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Devotions > THE AMERICAN COVENANT


12 May 2010

In the days of the Exodus, when God had decided in the desert to destroy the Israelites because of their sin, Moses averted that judgment by his prayer.  I believe that God – who is rich in mercy – actually gave to Moses the wisdom he needed, in order that he might pray in such a way so as to avert that judgment.    [ Exodus 32: 7-14]

 This episode is a source of tremendous encouragement to me! 

 I love this nation more than I could ever express.  And so, it pains me deeply to say that I believe God has decided to destroy America because of our sin.  However, I also believe that He is simultaneously giving wisdom to His people regarding just how they should pray in order to avert His judgment.

 In seeking this kind of wisdom, I, for one, have been led to the section in Romans where Paul deals with the question “Is God through with the Jew?”.  More specifically, Paul essentially asks “Has God cast off the Israelites in New Testament times because they have rejected the reason for which they were originally created in the first place – to bring Christ to the world?”   Thankfully, Paul’s answer is “No.”  Why?  Because God had promised in the scriptures that a Jewish Messiah would remove ungodliness from Jacob, God has the right to deal with them according to their sins, but not permanently cast them off because “This is my covenant with them.”  [ Romans 11:27 ]  In other words, it would go against His very nature.  God is a covenant making, and covenant keeping, God.  From the standpoint of the Gospel the Jews “are enemies,” Paul says, “but they are also beloved for the sake of their fathers” – the patriarchs of the Old Testament. [ Romans 11:28 ]  And so, Paul explains, all Israel ‘at the end of the day’ “will be saved.”  After all, “the gifts and callings of God are irrevocable.” [ Romans 11:29 ]

 

Friends, I believe that anyone who loves this great nation should memorize this passage in Romans – and a couple of key sentences in our nation’s founding document – and pray them back to God with all the anguish, tearfulness, and urgency that Moses must have employed in the desert.  Our founding document – the Declaration of independence – explicitly “appeals to the Supreme Judge of the World for the rectitude of our intentions”.  It also  declares that “these colonies, are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states” with a “firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence”.  In other words, our Declaration of Independence was essentially a covenant set in front of God for Him to accept or reject.  The fact that the impossible subsequently took place – that the mightiest superpower of that time was defeated by Washington’s ragtag army – must logically be seen as God’s acceptance of that covenant!

 Has God cast off America in our time because we have rejected the reason for which our nation was originally created in the first place – to bring Christ to the world?”  Let us plead with God, and reason with God, that in order for God to be true to His nature, the answer needs to be “No.”  Why?  Because by granting our miraculous independence, God in effect made a covenant with America.  Yes, He has the right to deal with us according to our sins – and He has.  And yes, from the standpoint of even basic morality, America has become the enemy of God worldwide.  Yet, surely, America is also beloved for the sake of the fathers – our Founding Fathers.  After all, the gifts and callings of God are irrevocable.

Pastor Domimic Francese