Taking the Wrong Fork in the Road!

"See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the LORD your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess. But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess.” --- Deuteronomy 30:15-18

Yes, they were words spoken many centuries ago with most people today being totally unfamiliar with them and the context in which they were spoken. Further, very few today would say that those statements have any relevance in the United States in the year 2009 -- that there is nothing there of any value to us in the 21st Century.

Those words were spoken by the God Who created this universe to a people who were about to occupy a piece of real estate which had been promised centuries earlier to their ancestors. It had been made extremely clear that the people were to honor and obey this God Who had made this lush territory available to them. Warnings were clear also as to what would happen if they lapsed into a state of disobedience and began to adapt to the heathen ways of the people who surrounded them.

As history in shocking fashion reveals, the Israelite people eventually did become corrupted and brought upon themselves the cursing and calamities of which God had warned well in advance. Human nature is such that we apply the “Wet Paint - Don’t Touch!” standard to God’s laws and principles on an ongoing basis – you know, you see a sign that says, “Wet Paint - Don’t Touch!” and you just have to put your finger on the surface to see if the sign means what it says! God says "Don't..." and somehow we feel we can go ahead and go against His command and be OK anyway!

A republic known as the United States has had full access to God’s complete revelation from the time it was established as a sovereign nation. We too have to face the fact that Almighty God has set before us “life and good, death and evil.” The choice is to seek to obey and honor Him on an individual basis as well as collectively as a nation, or to defy Him and choose foolishly to “do our own thing.”

The present government at federal and state levels has exhibited a spirit that demonstrates God’s will and ways for us as a nation are not the least bit important. Consequently the choice has been to travel down the wrong fork in the road with the result being increased calamities of unprecedented intensity in many different forms. This choice is further detailed in the 28th chapter of the book of Deuteronomy in which blessings are described for obedience to God on the national level as well as the calamities and chaos resulting when a nation of people chooses to be disobedient – which is where we are at.

There are many loud voices which claim to identify with conservatism and the call is to return to a “conservative” approach in dealing with our national problems. But even these avoid mentioning the fact that the country is out of step with our Creator and we as a nation have rejected His laws that are absolutely required for a sane, sensible, serene, surviving and spiritually healthy culture.

One of the most deadly attitudes going strong in our nation at the present time is the assumption that God is always with us, looking favorably upon us and He is going to take care of us, no matter what! This assumption is reinforced each time the president speaks to the people and at the conclusion throws out that very familiar phrase, “God bless you and God bless the United States of America!”

The time may be much closer than we realize that our leaders have made very bad decisions and have chosen to take us down the wrong fork in the road -- now it's harvest time! Those of us who grew up on a farm know all too well -- you sow certain seed, you get a harvest from the type of seed which was sown! I rest my case on this one.

"But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you: Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the country. Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Cursed shall be the fruit of your body and the produce of your land, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks. Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out. The LORD will send on you cursing, confusion, and rebuke in all that you set your hand to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, because of the wickedness of your doings in which you have forsaken Me.” --- Deuteronomy 28:15-20

"If you will not hear, and if you will not take it to heart, to give glory to My name," says the LORD of hosts, "I will send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have cursed them already, because you do not take it to heart." --- Malachi 2:2