“I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all,”
All my years of attending public school, including high school, I remember starting the day by reciting The Pledge of Allegiance. It meant something then. Day after day, 180 days a year, for 12 years, we made the same repetitious pledge. But it never seemed to get old. We never said it out of duty alone, but out of an appreciation for the precious land God gave us. The words meant something.
Our nation was different then. Today there is a movement to remove the pledge. And why not? It has no meaning. I honor the flag. I will not burn or otherwise destroy it. But I can no longer pledge allegiance to the republic for which it stands. The Republic has taken on ideals I do not believe in. The great America is drowning in the blood of the innocent unborn (Jeremiah 1:5; Psalm 71:6; Leviticus 20:3). Regardless of your political affiliation, God is against the sin of abortion. So I must be as well.
We have blurred the lines of sexuality that God ordained. Created male and female in His image? We have blasphemed His image and worship the creature more than the Creator (Romans 1:24-28).
We have failed to give honor to the previous generation (Exodus 20:12; Leviticus 19:32; Ephesians 6:1-3). We have torn down the statues of great men, outstanding leaders who served their nation well. We have rewritten a large part of America’s history to eliminate the prominence of God’s hand throughout. We have removed Him from our schools. We have removed Him from our courts. And yes, we have removed Him from our churches.
One nation under God? I don’t think so. The nation is not ruled by God’s enduring principles, but by the whims of God’s fallen creation. When a nation declares laws in conflict with God, how is it possible to be “under” God’s rule?
Indivisible? If it wasn’t because it is so sad, it would be funny. Jesus speaks a simple, yet profound truth in Matthew 12:25 – “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:” Please do not think there is unity in this country just because our president deems it to be so. Our nation is more divided now than ever.
But not just the nation – the church. God’s church has failed. She no longer stands for the truth upon which this nation was founded. She has given in to peer pressure, congregational pressure, and political pressure. Rather than standing for God, she has fallen on her face. She has no influence. She has no Holy Spirit power. She has failed.
If being an indivisible nation is a joke, then so much more justice for all. Scripture foretells the days in which we live (Isaiah 5:20; Malachi 2:17). Innocent men are sent to prison as America ramps up the persecution while murderers are set free. The Cancel Culture is hard at work in its attempt to eliminate the First Amendment. Freedom of speech is a gift from God. It is good, not evil. I can say much more, but you get the idea.
So is there hope? America’s hope lies in repentance (Luke 13:3). We must fall on face before God and seek His mercy and grace. If we put our gaze on Him and follow the master plan, the blessings of God will return. But if not, the handwriting is on the wall. We have written our sentence of doom. God has given us a warning and a space of time to repent. The ball is on our court.
The Old Testament prophet receives a word from the Lord, and he records it Ezekiel 22:24-31 – “Son of man, say unto her, Thou art the land that is not cleansed, nor rained upon in the day of indignation. There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening the prey; they have devoured souls; they have taken the treasure and precious things; they have made her many widows in the midst thereof. Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them. Her princes in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, to get dishonest gain. And her prophets have daubed them with untempered morter, seeing vanity, and divining lies unto them, saying, Thus saith the Lord GOD, when the LORD hath not spoken. The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully. And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none. Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord GOD.”
How fitting is this portion of Scripture for today. Notice the prophecy is delivered to a land that is not cleansed. That’s one point for America. Our nation wallows in sin and darkness, If you do not think America is a prime candidate for judgment, you may be part of the problem. We are so separated from God, who in time past, has blessed us beyond what we deserved.
See too, there was a conspiracy among the clergy to devour the innocent. The House of God itself is destroying the nation. Ezekiel mentions “The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy.” We do not need to look far to see the elimination of jobs, or businesses shutting down. Make no mistake, whether one chooses to believe it, it is all about oppression by the people of the land.
But the real problem – “And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.” I put the blame squarely on the Christian church. We have failed to stand in the gap. We have failed to make a difference between the holy and profane. We, the American Church, have failed.
Ezekiel 22 closes with the thought that no one would stand for God. That being the case, God left them to their destruction. The question becomes, will someone today purpose in your heart to bridge the gap? Will someone today determine that by the grace of God, you will seek to follow God wholeheartedly? Will you make a difference today? Remember, the ball is in your court.
Knees for the Nations 