As I come to us tonight to share this message from
Deuteronomy 31:17, America reminds me of ancient Israel. God had redeemed them from bondage in Egypt and gave them a land flowing with milk and honey. A good land, a land that was productive, a land with bronze, silver, fruit trees, and wells of water. The Lord brought Israel forth out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be to Him a people of inheritance(
Deuteronomy 4:20). Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thine heart all the days of thy life: but teach them to thy sons, and thy son’s sons (Deuteronomy
4:9).
But Israel did not obey the Lord their God. Thou shat keep therefore his statutes, and his commands, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the earth, which the Lord thy God giveth thee, for ever (Deuteronomy 4:40). And it shall be, when the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land … to give thee goodly, and great cities, which thou buildedst not. And houses full of all good things … and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not … then, beware lest thou forget the Lord, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage
(Deuteronomy 6:10-12).
But Israel did not learn very much from prosperity, but adversity taught them some great lessons. God has a design called affliction that will teach you what nothing else can. What are God’s uses of affliction? What does God mean when He afflict the children of men? Does He thunder and lighten upon the world without a cause? What is the meaning of chastening loss, grief, disappointment, affliction, in any, in all its dark and trying phases?
Happily, we are not left to conjecture. Let us be silent, let us cause our nimble, but often faulty, fancy to sit down whilst we listen with the attention of the heart to the inspired explanation of human discipline.
First, is self-revelation, “to know what is in thine heart.” (Deuteronomy 8:2) There are depths in our consciousness that nothing can sound but pain, anguish, bitterness and sorrow. Sometimes pain works its way down to our better nature, touches into gracious activity our noblest impulses, and evokes from our lips the noblest prayer. Sometimes, we see farther through our tears than through our laughter.
From the beginning, God’s purpose was that we should obey. Israel did not obey! So God withdrew from them. Sometimes God’s withdrawment evoke from the heart conscious of His absence the most poignant and eager prayers. He says, “I will go away that they may miss me.” He says, I will withdraw and cause the walls of their security to tremble, and the roof of their defense to let the storm pour down through it in order that they may begin to ask great questions. “Are not these things come upon us, because our God is not among us?” (Deuteronomy 31:17) He did say, “I will withdraw, I will forsake them, I will go away that they may ask, are not these evils come upon us, because our God is not among us? What is God’s purpose in all of this? To bring you home again and nothing else.
America has been a blessed nation. On our currency is “In God We Trust”, but America has forgotten about God in most ways. America must come to herself. When the prodigal came to himself – he saw himself as he really was – he said: “I have sinned against heaven”. America has sinned against heaven and God just may have sent His affliction: “That He might humble thee and that He might prove thee,” this affliction, pandemic virus is going to humble America. Afflictions do not spring out of the ground. How are we receiving our afflictions? “Come now, let us reason together.” We do not take kindly to our troubles, afflictions, distresses, and losses. It is not natural that we should do so; but, seeing that we have incurred them, we must receive them at God’s hand, and become accustomed to the discipline.
COVID-19 is not going any place any time soon; so we must learn to obey and come back to God. God has gone away that we may miss Him. Are not these things come upon us, because our God is not among us? The Lord said, “I sent this trouble upon thee to know what was in thine heart:”(
Deuteronomy 31:17)
Rev. Dr. Cullian W. Hill, Pastor
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