"The children of Ephraim, being armed and carrying bows (smart bombs, high tech fighters, laser guided missiles), turned back in the day of battle. They did not keep the covenant of God; they refused to walk in His law...." (Psalm 78:9 10)
If citizens of other nations believe this only applies to Jews, they are sadly mistaken. What? Do we think we can, "not keep the covenant of God;...refuse to walk in His law," with impunity? Quite honestly too much of American Christianity is me-ism, a self help religion which ignores the Words of God to people groups and nations.
Many emphasize passages which they believe are for Jews and Israel only, and miss the whole point of why God called and ordained Abraham, "....in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." And gentile nations do not receive this blessing without accompanying obedience to the God of the blessing, God Who reveals himself solely in Jesus Christ. "They turned back in the day of battle." While our text is an indictment of Ephraim, it is also an indictment of every nation on the planet, including the United States of America.
While our text can also have a personal application, its emphasis is corporate. A me-ism religion never considers this. Yet any nation which does, "not keep the covenant of God," and refuses, "to walk in His Law," will not only, "....turn[] back in the day of battle," they will just, "turn[] back." Look at the world and come to any other conclusion.
I believe one of the greatest assignments the Church has in the earth is to pray for leaders of nations. Maybe it won't be a long prayer today, but be a faithful Follower of Jesus and obey the command, "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority." There is no doubt that there is a direct connection between this 1 Timothy passage and our text. There is, by the way, an accompanying promise, "that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth." Could such praying "turn back" our text?
Father, in Jesus' Name, Holy Spirit, continually remind me of this. Amen.
If citizens of other nations believe this only applies to Jews, they are sadly mistaken. What? Do we think we can, "not keep the covenant of God;...refuse to walk in His law," with impunity? Quite honestly too much of American Christianity is me-ism, a self help religion which ignores the Words of God to people groups and nations.
Many emphasize passages which they believe are for Jews and Israel only, and miss the whole point of why God called and ordained Abraham, "....in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." And gentile nations do not receive this blessing without accompanying obedience to the God of the blessing, God Who reveals himself solely in Jesus Christ. "They turned back in the day of battle." While our text is an indictment of Ephraim, it is also an indictment of every nation on the planet, including the United States of America.
While our text can also have a personal application, its emphasis is corporate. A me-ism religion never considers this. Yet any nation which does, "not keep the covenant of God," and refuses, "to walk in His Law," will not only, "....turn[] back in the day of battle," they will just, "turn[] back." Look at the world and come to any other conclusion.
I believe one of the greatest assignments the Church has in the earth is to pray for leaders of nations. Maybe it won't be a long prayer today, but be a faithful Follower of Jesus and obey the command, "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority." There is no doubt that there is a direct connection between this 1 Timothy passage and our text. There is, by the way, an accompanying promise, "that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth." Could such praying "turn back" our text?
Father, in Jesus' Name, Holy Spirit, continually remind me of this. Amen.
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
