"Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the LORD your God:...." --- Deuteronomy 28:1, 2"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." --- Deuteronomy 28:15, 16
Mr. Obama has visited in areas where the mid-west drought is extremely severe and has made statements about the problem. As could be expected, the federal government, according to him, is going to take some kind of action to help those who are most directly affected by the drought. In remarks made on the scene of one farm devastated by the lack of rain Mr. Obama said, "We can't make it rain..." and then proceeded to spell out what the governement will attempt to do to relieve the problem.
Well now, finally an admission there is something he can't do in the midst of a plethora of outlandish promises that the government can solve every problem -- you know, it will take care of you from the "womb to the tomb!" Just give us a little time and allow us to move far beyond the16 trillion dollar national debt level!
The tragedy in all this is the failure of Mr. Obama, his administration and the members of the U.S. Congress to recognize that present calamities of various kinds are God's attempts to awaken our nation to a realization that its greatest need is to repent of numerous transgressions which have been committed against Him! If true repentance takes place then the blessings as mentioned in the early statements of Deuteronomy 28 will be experienced.
But if we as a nation (claiming to be one nation under God) persist in defying God as we have been doing for a rather long period of time, then the calamities will continue at an accelerated pace, ending in devastating judgment! This pattern is well documented in the history of the Israelite people.
At present we have a severe drought in some areas and wildfires raging in numerous locations. A news release stated:
Updated at 12:10 a.m. ET: The Idaho National Guard is joining the fight against at least nine wildfires burning across the state, including the 68,000-acre Trinity Ridge blaze, one of 60 large U.S. fires being fought in one of the worst U.S. fire seasons.
Most are scorching the dry and hot Western states, including Washington, where the 22,656-acre Taylor Bridge fire five miles outside Cle Elum has charred 70-plus homes and more than 200 barns and other structures this week.
More than 400 homes have been evacuated in the area, but firefighters managed to carve containment lines around 25 percent of the blaze's perimeter by Wednesday night, with full containment expected within a week, authorities said.
Not only are more wildfires flaring up in the West this year than last, but the nation's fires have gotten bigger, said Jennifer Smith, of the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho. As of Thursday, more than 43,000 wildfires had been reported in the U.S. this season, burning a total of nearly 6.4 million acres, or 10,000 square miles, the center said. The 10-year average for the period is 52,535 fires, but covering only 5 million acres, Smith said.
There are diseases breaking out as well such as West Nile virus and Swine flu. But far more serious than these are the STD's (sexually transmitted diseases) that are spreading much like literal wildfires. The CDC a while back reported that 1 out of every 4 teenaged girls has a STD and some have more than one!
Financial calamity and probable failure is another indicator that our republic is in deep trouble as we approach a 16 trillion dollar national debt. In campaigning for his first term for the office of the U.S. presidency, Mr. Obama solemnly "promised" to cut the deficit in half during his first term in office. Read references in Deuteronomy 28 as to what the financial situation will be for the nation that intentionally defies Almighty God and His standards for a sane, sensible, serene, stable, and secure nation of people.
Will Mr. Obama, the members of his administration and the members of the U.S. Congress plus leaders at other important levels (this also includes church leaders) in our nation realize that the time is NOW to repent of our personal and collective sins? It is highly unlikely that such a move on the part of government and church leaders will take place due to the fact that God is not permitted to be recognized in much of the public arena and in a majority of educational institutions. Further, He is not going to be recognized in many corporate structures due to the way business is done with greed being a dominant factor! Human pride being what it is, the humiliation of sincere repentance is to be avoided at all costs.
Very true -- we can't make it rain, but it sure would make a difference if, after meeting the conditions, we reached out in humility and called on the One Who can make it rain abundantly!
Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. He also did evil in the sight of the LORD his God, and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke from the mouth of the LORD. And he also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear an oath by God; but he stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the LORD God of Israel. Moreover all the leaders of the priests and the people transgressed more and more, according to all the abominations of the nations, and defiled the house of the LORD which He had consecrated in Jerusalem. And the LORD God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers, rising up early and sending them, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place. But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against His people, till there was no remedy. Therefore He brought against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or virgin, on the aged or the weak; He gave them all into his hand. And all the articles from the house of God, great and small, the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king and of his leaders, all these he took to Babylon. Then they burned the house of God, broke down the wall of Jerusalem, burned all its palaces with fire, and destroyed all its precious possessions. --- 2 Chronicles 36:11-19
