“Long ago I broke the yoke that oppressed you and tore away the chains of your slavery, but still you said, ‘I will not serve you.’ On every hill and under every green tree, you have prostituted yourselves by bowing down to idols.” Jeremiah 2:20
God delivered Israel from their slavery in Egypt. God’s provision for the Israelites, from deliverance from captivity to the manna and quail in the wilderness, are clear indications of His gracious provision for His people. God has promised to supply all our needs. Even with all the provisions and blessings that God provided, Israel left God for their idols.
America stands in the same position that Israel was in when Jeremiah wrote this book. It would be untrue to say that all America’s Founding Fathers were Christians. Some of the most influential minds, Thomas Paine was one of them, did not claim to be, but although we can never know what lies in another man’s heart, we can listen to what he says and watch what he does as a reflection of his faith. All of these men, even the unsaved among them, understood that Christianity was the fabric from which American Tapestry would be formed. God blessed us as our country was being formed and now just like Israel, we have left the One that loves and cares for us. We have left the one true God. Just as Israel, we have formed idols that we worship. I don’t see our nation changing much; to me, we are moving away from God more and more.
We are to trust in the Lord, for He can deliver us from anything. But God does not allow sin to go unpunished forever. As a result, we can trust Him in His retribution and justice. When God removes us from a bad situation, we should not seek to go back. When God makes demands of us, He expects us to comply, but at the same time He provides grace and mercy because He knows that, on our own, we will not be able to fully obey.