Rise and Fall of Nations
I can give examlpes of Israel and how they were blesed under godly leadership. Hezekah and david and Solmon etc they went up and down according to obeying God or disobeying God. include scripturese that God can bless and God can uproot or diminish. Solomon raised up then idol worship then Rehomobam his son of a Ammonite pagan woman destoryed Israel under God’s curse and it becaome a total annhilation. Long list of offenses Rehoboam had done as if intentionally attempting to provoke God to anger. Even after he repented the judgment must come becaue of the innocent blood that was shed. If my people humble themselvers and pray I will hear from heaven and restore thier land. the example of Nehemiah and Ezra was that these exiles came back to rebuild the nation after it was entirely wasted and made disolate under the judgment of God. Tehyh first estapbled the temple worship. David did as well an dSolomon. they were careful not ot provoke god nad bring a cuse on thei rnation once again
there must be on conscenconess o f sin so peopel are aware of what makes God angry. then avoid those things at all costs. It is important to order lives and families according ot God’s word. joshua said that for him and his household they would serve the Lord. It is required that we study and find out what pleases God and what angers God and avoid the latter.
Separation from All Wickedness
I must speak of Achan and how the actions of one sinner can bring a curse to the entire congregation. This holdsover into the New Testament era as well and this is the reason for believers separating thesmvles from the world and the ways of the world and from those who are ungodly. If someone wants to engage in sodomy for example they can leave the church and go into the world and sin with abandon but htey cannot be permitted to remain within the congregataion in an unrepentant condition becuase this will bring a curse to the entire congregation and greive the spirit and cause the presence of God to depart from that place.
Nations Prospered by God
The most important thing of nation building is to have a moral foundation of God’s word. Pleasing God is the best way to incur God’s favor and blessing.
King David wanted the ark in Jerusalm. household of caretaker prospered in all he had so then David moved it to Jerusalem to have blessings of God htere. Notice they did not inquire of God for a long time. Book of judges was a time without widespread knowledge of God. Samuel was born at this time and the candle in the temple was ready to go out. It was a flickering light that barely was burning and that was a depcition of the spiritual condition of the poeple. Everone did what wa right in thei rown eyes. It wasd a time of lawlessness and anarchy. Peopel could not prosper because if someone wanted your things they would take them by forc.e If htey wante dyoru wife they could kill yhou adn take her. Therewas no fear olf God so it was a cursed tiem of misery and poverty adn human suffering. it was a godless time of darkness.
Samuel started to bring back spirtua life and he heard the voice of God. Tehre was no many widespread revelations because when people ignore God and do not listen to God and stubbornign go their own wayh then God stops psekaing to them and htey fall into darkness like the period of the Judges in the nation of Isael s they become godless and lviing in darkness.
Nehemiah and Ezra was a time of rebuilding the nation after total destruction. God had warned them not to turn to idols but they refuse and rejected teh prophets who warned them until calamity came without rememdy. Rehoboam the son of Solomon turned to idols and did everything imginable to anger God. even afater he repented (imprisonemd and drug to froegin coutnry with hook in his nose). God could not relent in his anger and totally destroed th anation both Judah adn isreal. LIke wipeing a dish and setting it upside down.
Nehemiah and Ezra returned again to the desolate land. Jereimah descibes it as ferel land with no bird or sound as nothing ness totaly destroyed by God’s anger.
This can relate to the fullness of sin which is sodomy as that is promoted by women civil leaders and abortions by millions of innocent blood shed. Manaseth shed much innocent blood and this brings a curse.
David established the Levitical service that was ordained by God through Moses. Solomon also established the system again in his day and rose ujp to the zenith of prosperity. Then his son Rehoboam followed him and brought total and complete desolation.
In fact when they rebuilt Jerusalem they started with restoring the temple first even before building the walls. It was to establish the worship system again. the returning exiles knew why their nation was totally destroyed so they did not want to anger the living God once again by engaging in the same behavior that brings a curse. They wanted to do what is right and keep God’s laws and commands.
Ezra was teaching the word of God and this provided a moral foundation within the hearts of the listeners. These returning exiles knew their nation was totally destroyed because the forsook God and broke all of God’s commands. They put the word of God first place so that they would not cause the same destruction to again come upon everything they had rebuilt.
Isaiah 44:28 (NASB95)
28 “It is I who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd! And he will perform all My desire.’ And he declares of Jerusalem, ‘She will be built,’ And of the temple, ‘Your foundation will be laid.’ ”
The temple was the center of Jewish worship and there is a great deal of knowledge relating to the temple about the things of God. However since the time of Christ the Holy Spirit now dwells (not in just one location in Jerusalem) but worldwide within the hearts of all believers. He will be in you i will send him to you.
John 14:17 (NASB95)
17 that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.
1 Corinthians 6:19–20 (NASB95)
19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?
20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.
But the principles of approaching God are still the same. but instead of offering the blood of livestock jesus came and offered is own blood for the sins of all mankind in every generation on earth.