God and Country
God and Country 10/19/08 a.m.
Ho 8:1-4
Seek God
Ho 8:1-4
“Set the trumpet to your mouth! – sound the warning
He shall come like an eagle against the house of the Lord, - God’s judgment Because they have transgressed My covenant
And rebelled against My law.
2 Israel will cry to Me,
‘My God, we know You!’ –they plead with God for help
3 Israel has rejected the good;
The enemy will pursue him.
4 “They set up kings, but not by Me; - Appointed rulers without consulting God
They made princes, but I did not acknowledge them. – God’s rejection of leaders
kings … not by me—not with My sanction
the appointment of kings and other leaders without consulting the Lord.
Their conduct was not guided by
Divine direction,
nor in obedience to the Divine will,
nor with the Divine sanction.
· In their civil affairs. They set up kings without God, and in contempt of him,
· they didn’t aim for His glory,
· nor consulted his word,
· nor went to him by prayer for direction,
· nor had any regard to his providence,
· but were led by their own desires and their own passions.
· they did not ask counsel of God, whether they might lawfully do it or whether it would be best for them to do it,
Ps 66:7 7 He rules by His power forever;
His eyes observe the nations;
Do not let the rebellious exalt themselves.
Prudent people act with knowledge
Pr 13:16 16 Every prudent man acts with knowledge,
God’s decree
Things to consider in choosing a leader;
Pr 14:34 4 Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach (shame or disgrace) to any people.
God’s decree
Innocent blood pollutes the land and God requires payment for it
Nu 35:33 33 So you shall not pollute the land where you are; for blood defiles the land, and no atonement can be made for the land, for the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it.
Ge 9:5 Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning; from the hand of every beast I will require it, and from the hand of man. From the hand of every man’s brother I will require the life of man.
God’s decree
National leaders are to follow the Lord or face His judgment
1 Sa 12:6-15 14 If you fear the Lord and serve Him and obey His voice, and do not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then both you and the king who reigns over you will continue following the Lord your God. 15 However, if you do not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then the hand of the Lord will be against you, as it was against your fathers.
God’s decree
Judges are to remember that they judge for the Lord
2 Ch 19:5-7 Then he set judges in the land throughout all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city, 6 and said to the judges, “Take heed to what you are doing, for you do not judge for man but for the Lord, who is with you 2in the judgment ( in the matter of the judgment)t. 7 Now therefore, let the fear of the Lord be upon you; take care and do it, for there is no iniquity with the Lord our God, no partiality, nor taking of bribes.”
God’s decree
To join the wicked & those that hate the Lord brings God’s wrath on a nation
2 Chr. 19:2 “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord? Therefore the wrath of the Lord is upon you.
God’s choice of leaders
Leaders must be just ruling in the fear of God
2 Sa 23:3 The God of Israel said, The Rock of Israel spoke to me:
‘He who rules over men must be just, Ruling in the fear of God.
The hypocritical leader will lead the people into a trap
Job 34:30 That the hypocrite should not reign, Lest the people be ensnared.
If a leader’s words don’t agree with scriptural teaching he lacks knowledge
Is 8:19-20 19 And when they say to you, “Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter,” should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living? 20 To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.
Why would the Lord give such guide lines and make such predictions about leaders?
Because a leaders influence in every sphere bears directly on the moral and social, and often also upon the religious, good of the people.
| His Conduct*con |
| His values |
| His thinking |
| His beliefs |
*
His beliefs determine his thinking;
These determine his values,
Which determine his conduct,
Which affect the whole nation.
The effects of a Godly leader
2 Ch 12:12 When he humbled himself, the wrath of the Lord turned from him, so as not to destroy him completely; and things also went well in Judah.
Pr 29:2 When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice;
But when a wicked man rules, the people groan.
Pr 28:12 When the righteous rejoice, there is great glory;
But when the wicked arise, men hide themselves.
Pr 28:2 … by a man of understanding and knowledge
Right will be prolonged.
The effects of an ungodly leader
God, Country, King, and Moral Decline
2 Chr. 28:19 19 For the Lord brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel, for he had encouraged moral decline in Judah and had been continually unfaithful to the Lord.
2 Ch 12:2 And it happened in the fifth year of King Rehoboam that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had transgressed against the Lord,
2 Sa 21:1-2 Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David inquired of the Lord. And the Lord answered, “It is because of Saul and his bloodthirsty house, because he killed the Gibeonites.” 2 So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. Now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; the children of Israel had sworn protection to them, but Saul had sought to kill them in his zeal for the children of Israel and Judah.
2 Ki 17:21 Then Jeroboam drove Israel from following the Lord, and made them commit a great sin.
1 Ki 15:30 30 because of the sins of Jeroboam, which he had sinned and by which he had made Israel sin, because of his provocation with which he had provoked the Lord God of Israel to anger.
1 Ki 14:16 16 And He will give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, who sinned and who made Israel sin.”
1 Ki 15:25-26 Now Nadab the son of Jeroboam became king over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two years. 26 And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin by which he had made Israel sin.
1 Ki 15:33-34 In the third year of Asa king of Judah, Baasha the son of Ahijah became king over all Israel in Tirzah, and reigned twenty-four years. 34 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin by which he had made Israel sin.
1 Ki 16:25-26 Omri did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and did worse than all who were before him. 26 For he walked in all the ways of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sin by which he had made Israel sin, provoking the Lord God of Israel to anger with their idols (vanities).
1 Ki 18:17-18 Then it happened, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, “Is that you, O troubler of Israel?” 18 And he answered, “I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father’s house have, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord
2 Ki 13:1-3 Jehoahaz the son of Jehu became king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned seventeen years. 2 And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin. He did not 2depart from them.
3 Then the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel, and He delivered them into the hand of Hazael king of Syria, and into the hand of Ben-Hadad the son of Hazael, all their days.
We cannot expect comfort and success in our affairs when we go about them, and go on in them, without consulting God and not acknowledge him in all our ways:
Eze 14:12-13 12 The word of the Lord came again to me, saying: 13 “Son of man, when a land sins against Me by persistent unfaithfulness, I will stretch out My hand against it; I will cut off its supply of bread, send famine on it, and cut off man and beast from it.
Je 30:15 15 Why do you cry about your affliction?
Your sorrow is incurable.
Because of the multitude of your iniquities,
Because your sins have increased,
I have done these things to you.
The Lord will punish all ungodly nations, not only Israel when it is disobedient
Not just the nation of Israel
Ps 9:17 17 The wicked shall be turned into hell,
And all the nations that forget God.
Job 12:23 He makes nations great, and destroys them; He enlarges nations, and guides them.
Ps 2:1 Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing?
Ps 9:5 You have rebuked the nations, You have destroyed the wicked; You have blotted out their name forever and ever.
Ps 9:17 The wicked shall be turned into hell, And all the nations that forget God.
Ps 9:19 Arise, O Lord, Do not let man prevail; Let the nations be judged in Your sight.
Ps 22:28 For the kingdom is the Lord’s, And He rules over the nations.
Ps 33:10 The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
Ps 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
Ps 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations,
Ps 47:8 God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne.
Ps 59:8 But You, O Lord, shall laugh at them; You shall have all the nations in derision.
Ps 66:7 He rules by His power forever; His eyes observe the nations; Do not let the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah
Jer 3:17 “At that time Jerusalem shall be called The Throne of the Lord, and all the nations shall be gathered to it, to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem. No more shall they follow the dictates of their evil hearts.
Jer 5:9 Shall I not punish them for these things?” says the Lord. “And shall I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this?
Jer 10:10 But the Lord is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. At His wrath the earth will tremble, And the nations will not be able to endure His indignation.
Jer 12:17 But if they do not obey, I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation,” says the Lord.
Jer 18:8 if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it.
Isa 60:12 For the nation and kingdom which will not serve you shall perish, And those nations shall be utterly ruined.
Isa 34:1 Come near, you nations, to hear; And heed, you people!
Isa 34:2 For the indignation of the Lord is against all nations, And His fury against all their armies; He has utterly destroyed them, He has given them over to the slaughter.
Jer 25:31 A noise will come to the ends of the earth— For the Lord has a controversy with the nations; He will plead His case with all flesh. He will give those who are wicked to the sword,’ says the Lord.”
Joel 3:2I will also gather all nations, And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; And I will enter into judgment with them there On account of My people, My heritage Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations; They have also divided up My land.
Zech 2:11 “Many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and they shall become My people. And I will dwell in your midst. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you.
Matt 25:32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.
Matt 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them
Rev 18:3 For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.”
There is still hope
2 Ch 7:13-15 13 When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, 14 if My people who are called by My name will 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. 15 Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place.
Have you sought God concerning this country and this election?
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2 Lit. in the matter of the judgment
2 Lit. turn