Can a nation be set apart for a sacred purpose? If
so, can it lose such status? The nation of Israel was set apart, or sanctified,
by God for His purposes, and remains so today. The United States of America was
set apart also for a sacred purpose. Has it lost its purpose, or is it still
true to it?
“Now when Abram was ninety-nine years
old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, ‘I
am God Almighty; Walk before Me, and be blameless.
I will make My covenant between Me and you,
And I will multiply you exceedingly.’
Abram fell on his face, and God talked with
him, saying,
‘As for Me, behold, My covenant
is with you,
And you will be the father of a multitude of nations.
No longer shall you be named Abram,
But your name shall be Abraham;
For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.
I will make you exceedingly
fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will come from
you. I will establish My covenant between Me and you and
your descendants after you throughout their generations as
an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to
your descendants after you. And I will give to
you and to your descendants after you the land where you live as a
stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will
be their God.’” (Genesis 17:1-8)
“But God said, ‘No, but your wife Sarah will bear
you a son, and you shall name him Isaac; and I will establish My
covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after
him. As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I will bless
him, and make him fruitful and multiply him exceedingly. He shall
father twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation. But
I will establish My covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you
at this season next year.’ When He finished talking with him, God
went up from Abraham.” (Genesis 17:19-22)
Through Abraham, his son Isaac, and Isaac’s son Jacob who became known as
Israel, the nation of Israel came to be. From this family line came Jesus
Christ, the son of God in the flesh to bear and pay for with His perfect life
the sins of man; for those who confess their sins, repent of their sins, and
believe in this good news. The sin debt was paid in full through His death on a
cross, and victory over sin was made by His resurrection to life.
The United States was sanctified to take across America and to the world the
message of the free gift of eternal life in heaven and salvation from the
punishment of hell because of our sin.
In 1607, an expedition led by Pastor Robert Hunt arrived in Virginia Beach.
When they arrived in Virginia, the expedition dedicated
America to the glory of God. They planted a rough-hewn wooden cross, which they
brought from England, in the sand and prayed:
“We do hereby dedicate this Land, and ourselves,
to reach the People within these shores with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to
raise up Godly generations after us, and with these generations take the
Kingdom of God to all the earth. May this Covenant of Dedication remain to all
generations, as long as this earth remains, and may this Land, along with
England, be Evangelist to the World. May all who see this Cross, remember what
we have done here, and may those who come here to inhabit join us in this Covenant
and in this most noble work that the Holy Scriptures may be fulfilled.”
On November 11, 1620, the Mayflower Compact was signed:
“Having undertaken for the
Glory of God, and Advancement of the Christian Faith, and the Honour of our
King and Country, a Voyage to plant the first Colony in the northern Parts
of Virginia…”
As a nation, we can ignore the
dedication, or sanctification that was made so long ago, but that does not
change it. Not holding true to the purpose laid out by those who came to
America before us takes away the blessings God can give to us as a nation, which
seems to be occurring now. While we did hold true to our purpose, we were
blessed with peace, prosperity, and protection. Many are holding true, which
may be why we are still here as a nation. May we continue and many others renew
the dedication to fulfill our sanctification.
“Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” (John 17:17).
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