Nation of Judah
By Bruce Cannon
Mitchell County
Psalm 137:1,2 “By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.”
The nation of Judah was in captivity. Their past had caught up with them. The Lord’s mercy had waned and He allowed the enemy, Babylon, to come into the nation not once, but three times to take the Jews into captivity. Beginning in 605 BC Babylon came and took the strong, the intelligent, and the best of the nation back to Babylon as captives. It happened again in 597 BC and again in 587 BC. After the last deportation, the enemy tore the Temple Solomon had built down and badly damaged the walls. The Lord allowed Babylon to be His right hand of judgment against Judah and took away the desire to “fight” from His people. It was His will that they be taken into captivity by Babylon.
The 137 Psalm describes the attitude of the people of Judah in captivity. They sat by the rivers with their harps hung in the willow trees. There was no joy or song in their hearts. Many of their people would never come back to Judah after the captivity was over. They made a life for themselves in Babylon. Some of the women married Babylonian men. Many of the men accepted their positions of servitude in Babylon.
How did this happen? God had given the Promised Land to His people and they entered into it during the time of Joshua. How did they get to the point of having it taken away? The simple answer is rebellion; disobedience to God. The Jews started acting like the world around them. They served other gods and allowed themselves to be overtaken by evil.
Do we understand that the Lord will only allow this to go on so long before He sends in judgment? Before that, however, the Holy Spirit of God brings conviction and chastisement in an attempt to turn His people back to Himself. If that does not work, judgment always falls.
Is that where we are in America? Have we gone so far away from God that He is allowing the enemy to come in and bring great harm? Is the Lord OK with us aborting 64+ million babies? Is He OK with us allowing pornography to go uncensored but censoring the name “Jesus” from corporate prayer in government? Is He OK with us allowing children’s bodies to be mutilated in an attempt to change their God-given gender? Is He OK with marriage being redefined in our country as that of same-sex couples? The answer to all of these questions, and to so many more, is a resounding “NO!”
Let me ask a few rhetorical questions at this point:
1) Can we remember a time when the power of God fell and the Spirit of God tremendously moved in our midst? Are our Churches filled with the power of the Holy Ghost of God or are we just going through the motions?
2) Has our rebellion as a nation caused the Lord to pull back His hand of blessing to a large degree? Check out the rioting taking place in America on our college campuses and all of the violence throughout our nation. These are just a few of the examples of what is taking place.
3) What about the problem with the borders being secure? How many terrorists have come in among us and are waiting for the time to attack? In my opinion, we are in much greater danger today than we were on 9/11/01!
4) What about the plight of the modern-day home? Or the condition of the Church? Or the health of our government and military?
5) Have we learned our lesson? Do we understand the extreme need to return to Him in brokenness, repentance, and holiness?
If we fall on our knees before God, will it help? Will He run to our aid? Will He restore? Yes! Pray with me for a deep cleansing of the people of God. Pray with me for brokenness, humility, conviction, and repentance among all of God’s people. Pray with me that the power of God truly falls in Washington, Raleigh, and all across our country. Pray with me that there is a tremendous move of God that truly brings a Spiritual Awakening to our land. Pray with me that we can see an overturning of the poor decisions made by our government…decisions that have brought us closer to God’s judgment! How I long to see evil stopped dead still in its tracks and the power of God turned loose in our homes and churches! How I long to see souls saved, moms and dads on fire for the Lord, and children raised up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord! How I long to see the houses of God full of people, full of praise, and full of the power of God! Pray with me, please!
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Bruce Cannon is the Pastor of Pine Branch Baptist Church in Spruce Pine, NC
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