Please try this little exercise...substitute 'America' for 'Israel'....in Paul's letter to the Romans....to see how we may have strayed as Israel had done....thinking ourselves righteous....and not humbling ourselves before He in whom all righteousness exists. We on our side have a zeal....and we claim that it is for God....but it is us that we are elevating.
"Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel....(America)....is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God...." (Romans 10: 1-3 NKJV)
In the book of 1st Samuel we read how Eli's sons....Hophni and Phinehas....thought that victory in battle would surely be Israel's if they took the ark of the covenant to the battlefield. Israel lost....the ark was captured....Hophni and Phinehas died in battle. When Eli heard what had happened he fell over and died. A child was born to the wife of Phineas....and named.....Ichabod....'the glory has departed.' We might also want to remember....as we sacrifice honor and ethics and integrity in order to....'make America great again'....that God pared down Gideon's army to 300 men....to make sure that they knew who gave the victory.
