A Cry in the Wilderness

By Barry Shaw

Then the Lord stretched out His hand and touched the mouth of the Prophet and he courageously spoke the words of the Lord to the people of Jerusalem: “I remember the devotion of your youth, how as a bride you loved Me...What fault did your fathers find in Me that they strayed so far from Me? They followed worthless idols and became worthless themselves…The prophets prophesied by Baal, following worthless idols.” Jeremiah 2:2-8

When Jeremiah spoke these words, he was challenging the culture of Judah molded by Manasseh the most evil of the Jewish kings. Manasseh had reinstated the detestable practices of the Canaanites. “He rebuilt the high places [for idol worship], erected altars to the Baals and made Asherah poles [symbols of the goddess Asherah]. He bowed down to all the starry hosts and worshiped them. 2 Chronicles 33:3 He sacrificed his sons in the fire...practiced sorcery, divination and witchcraft, and consulted mediums and spiritists.” 2 Chronicles 33:6 He defied the Lord in all that he did. But in spite of the Godly warnings uttered by the Prophet, the people “refused to repent.” Jeremiah 5:3 The result: the destruction of Judah.

What is so remarkable is that the words of Jeremiah ring true today. Our nation, like ancient Israel, has abandoned God. It has banned Him from society and replaced Him with idols. Sports figures, movie stars, money and materialism are today’s American idols. Cheating and greed are the standards. Religion is not in vogue. Prayer has been banned from our public educational institutions. Universities fire professors who dare to teach Intelligent Design. As they were in Manasseh’s kingdom, babies are killed, but in “abortion clinics”. An entire generation has been destroyed since Roe v Wade became the law of the land. Body piercing, tattooing, spiritism, and permissive sexual mores are the norm. Just writing about the Manasseh-like apostasy in our land makes me feel the lamentations of the Prophet.

Our Founding Fathers wrote on that fateful 4^th of July in 1776: “...for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.”(emphasis added). As a nation, we have drifted away from that “firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence.” As we approach the 232^nd birthday of our nation’s independence, America must acknowledge the dark direction it has taken and turn, as did our forefathers, to the Way, the Truth and the Light.

The Prophet of old cried out the words of the Lord in the wilderness: “Return, faithless people...” Jeremiah 3:14,15 To non-believing fellow citizens, there must be a cry in the wilderness:

“Repent from your errant ways and seek the protection of the Lord.” For our Lord is a merciful and forgiving God and until He returns, there is still time to repent and turn to the Lord.

Barry N. Shaw writes from Applegate Valley, Oregon.