Why a Star?

Why a Star?

Matthew and Luke are beautiful gospels. With vivid narration they lead us into the remarkable story of Jesus birth. Yet sometimes I find myself wondering about details that are not fully explored. For instance, why did those wise men associate a star with a Jewish King, travel from a far country and give enormous gifts to a peasant child?

I think, perhaps, I have found an answer.

There was a long history of association and family/tribal type relationships with the people of the "east". These were all Semitic people (descendants of Shem, the son of Noah). So, in a sense, they were probably very distant cousins to the Jews. We know that God chose Abram (whose name was later changed by God to Abraham) to be the ancestor of the Messiah, but throughout early Jewish history we see a smattering of true prophets and God fearing people who were not of the Abrahamic line. Among these are Melchizedek, Job, Abimelech, Jethro and the often scorned Balaam. We also know that at least some of them (Job for instance) left a written record of their encounter with God.

Now Balaam is an interesting character in scripture. The background for his story in Numbers 22-24 is fantastic. The Jews are nearing the end of their 40 year wilderness wandering. They are camped out in the Jordan River valley opposite of Jericho. Local kings, specifically the Moabite and Midianite kings, are terrified of this enormous population that has moved into their neighborhood. After all, the visible presence of God was ever present in the center of the Israelite camp!

The Moabites and Midianites had heard of this notable prophet of God named Balaam. Now the Bible tells us that Balaam was from the city of Pethor. He lived near the Euphrates River in Mesopotamia. So, he too was a man from "back east". This scared king of Moab sent for Balaam hoping that he would invoke the curse of God against this multitude of wandering Jews. To his dismay, the very opposite eventually happened.

Balaam is asked to stand on a mountain overlooking the tribes of Israel and pronounce a curse on them. Instead, as the oracle of God, he makes three prophetic blessings over the wandering Israelites. It is the third of these prophecies from which I suspect the Wise Men were making their conclusions about the meaning of the Star.  

Please, look at this passage with me:

[Numbers 24:17-18, 23-24 ESV]

[17] I see him, but not now;

I behold him, but not near:

a star shall come out of Jacob,

and a scepter shall rise out of Israel;

 it shall crush the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth.

[18] Edom shall be dispossessed; Seir also, his enemies, shall be dispossessed. Israel is doing valiantly. ...

The Wise Men, I believe, looked at this prophecy and made their deductions. This prophecy is predicting that in the distant future (around 1300 years as it turns out) that a star and a scepter would rise out of Israel. Therefore, when they saw the star they began looking for the scepter. This is why, I believe, that they journeyed to Jerusalem looking for the new king.

You see this prophecy also clued them in on the timing of its fulfillment as well.

 [23] And he took up his discourse and said, "Alas, who shall live when God does this? [24] But ships shall come from Kittim and shall afflict Asshur and Eber; and he too shall come to utter destruction."

Now this verse may sound like weird Bible talk to us, but to them these names had real meaning. “Kittim” is a word that literally means “bruiser” and it is a general name used to identify sea faring islanders of the Mediterranean. It was a practice of the Roman Empire to employ these seafaring people as their naval force in the Mediterranean world. These “ships…from Kittim” carried the Roman army to all shores of the Mediterranean including Asshur (Syria) and Eber (Judea, the land of the Hebrews). And so, I think, they managed to connect the dots.

Here is another thing. This prophecy says that “Edom shall be dispossessed”. If they were politically astute (I suspect they were) they would have known the King Herod was not really Jewish. He was an Edomite military leader who had been installed as a puppet “king” by the Romans. Just maybe discovery of this prophetic fulfillment fueled Herod’s infanticidal rage as he attempted to destroy the newborn “King of the Jews.”

Finally, there is one more thing that I find intriguing. The Bible tells us that they came and worshiped. Why? Why would these gentile wise men come and worship a new Jewish King? There is one more phrase I want you to see:

“ [He] shall…break down all the sons of Sheth…”

This verse told them that the new King would reign over all the Semitic people, not just the Jews. They came to Him in surrender, recognizing him as their King too. Wise indeed.

What is the lesson in all of this? Well, perhaps there are a number of observations and applications that we could make, but here is what I gather from all of this. The star was a prophecy given by a gentile prophet, and it served as a revelation to gentile wise men from the East. These wise men saw this specific prophecy being fulfilled specifically, and they responded with joy and worship. The Savior had come, and God saw fit to place a revelation in the heavens that was visible to all mankind.

Now, you and I have not seen “his star in the east”, yet we have been given an unmistakable revelation of God’s love for us. Jesus is that revelation. Many people are exposed to the Gospel but never respond in faith. Yet, there are “wise men” to be found among every race of people and on every continent. Once these people see Jesus, they joyfully respond to him with open hearted worship and willingly give their greatest treasure (themselves) to Him.

The most important event of any life, yours included, is how you choose to respond to Jesus Christ. I hope you know him as your Savior.

Have a blessed Merry Christmas!

Chart displaying the overlap in lifespan of Patriarchs from Adam to Abram

No great insightful blog entry here. I was just searching the web for a comparative chart I could use to show the relative ages and overlap in life span of the generations between Adam and Abram. Since I couldn't find one I liked, I made my own.

Perhaps you can use this as well.   - Tony

Why. Worship. Matters.

God is not a narcissist. He is not seeking adulation simply because he want to hear people say his name.

God wants me to worship, because worship makes a difference in my life.

In John chapter 4 Jesus is talking to a Samaritan woman whose life is messed up six ways to Sunday. She had made a series of bad choices. She is a social outcast. She is, it seems, ashamed of her life.

And she has questions about how to worship God. That's good.

Here's the thing. God "seeks" worship, even from people whose lives are a mess. Granted, there are qualifiers on what makes a "true worshipper", but they are not the same qualifiers we often place on ourselves.

God's qualifiers are that we worship in "spirit" and in "truth".  True worship can only emanate from the heart of the redeemed, but the redeemed don't have to have it all together before they can worship.

God seeks sincere worship from honest, repentant messed up people. Look what happens then. This lady runs back into town bragging on Jesus. The bigger Jesus becomes to her, the less the problems of her past matter.

Do you have problems? Probably. Worship anyway.

Worship is not my response to a great life. Worship is my response to a great God.

If we only worship when life is great, we miss the point. Worship is our pre-game fight song. In worship I sing the praises of my Champion. Worship forces me to pause and see God in all his greatness, his might and his wisdom.

I serve an all-powerful, all-knowing God, and he chose to become my Father. Just how cool is that.

Spend time in worship. It matters.

Was the American Revolution contrary to good Christian behavior?

[These are questions and comments excerpted from a discussion a few months back. I felt they were worth preserving before the disappeared into the FB ether.]This is the question posed: "I am asking if you think that was the mind set of our founding fathers. I have asked myself "if the church of today had to make the choice they made would we still be free?"ANSWER:

 If you notice in the Declaration of Independence the complaints are against the King because the Colonies had a legal contract with the King. If my memory serves me correctly, the political situation in England had changed since those contracts were written and Parliament was calling the shots. The colonies did not have a contract with Parliament but with a king whose power was greatly diminished. Rather than extending the same courtesy of representation to the colonies which was now enjoyed in England, they chose to treat English citizens on our side of the Atlantic as second class citizens by imposing taxes (which may have been reasonable) but denying representation in the legislative process. Additionally, the English had disbanded local forms of government necessary for civil preservation. The revolution was not just to overthrow "bad" government, but in many ways born out of a necessity. English civil government in the colonies was in many ways almost non-existent. This then, was a situation which left the colonies vulnerable to perils from within and without. To summarize then, the King was in breach of contract, Parliament had no legal jurisdiction over the colonies because they were chartered by the King, and there was a widespread absence of (and prevention of) necessary civil governing bodies.I'm not sure they had much choice.  It is also worth noting, I think, that the colonies did not declare "war" but "independence".

The follow up question: " Could their effort to gain independence be justified in New Testament scripture or would it be contrary to its teaching?"ANSWER:

 I think I can make a compelling case for them. Remember that the colonies were corporate ventures chartered by the king. Prior to the "revolution" their original governing system had been arbitrarily abolished, effectively putting the now impotent king in breach of contract. The new government system (essentially martial law) was being imposed by forces to whom they had neither contract nor obligation. Had they submitted to the marshal law as their new government they would not have been justified in the revolution, in my estimation. [The Boston tea party was to demonstrate non-submission].Because they did not submit to Parliament rule (unless afforded representation), they could view the British Army controlled by Parliament as an invading force, which it was. The purpose of the British army in the colonies was not to protect the colonies but to subjugate them to Parliament.The crazy thing is, that had they been granted representation, the revolution would not have occurred. Had they been granted limited self government, the revolution would not have occurred.Theirs was somewhat a unique situation in history. Since two of the older men who signed the DoI were ministers (Lyman Hall and John Witherspoon), I am sure your question was raised and addressed way back in the 1770's.The questions in light of this verse, I suppose, is [1] Did they pursue peace, and [2] were their motives just?

RE the U.S. Constitution:The Constitution is a whole other ball of wax, written several years later. Yes, separation of powers refers to branches of government. To be sure, the founders did not want to found a theocracy (or any other kind of "ocracy") but a Republic. The Republic worked because it's citizen's (by and large) recognized the virtue of Christian morality and ethics as individuals. This is reflected in our fundamental laws. Restitution, multiple witnesses for conviction, property rights, etc. are all based in a Judeo-Christian world view.

Another question: " In terms of relative hostility and/or oppressiveness, how would you rate the British rule over the colonies versus Rome with the Jews (and later, Christians) in the NT?"

ANSWER:The history of the Roman Empire is a long one and I am not sure that is an "apples to apples comparison". The Jews did somewhat successfully resist Roman occupation during the Maccabean era, and were justified to do so in my estimation. By the time of Christ however the hope of self government was pretty much gone and the working civil authority was in fact Roman. The judicial system was Roman. The roads were built by Romans. (Martial) law enforcement was Roman.While that system was far from perfect (ie. political manipulation led Pilate to sentence Jesus to death), it was a functional, established governmental system that did allow a considerable amount of freedom (as long as you were not perceived to be a threat to the system itself). Pilate "found no fault" in Christ and later Paul was held in protective custody and transported to Rome on Caesar's dime, just to make sure he received his appeal process.Roman persecution of the Jews was mostly the result, I think, of the unwillingness of the Jews to surrender to the invaders and the lingering zealot influence. If you do take up arms against a government, you can't really cry "foul" when things don't go your way.Early Christian persecution, ironically, was not fueled by the Roman's but by the local quasi-autonomous religious leadership and in some cases (ie. John the Baptizer) a personal vendetta.So, Jesus tells his disciples to "render unto Caesar" because that is existing established governmental system. It also seems to be the best viable governmental option at the time (try to visualize what Judea governed by the Sanhedrin would have looked like.) Paul also characterized the Roman governmental system as not being "a terror to good works".Later persecution of Christians was conducted by Rome under the Emperor Nero on a larger scale. By that time the Roman system was well on its way to a full implosion.The American Revolution is much more comparable to the early Maccabean period, I think, than the time of Christ. The governmental systems within the colonies was in a state of flux before hostilities began. The governmental system that had been a work under a British Sovereign (with whom they had contractual agreements) were being changed by Parliament who had engaged in usurpation within Britain proper. Theirs was a question of whether or not allegiance could or should be transferred. They had been content to be subjects of a monarch. They were not content to be the subjects of Parliament. I don't think the degree of hostilities and oppressiveness had a lot to do with it.

REFERENCES:http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_transcript.htmlhttp://oll.libertyfund.org/?option=com_staticxt&staticfile=show.php%3Ftitle%3D816&chapter=69270&layout=html&Itemid=27option=com_staticxt&staticfile=show.php%3Ftitle%3D816&chapter=69270&layout=html&Itemid=27

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nero

Go with it...

I have come to believe that perfection is the enemy of ministry. Too often we wait for perfect circumstances, perfect tools or perfect talents not realizing that perfection never comes. 


In Exodus 4:2 God asked Moses "What is that in your hand?" referring to Moses shepherd staff. That's hardly a tool to deliver a nation from slavery, but it is what he had in his hand when God commissioned him to the task. It is the also the very tool God used time and time again to work the miraculous.


God delights in using the odd, the unexpected and the weak to work his will. It's time to lose the excuses, grab whatever is handy, and go do what God wants done.


Use what you have. Leave the miracles to Him.

Abraham's Epic Fail (It's not what you think...)

Have you ever noticed what a messed up bunch of people the Bible throws forward for heroes?

Biblical literature is teeming with flawed people. Drunkards, prostitutes, cowards, adulterers, murderers and a host of other seedy folks reside in those sacred texts as heroes!

Well, to be sure, it is not their moral failures and shortcomings that make them heroes. The fact is these flawed characters knew they were flawed. They sought forgiveness. Despite their failures, in their heart they wanted to please God above all else.

And that brings us to Abraham.

Now if you have ever read the book of Genesis in the Bible you will find that Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation, was quite a flawed character himself. In fact we could compile a short list of character flaws and moral failures to choose from. Cowardice, lying and adultery are all a part of his portfolio.

Yet there is an epic failure in his life that is rarely, if ever, mentioned. It occurs in Genesis 18.

In Genesis 18 the Lord, accompanied by two angels, appears to Abraham and tells him that he is on his way to investigate the wickedness of the city of Sodom. Abraham is well aware of Sodom's wickedness and pleads with God on behalf of the city. Something of a negotiation begins.

Then Abraham drew near and said, "Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?" And the LORD said, "If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake."

 At this point in the conversation Abraham gains a little boldness and continues to negotiate with God to spare Sodom. His closing negotiation was as follows:

 ... Then he said, "Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there." He answered, "For the sake of ten I will not destroy it." [Gen 18:23-26, 32 ESV]

That is a pretty good negotiation. Now let me show you the "Epic Fail".

And the LORD went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place. [Gen 18:33 ESV]

There! Did you see it? Chances are you missed it. When the conversation was over, "Abraham returned to his place."

What do you suppose would have happened had Abraham gone to Sodom before the Lord got there? Is it possible that Abraham could have preached to them about pending judgment? Is it possible that ten people would have repented of their sins?


I think so. We see another such city many centuries later with a similar pending judgment. It was a city called Nineveh. God sent a prophet named Jonah. Many of the Ninevites repented, and the city was spared.

Now, back to Abraham and Sodom. You see, Abraham had credibility in Sodom. If we back track to Genesis chapter 14, we will find that Abraham and his band of personal soldiers had literally saved their hides not long before. Armies from the north had invaded, looted the city and taken the residents of Sodom captive. Since one of those residents was Abraham's nephew Lot, Abraham sprang into action and saved them all.

Then he refused to take payment for the rescue.

Sodom owed Abraham. Big time. They would at least have listened to him, I think, but Abraham turned around and went home.

Now, before we cluck our tongues too loudly at Abraham, I'd like to pose a question.

Have you ever prayed and interceded for someone who was  facing eternity without God? Have you ever pleaded with God to show mercy to someone's soul? To soften their heart to the gospel of Jesus Christ? To send someone their way who would lead them to salvation?

If you have pleaded with God to have mercy on someone's eternal soul, I promise you he has heard you. It is also quite likely that you are the person God has chosen to carry the message of grace and redemption to that soul.

You see, if you love them enough to spend time in prayer for them you probably have credibility with them. Please, use it wisely. Eternity is a very, very long time. Take someone to heaven with you.


[NOTE: I realize it is possible that you may be reading this and have no idea what I am referring to when I write about "salvation". In that case, please visit this website http://followchrist.ag.org/decision.cfm]

Supporting missionaries without losing wealth.

 It seems to me that people respond to a call for missions giving in one of three ways:

First, there are a few people who simple refuse to give into a missions program. For these people I truly feel pity. They are robbing themselves of one of the greatest blessings on earth. There is nothing quite as fulfilling as being able to give generously into the lives of others, expecting nothing in return.  It is wonderful to recieve God's blessings into our lives, but unless we have an outlet through which we can bless others will become stagnant and eventually lifeless like the Great Salt Lake  or the Dead Sea.

The second kind of response comes from the person who has learned the blessing and joy of giving to missions. They have realized their greater calling in life and with whatever means they have they delight to do their part in spreading the Gospel. To these people we owe a heart felt "thank you."

Third, is the group who agrees in principle, but not in practice. They agree with Christian missionary outreach. They want to give, but they feel like they can't afford it.

Maybe this is you.

Maybe you are looking at "giving" the wrong way.

I want you to think of something that costs about $1000 that you either need, want or will need in the next year. Maybe it is a set of tires. Or a new appliance. Or a rifle. Or a set of stainless steel pot and pans with copper bottoms. Whatever it is, my guess is, that if I could offer that to you today for $100 you would find some way to come up with $100--even though you can't afford it. Why? Because you see the value. You may lose $100 in cash but you will gain $1000 worth of mechandise. In this scenario you spend your money because losing money increases your overall wealth. You give away $100 but end up $900 richer.

 

Here is the thing, if you could come up with $100 for stuff you can come up with $100 for missions. You just have to see the value.  I want you to read this verse from the Gospel of Matthew:  

" Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." [Mat 6:19-21 KJV]

Did you see that? Jesus isn't tell you not to lay up treasure. He is telling you to choose the right bank to put it in.

When we give to missions we are not giving away our wealth, we are multiplying it.  When we give to missions programs we are losing a little cash, but we are gaining wealth in other ways. Giving lets us reach people, eternal souls really, with the life saving message of the gospel.  Steering a soul toward heaven is the greatest wealth any of us can gain.

So, giving to missions is not a loss of wealth, but a multiplication of our wealth. Yeah, you'll lose a little cash but in doing so you transfer treasure to a place "where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal".




Have a great day!

Stuck in the Mud

Remember the old hymn “Power in the Blood”? In that hymn we are asked a series of questions:

Would you be free from the burden of sin?
Would you o’er evil a victory win?
Would you be free from your passion and pride?
Would you be whiter, much whiter than snow?
Would you do service for Jesus your King?
Would you live daily His praises to sing?

The lyrical answer to these questions is

Come for a cleansing to Calvary’s tide;
There’s wonderful pow’r in the blood.

Good Christian behavior is not a mystery. It is pretty straight forward. 

Be like Jesus. 
If Jesus wouldn’t, I shouldn’t. 
If he would, I should. 

The Bible serves as our road map, the Holy Spirit serves as our guide.

And yet, Christians struggle with sin.

The problem, you see, isn’t with our “knower” it is with our “doer”.  The Bible verifies that the struggle exists:

"… For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing." - Romans 7:18-19 ESV

This struggle is not fun, but it is very real. Unfortunately, it seems, many Christians get stuck in the mud and never make it out of this struggle.
Wheels spinning. Mud flying. And no movement.

Sometimes the metaphorical mud comes in the form of chemical addictions, emotional baggage, or bad habits.  Sure, carnal Christians know better, but they are stuck.

Sometimes they give up altogether. Sometimes they live in guilt and disappointment.

Either way, it’s a shame. It is a heart rending thing to watch sincere believers spend years wallowing in crippling carnality, powerless to extract themselves.

And that brings us full circle back to the old hymn “Power in the Blood”. 

 Here's the thing. Salvation isn’t just pie-in-the-sky for the sweet-by-and-by. Salvation is also about victory over sin in the not-so-sweet here and now.

Notice the cry of desperation in verse twenty-four:

"Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" - Romans 7:24 ESV

There it is, a cry for deliverance. 

You see, as long as we struggle and fight and wiggle in the mud there is no deliverance. We simply cannot power our way out. But…

“There is power in the blood…”

If we can’t power our way out, how do we get unstuck?

Well, to continue the metaphor, put it in neutral, and hook up the towline. Jesus still delivers. He is on the high ground, and he has plenty of power.

That's the good news. 

Contrary to what you may have heard (even from some preachers) you don't "have to sin a little every day." Frankly, that's a cop out. Let Jesus lead. Learn to follow. You will fall now and then. Get up. You won't be graceful. Keep going. Every marathon racer was once a crawler.

Hunger for God's Word. Spend time in prayer and worship. Listen to the gentle nudge of the Holy Spirit in you life.

Jesus purchased you peace on the cross. He wants to pull you out of the mud and clean you up. Can I explain the mechanics of how Jesus can pull you out on top? No, not really. It is ultimately a matter of faith, and it occurs deep in you spirit. Just know this, Jesus wants for you to be free. Give it to him, and he will figure out the details.

My prayer is that each of you will enjoy a victorious, productive Christian life as you follow the one and only Prince of Peace.

God Bless.

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace." - Romans 8:1-6 ESV

"For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith." - 1 John 5:4 ESV

Concerning the imprisonment of Pastor Saeed Abedini

It seems to me that today there is a great deal of hand wringing going on among evangelicals concerning the imprisonment on Pastor Saeed Abedini. 

By all accounts he is a good man on a mission of mercy to help orphans. He has been accused of Christian evangelism and sentenced to eight years in an Iranian prison. He had to have known the risks when he went to Iran. I understand that this is a fearful time for his family and those close to him. I get all of that, and for that reason I write this with a great deal of somberness. 

We as Christians need to take a step back for a little "Kingdom" perspective.

This is not the first time a Christian preacher has been put in prison for the sake of the gospel. In fact Jesus told us these things would happen. As much as we love religious liberty, we should not forget that great revivals can happen in prison.

Do I want Pastor Abedini to be freed? Yes, but my hope is not in a rescue by the U.S. Government. My prayer is that he will bear such a witness to the saving power of Jesus Christ, that prisoners and guards alike will believe on Jesus Christ as their Savior. I want his freedom to come in a way that brings glory to Jesus Christ. 

As I understand it, he is being held in a notorious Iranian prison called "Evin Prison". It seems that in addition to hardened criminals, this prison holds many Iranian intellectuals who are incarcerated for political reasons. 


It is unlikely that any missions organization would be able to penetrate this Iranian prison, but now there is an evangelical pastor of Iranian descent, in this Iranian prison filled with potential national leaders. The Lord Jesus now has a light in a very dark place.

"Our Father in heaven, please grant Pastor Saeed Abedini courage and wisdom and favor and confirm you word in amazing ways!"

Pastor Saeed Abedini

America's blood crime...

Some statistics say that in the last 40 years since "Roe v. Wade" legalized abortion in the U.S., the lives of 53,000,000 babies have been extinguished. Their little bodies have been thrown out like trash or (worse) sold for various purposes.

We have a problem.

God interacts with mankind in several different levels. He certainly deals with people on an individual level, but the Bible also indicates that he also interacts with people as social groups (such as families, cities and nations) as well.

It is the national relationship that concerns me.

Human government was God's idea, not man's. We first find it established as God talks to Noah after the flood  (Genesis chapter 9) .  The antediluvian (pre-flood) world was a world of civil anarchy, filled with violence. For this reason, the Bible tells us, God destroyed it in a flood. In Genesis 9, God is pushes the restart button. Here a social contract of self government is established that emphasizes the value of human life:

"Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image." Genesis 9:6.

Do you see the principle there? Human life is sacred because a human life is "in his own image."

This principle continues to be developed throughout the Bible. Notably it makes God's "Top Ten" list as "you shall not murder". He established the principles of "due process" and differentiates between "manslaughter" (accidental killing) and "murder". Throughout the Old Testament we find that the rise and fall of nations is in direct relation to their treatment of the innocent, particularly their children, their widows and foreigners. We find God's promise of national longevity is tied to the protection of the innocent. One of the damning sins of the Canaanites was child sacrifice to the pagan god Moloch. The horrors of the plagues in Egypt were preceded by decades of Israeli children being tossed into the Nile. Israel's and Judah's captivities were preceded by the adoption of pagan practices, including child sacrifice.

Murder, in any form, is an evil of the highest order.  When murder is committed, God takes note. If a society does not police itself by bringing murderers to justice, God will avenge the innocent himself. In the case of the abortion industry, we have failed to prosecute those who take innocent life. Even worse, as a nation, we have condoned it. There is a verse in 2 Kings 24:4 that concerns me greatly. Speaking of the ancient nation of Judah it says they, 

"... filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the LORD would not pardon."

Then they were taken captive.

Will God judge the United States for those 53,000,000 dead babies?  I am certain of it.

How will he do it? I have no idea.

Can it be avoided? If we were to arrest and prosecute the abortionist for the last 40 years, perhaps. But we won't.

Can it be postponed? God is merciful. He allows a window for repentance and self judgment. Historically, that window has lasted for decades for many nations. Sometimes nations repent and judgment is postponed, sometimes they don't and it comes more swiftly.

What can I do?  Individually there is a lot you can do. First, repent of you sins, any and all. Sin requires judgment. If you will let him, Jesus bore that judgment for you when he died on a cross. He gave his life for you. He took your punishment. There is no sin too great for him to bear, even the killing of the innocent.

Then, for the nation, you can pray for God to work in realms of authority far higher than ours. As Christians we must remember we have a mandate to preach to all nations, but we cannot save any nation. Rather, it is individuals that we lead to salvation.
 
While the United States remains under a cloud of judgment, individually anyone can find a place redemption in Jesus Christ. He gave his life for you, if you haven't already done so this would be a good day to give your life to him...

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." - John 3:16