“When the sons of Israel heard of it [the building of the altar], the whole congregation of the sons of Israel gathered themselves at Shiloh to go up against them in war.” (Josh 22:12)
When the two and a half tribes built an altar on the other side of the Jordan, they meant it as a memorial, but the other tribes thought they were intending to start making sacrifices on it – an act that was sinful and forbidden by God. So they rose up as one man to stop the sin from inside their country.
Righteous indignation was felt and acted upon. Sin created an anger and a zeal for God within the nation. And that is exactly how a nation stays blessed. National sin requires national repentance. In every nation on the planet there are people that belong to God – but for a nation to receive the label “blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD” (Ps 33:12), the nation must collectively care for His ways and His word.
Historically, nations that have done this are few and far between and they exist but for small seasons of time. Even Israel itself could only count a few eras where they were a nation that collectively chose God.
So, what can you do about the nation’s morals? Look in the mirror. Nations are just a collection of people. You can’t change everyone else – just you. Do you have righteous indignation at sin? Or do you laugh and wink at wickedness? Be vexed by evil. Rejoice in goodness.
And if we all do that, one becomes many.
Matt. 4:4 #Biblebites