A qualification is necessary here at the beginning. Neither America nor the Church—either the universal body of believers or any local group of them—is equal to the nation of Israel. That physical people living in a divinely granted plot of land has no exact contemporary parallel. However, as we investigate Scripture for instruction so we Christians can understand our own cultural and civil times, living in a nation with formative Christian influence, we will naturally draw our chief lessons from the history of the Israelites. Also, the need of America and the American church is exactly the kind of men 1 Chronicles 12:32 describes: “men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do.” The wisdom of Scripture is the only course of study to accurately understand our times, and to train such men to lead. In this way we arrive back at the nation of Israel.
The Lord’s people, like all nations, progressed through several stages. We can loosely compare these stages to stages of American civil society. It is not important to examine all the periods of Israel’s history, since some of them are clearly not applicable. For example, the times of the judges doesn’t apply. Other times, though, have lessons we can learn more from.
We can begin with David’s reign. Most of the narrative of that time is focused on the life of Israel’s greatest king, the man after God’s own heart. David’s mission is summarily described by God in 2 Samuel 7:8-9: “Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant David, ‘Thus saith the LORD of hosts, “I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel: And I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are in the earth”’.” David’s responsibility was to fight the Lord’s battles. He was a shepherd with a divine commission to kill bears, lions, and giants. Though he wanted to build the temple, it was not his role. David was supposed to fight to establish the nation and ensure the security of the Lord’s inheritance to his children and grandchildren. David’s greatest failure came when he wasn’t fighting like he should have. “And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem” (2 Samuel 11:1). There are certainly cultural and ecclesiastical matters of righteousness that need to be fought over. If a man doesn’t recognize there are some enemies in the world to fight, he isn’t fulfilling his God-given role.
David’s son had an entirely different commission. Solomon was a man of peace; he inherited a nation that had already subdued its enemies and was reaping God’s blessings for doing so. Try to imagine the world described in 1 Kings 4:20-21 and 25: “Judah and Israel were many, as the sand which is by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking, and making merry. And Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from the river unto the land of the Philistines, and unto the border of Egypt: they brought presents, and served Solomon all the days of his life. And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.”
American Christianity and American culture are not living in times like that. If our nation had a time of general peace and prosperity, it is already past. However, Solomon’s sins are important to remember for anyone experiencing local success and blessing from God. Solomon failed by placing his own pursuits and desires ahead of those of the Lord. “And in the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which is the eighth month, was the house finished throughout all the parts thereof, and according to all the fashion of it. So was he seven years in building it. But Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he finished all his house” (1 Kings 6:38-7:1). Scripture deliberately contrasts how much more effort the king put into promoting his own name than the name of the Lord. Solomon’s heart was turned aside in his success and he “loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites—of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, ‘Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods’: Solomon clave unto these in love. And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart. For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father” (1 Kings 11:1-4).
The consequence of forsaking the Lord this way is the rise of enemies. 1 Kings 11:14 says that, because of his apostasy, “the LORD stirred up an adversary unto Solomon, Hadad the Edomite: he was of the king’s seed in Edom.” As God promised, it was in the days of Solomon’s children that the consequences of the king’s disobedience would mature into national turmoil. While there is probably not a clear parallel to these circumstances in American history, the principle that consequences of previous generations’ sin are passed on to the next has certainly been realized in American history.
Each king after Solomon had essentially the same responsibility: to undo the evil that was committed before them, reinstitute righteousness, and ensure the next generation of godly kings. One of the marks of a good king was his commitment to reviving the proper worship of the Lord. Righteous rulers cleansed the land of sodomites (1 Kings 15:12; 22:46), removed the high places (2 Kings 18:4), fought God’s enemies (2 Kings 18:8), and restored the place of God’s worship (2 Kings 22:4-7). However, the national condition was always one generation away from returning to idolatry and wickedness. This seems to be the condition we live in today. American Christianity is largely a story to recall; the instinct of our nation is to turn from God to wicked practices; and new victories must be won over territory that is no longer influenced by Christianity and Scripture.
Consider a few applications for contemporary America. First, the place you live matters. The northern kingdom of Israel was founded in act of rebellion and was pagan from the beginning. As a result, the kingdom had no good rulers and experienced judgment many decades sooner than its southern sibling. Judah lasted longer and experienced periods of righteous rule because there was a tradition of worship to the Lord. These same principles hold true today. Consequences will fall harder in places that are especially pagan.
Second, there are always cultural issues that accurately measure spiritual condition. For Judah, the difference between a marginally good king and a truly godly one was the willingness of the latter to destroy the high places. Take a biblical stand in the cultural issues that are the cutting edge between faithfulness and disobedience. Third, apart from revival judgment is certain. Both kingdoms ultimately went into captivity because any repentance wasn’t permanent. America may not experience such a clear sign as Israel and Judah that judgment has arrived; but unless righteousness is restored and maintained, the consequences will come.
Wise readers should evaluate these observations and determine how they can fight evil and promote faithfulness where they are. May the Lord give to our churches more sons of Issachar, who understand the times and can lead God’s people to what they ought to do.
The above article was written by Jonathan Kyser. He is a pastoral assistant at NorthStone Baptist Church in Pensacola, FL. To offer him your feedback, comment below or email us at strengthforlife461@gmail.com.
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