By Jim Mettenbrink
When the foundation of a building crumbles or rots away, the building will collapse. The Psalmist under God’s direct revelation wrote, “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Ps 11:3). Of course, this can be applied to the foundation of anything. Without a rock-solid foundation, literally, nothing can be built – building, organization, family, society, nation. What causes a nation’s foundation to be destroyed?
First, the nation is built on a foundation of principles. Heard today is “democracy.” Yet, it is rarely defined and folks have various understandings of what it means. Or the variation of democracy, the democratic republic. The writings of the American forefathers reveal that they were founding not only a democratic republic but one with a constitution and fundamental laws based upon the Old Testament of the Bible. That they did so, reflects their reverence for God as the Sovereign of all nations. In short, they wanted to be in harmony with His will. The United States has had it ups and downs regarding God’s way for nearly 250 years, but for nearly 100 years, especially the last 70, we have been on a slippery slope into the loathsome Secular Humanistic acid which has been destroying the foundation. It is crumbling. How long can the nation stand as a pleasing nation in God’s sight before it collapses?
Folks not only ignore God, reject God, yea know little to nothing about Him, His character and nature. In short they do not know Him. And so many are so steeped in themselves (they are their own gods), they do not want to even consider knowing Him. This attitude is that of ancient Israel, who had the special covenant relationship with Him. “…they did not obey nor incline their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear nor receive instruction” (Jeremiah 17:23). Because of their unparalleled stubbornness, God’s warning was, “I will bring on this city and on all her towns all the doom that I have pronounced against it, because they have stiffened their necks that they might not hear My words”(Jer 19:15). And in less than 3-4 decades the nation was gone. Literally, destroyed and the survivors removed from their cherished land (2 Chronicles 36:17-20). That’s what happened because “…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” (2 Ch 36:16).
In 2021, a survey was taken about Americans’ worldviews. Although 61% of Millennials (under 35) call themselves Christians only 2% hold a biblical worldview – ignorance or rejection of God! 98% of all Americans hold a smorgasbord of the various worldviews. Will God bless a nation with such a corroded foundation, being void of His principles?