In Psalm 33, verse 12, the Psalmist said, "Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance." My text is one of, what I like to call, the beatitudes of the Psalms. It is noteworthy that the Book of Psalms begins with a beatitude. In Psalm 1, verse 1, we read, "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful."

The word beatitude is from the Latin word beatitudo, from beatus which means happy. A beatitude, then, declares certain people to be happy. The Hebrew word that is here translated "blessed" is `esher. This is actually a plural word and could be translated blessednesses or happinesses. In Hebrew usage this denotes the manifoldness and magnitude of God’s blessings.

This verse, of course, has direct reference to the nation of Israel. Israel was indeed "blessed"–they were the only nation under the old covenant that was "blessed." In contrast, other nations were "cursed." It is still true that any nation whose "god" is not "the LORD" (Jehovah) is "cursed." This is not to say that they are utterly devoid of God’s blessings, "for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust" (Matthew 5:45). However, in the natural order of things, those who know and serve the true God, are "blessed," and those who don’t know Him cannot enjoy His full favor.

It is a fact of history that the United States of America was founded by men and women "whose God" was "the LORD." They came to establish a nation in which they could worship God according to the dictates of their consciences. They came to preach the gospel to the heathen (the American Indians).

In considering this subject, I would like to ask and attempt to answer three questions--

Surely, this question can only be answered in the affirmative. God has blessed America with religious and civil freedom. Indeed, no other nation enjoys such great freedoms.

These freedoms were largely denied under British rule. This was the reason for The Declaration of Independence. Independence was finally won after eight bloody years of conflict. Consider well that England was then one of the most powerful nations on earth, yet in the providence of God, the colonies were enabled to win their independence.

Because of the concern of some of our founding fathers to safeguard fundamental individual rights, they insisted on the inclusion of the Bill of Rights. The original 10 articles of the Bill of Rights guaranteed 10 basic individual rights. These remain unchanged though 16 additional articles have been added.

Admittedly, these have been imperfectly implemented. In the case of the American Indians, treaties were broken, and rights were trampled upon. Some of my Cherokee ancestors were defrauded of their lands, and driven over the infamous "Trail of Tears." Though Indians fought for the United States in all of its wars, they were not awarded citizenship until 1924.

Then in the case of African-Americans, much abuse has been suffered. I think it was in regard to slavery, that Abraham Lincoln said, "It has many defenders, but no defense!" In researching this article, I read that the Continental Congress in considering the Declaration of Independence, "deleted several sections including one condemning black slavery." How much better it would have been had they let it stand. It would have averted much suffering, and avoided the Civil War.

Yet having admitted all this, still personal religious and civil rights have been more perfectly realized in America than anywhere else.

Then again, God has blessed America with great material prosperity. The poorest of us are rich in comparison with third world countries. For the most part, we have cars, air-conditioned homes, and many conveniences. We are materially blessed much more than we realize.

Yet, further, God has blessed us with great technological advancement. In my younger years, I never thought of such things as computers, microwaves, and cell phones.

Surely, we are living in the time of which God spoke to the prophet, Daniel, "But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro and knowledge shall be increased" (Daniel 12:4). This verse speaks of increased travel and knowledge. In my lifetime, I have witnessed invention of jet aircraft, making worldwide travel a convenient possibility. In my lifetime, I have witnessed the invasion of outer space.

Then we have a "knowledge explosion." Think of all the electrical and electronic devices. Think of all the medical advances. Think of the discovery of DNA, and there is much more that could be mentioned.

SECONDLY, IS GOD BLESSING AMERICA?

Undoubtedly, God is still in some measure blessing America, but there are signs that He is withdrawing His blessings. I am a preacher, not a prophet, nor a politician. I read widely, and try to understand what is going on in this world. I freely admit that there are things I don’t understand. However, there are things that give me great concern. There is the immigration problem. I am not so concerned with the Hispanic problems as I am about other elements. I count many of the Hispanic immigrants among my friends. I have found most of them to be honest, hard-working, and God-fearing. Though I admit that there are some problems, I do not think they are the greatest problem.

The immigrants that I am most concerned about are those whose "god" is not "the LORD." Those who would impose their religion upon us, and change the things that have made us great. These radical extremists have already attacked us at the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. No doubt many Muslims would disagree with these actions, but those who don’t should be required to leave.

Again, I am concerned about the natural phenomena I am witnessing. These things happen because we live on a cursed earth. However, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, fires, and earthquakes can be judgements of God. As usual in such disasters, the innocent suffer with the guilty. I fear that the next thing will be terrible earthquakes.

Still further, I am concerned about the out-sourcing of American jobs. Almost everything I buy is labeled "made in China," or some other foreign country. This has certainly hurt the working people of American.

Then, I am concerned about the fact that many of our businesses and properties have been purchased by foreign investors. I fear that much of our God-given wealth is going overseas.

FINALLY, CONSIDER WILL GOD BLESS AMERICA?

Let me state the question another way: will God bless the America we have become? We have become sinful and secular, rather than spiritual. God will not "bless a mess." He cannot bless sin.

The greatest threat to our nation is our sin and immorality. It is still true that "Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people" (Proverbs 14:34). History records that no civilization has ever survived an obsession with sex. Consider the fact that pornography pervades our society. Consider the fact that fornication and adultery are rampant. Consider the fact that there are serious attempts to normalize perversion, and even to sanctify sodomy.

Because of His holy nature, God must judge sin. When Abraham learned of the impending judgement of God upon the sinful cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, he asked the question, "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" (Genesis 18:25). Really, we never have to worry about God doing right. We know that He always has, and that He always will do right. It was right that He delivered righteous Lot and his family from impending doom. It was right that God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah since, "the men of Sodom were wicked, and sinners before the LORD exceedingly" (Genesis 13:13). Their sin was such that they were a moral cancer upon the face of the earth. Thus they were annihilated with "brimstone and fire" (Genesis 19:24).

Consider that God withholds judgement only because of the righteous. Ten righteous people would have stayed the hand of judgment from Sodom and Gommorah. Note the promise God made to Abraham, "...I will not destroy it for ten’s sake" (Genesis 18:32). How sad that in the populous city of Sodom, ten righteous people could not be found.

Surely, only the righteous people of this nation stay the hand of God’s judgement. One and one-half million legal abortions take place in our nation every year. Over forty million of them, the last count that I read. The sin to which Sodom gave its name, and for which it was punished is practiced and defended. I think it was Billy Graham’s wife, Ruth, who said, "If God doesn’t judge America, He will have to resurrect Sodom and Gommorah and apologize to them!" Be sure that God will not need to make any apologies.

Let us not forget that Jesus said that His followers were "the salt of the earth," and "the light of the world" (Matthew 5:13, 14). We are to exert a preservative influence on this earth. We are to exert an illuminating influence on this world. May God help us to do our job!

If God is to continue to bless America, America must repent. The promise of Second Chronicles 7, verse 14, is as true of American as it was of ancient Israel, "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."

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Last modified: 01/11/08