy Spirit to guide your choices.
Remember, when a nation has spiritual problems, politicians can't solve them; only Jesus can!
Read: Isaiah 1