Looking to the Maker

In Isaiah 22, we hear about one of the many times when the inhabitants of Jerusalem were being besieged by a terrible foe. But instead of hearing how God miraculously delivered them, we hear how God punished them with His absence. At this point, some might ask why God would do such a thing to His chosen people, but the answer is clearly given in the text. God did not carelessly abandon them, they carelessly abandoned God! They were caught looking to themselves for their own feeble ideas of salvation, rather than to the One True God and His greater solution.

That is why Isaiah declared, saying, "He removed the protection of Judah. You looked in that day to the armor of the House of the Forest; You also saw the damage to the city of David, that it was great; and you gathered together the waters of the lower pool. You numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses you broke down to fortify the wall. You also made a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the old pool. But you did not look to its Maker, nor did you have respect for Him who fashioned it long ago" (Isaiah 22:8-11, NKJV).

When they saw their enemies surrounding the city, the defenders of Jerusalem were stirred into action. First of all, they "looked to," or "depended on," the "armor of the House of the Forest." This "house" was one of Jerusalem's royal palaces and it was equipped with an armory. To envision this scene gets the blood pumping in every action lover, as we picture them running to the armory for a sword, spear, and shield, just like in the movies. At the same time, it is easy to picture others working to shore up the city walls that were taking damage from the enemy onslaught. They even ingeniously ensured that they had a source of water within the walls of the city.

You would think that they had acted bravely and wisely in the face of an overwhelming attack, but they actually behaved carelessly. Despite all of their preparations, they forgot the most important one of all. They did not "look to," or "depend on," the "Maker" of the water and the true founder of their nation. They did not bother depending upon God in the midst of their desperate fight, they depended upon themselves.

To make matters worse, Isaiah noted, saying, "And in that day the Lord GOD of hosts Called for weeping and for mourning, for baldness and for girding with sackcloth. But instead, joy and gladness, slaying oxen and killing sheep, eating meat and drinking wine: 'Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!' Then it was revealed in my hearing by the LORD of hosts, 'Surely for this iniquity there will be no atonement for you, even to your death,' says the Lord GOD of hosts" (Isaiah 22:12-14, NKJV). Instead of repenting and mourning over their sin, they had one last party! When faced with such reckless abandonment of His principles and His ways by His own people, God simply said that no solution would be provided for their trouble. And with that, the city was as good as taken. A city or a nation is only as resilient as it is dependant upon God. When Judah and Jerusalem abandoned God, God eventually stopped protecting and prospering both.

This makes me think of my own nation, the United States of America. Ours is a nation that was miraculously founded and has since been miraculously preserved. Our founding fathers recognized that the miracle that is the United States is solely one that has been done by God. For example, in the preamble of the Declaration of Independence, our founding fathers said, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." They were depending upon the Maker, who created them to be independent of human tyranny, but dependant upon God's divine sovereignty!

That is why this country declared itself to be independent from the British Empire and then stood up to fight for its "unalienable rights" that God has given. The war that would begin after this declaration of independence was issued was also a miracle of divine providence. Against all odds, the Americans beat the greatest military force in the world at that time. George Washington was the general who lead the fight for the Americans and then later became the country's first president. It was President George Washington that would declare that Americans should have a special day each year to give thanks to God for what He had provided. He said, "Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor, and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness. Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be. That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks..." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving_(United_States)).

With such a glorious beginning, one would think that we are still offering up that humble thanks to the One who founded our nation and has blessed our nation since, but sadly that is not the case. This country has reached a point where murder has become a legal choice and abomination has become a socially acceptable practice. The innocence of our children is being eroded away at earlier ages than ever before, while the examples being left for future generations are getting worse and worse. We have enemies around every corner of our borders and yet most want to keep on partying like nothing is wrong. Though there are countless millions of believers in this country, most of the population does not use His name for anything other than cursing. The time has come to look to our "Maker" and seek His forgiveness and His help!

Just like God gave Judah the opportunity to repent, He is still giving America the opportunity to turn from the way we are going to go His way. I cling to the hope of 2 Chronicles 7:14 for America and any other nation where God's people can be found, because in that verse God said, "...if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:14, NKJV). The alternative is to meet the same fate that Judah did at that point in its history, when God said, "Surely for this iniquity there will be no atonement for you, even to your death" (Isaiah 22:14, NKJV). My hope and prayer is that America will not reach that point of no return, when God says that there is no more solution for our salvation!

"LORD God, You are the Maker of the Heavens and the Earth. You are the One who has saw fit to give us this great nation and bless us with great prosperity. Please help us all to see how much we need to depend upon You. Please help us to be humble before You and to turn from our wicked ways. Please help us to stop the killing of the unborn, the tolerance of aberrant sexual behavior, and the neglect of Your Will. Most of all, LORD, please heal our land. In Jesus' name, Amen."