One Nation under God

We know that we are blessed as a nation, at least we have been in the past. Christians pass on to their children the affirmation of a Godly heritage initiated by the Founding Fathers. We only have to look to history however to see that nations rise and fall.

The Roman Empire was formed in 31 BC under the leadership of Caesar Augustus who brought peace, prosperity and culture. The empire expanded so much that by the 2nd century AD Rome had colonies which stretched from the Middle East to Spain, and from Great Britain to North Africa. The sheer size of the empire brought problems. There was not enough money to pay for any army spread across the world, which made the empire vulnerable to enemies. Constant attacks by German barbarians eventually defeated the army, and the empire fell in AD 476. Many other empires and nations have risen and fallen for similar reasons, often wracked by internal conflicts as well.

Yale Professor of History, Paul Kennedy wrote a book called "The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers", where he observes a predictable pattern "Wealth is usually needed to underpin military power, and military power is usually needed to acquire and protect wealth." He concludes that "Decision-makers in Washington must face the awkward and enduring fact that the sum total of the United States' global interests and obligations is nowadays far larger than the country's power to defend them all simultaneously. Even aside from this dilemma, American dominance is on the wane, not because the nation is growing poorer or weaker but because others are becoming richer and stronger."

With all the current challenges we face as a nation, it seems that, like Israel was persuaded at different times in their history, we should return to our roots and remember from whence we came. The prevailing attitude however seems to be "been there, done that, want something different."

Leviticus 26:3-8
3 “‘If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, 4 I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees their fruit. 5 Your threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting, and you will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land. 6 “‘I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid. I will remove wild beasts from the land, and the sword will not pass through your country. 7 You will pursue your enemies, and they will fall by the sword before you. 8 Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you.