The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He has chosen as His own inheritance. (Psalm 33:10-12)

A Blessed Nation

In a secondary school textbook printed in 1868, the following statement was included in an Abridged History of the United States: “The government of the United States is acknowledged by the wise and good of other nations, to be the most free, impartial, and righteous government of the world; but all agree, that for such a government to be sustained many years, the principles of truth and righteousness, taught in the Holy Scriptures must be practiced. The rulers must govern in the fear of God, and the people conscientiously obey the laws.” (pp. 16-17). Those words will not be found in modern textbooks.

There was a time in the United States when the Bible was respected, revered, and read frequently enough that most people had a familiar knowledge of its contents. John Quincy Adams, the sixth president of the United States, made it a practice for several years to read the Bible through in the course of one year. He would begin his day early by spending an hour contemplating scripture. Abraham Lincoln often quoted the Bible, calling it the greatest book and best fit God has given to man. Lincoln concluded that the Bible was the only way to know right from wrong. Woodrow Wilson, the 28^th president of the United States, said the Bible is the only book where a man can find himself in relation to the rest of the universe.

Every nation on earth has existed by the will of God. The Lord raises nations up, and He destroys them. History is filled with the ruins of great nations that yielded great power before being destroyed. When a nation turns its back to the word of God, it will die. For a government or nation to be sustained, the principles of the Bible must be taught and followed. The people must hunger for God’s word.

There was a time in America when most people knew scripture. Now, most people have little knowledge of what the Bible says. Truth and righteousness, right and wrong, can never be delegated by the whims of the people. Refusing to follow righteousness from the Bible is a death nil to a nation that forgets the Lord God. History bears witness to this reality. Most people cannot find simple teachings in the Bible. They have no idea what the Old and New Testaments are. Why? As the prophet Hosea said, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6). Rejecting the knowledge of God is certain destruction for a nation. It’s not a matter of “if” but “when.”