Author: John Page 115 of 164

II Samuel 11:2-4 “And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king’s house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon. And David sent and enquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house.”

II Samuel 12:5 “And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die”

Adam Galinsky, a professor at Columbia Business School, is a prolific researcher and writer. Over the course of his career, he has focused on the impact of power upon character. He has found that there is a strong correlation between power and selfishness, diminished empathy, corrupt relationships, and over-confidence. In his 2010 work “Power Increases Hypocrisy: Moralizing in Reasoning, Immorality in Behavior” Dr. Galinsky came to the following conclusions:

• “Across five experiments, irrespective of how power was manipulated or hypocrisy measured, we found strong evidence that the powerful are more likely to engage in moral hypocrisy than those lacking power.”
• “Across these experiments, the powerful judged their own moral transgressions more acceptable but the same transgressions committed by others less acceptable compared to low-power participants.”
• “This means that people with power not only take what they want because they can do so unpunished, but also because they intuitively feel they are entitled to do so.”

As a powerful nation, we have grown selfish. We have grown overconfident. We have grown entitled. We are characterized by diminished empathy, corrupt relationships, and chronic hypocrisy. We take what we want, do what we want and think what we want while growing angry when others do the same. We live unrestrained by morals while holding others to a higher standard. It happened to a “man after God’s own heart” and it is happening to a nation blessed similarly.

PLEASE PRAY THAT OUR NATION WOULD CRY OUT – WE HAVE SINNED AGAINST THE LORD. David did and we will never once again thrive as a nation if we continue in moral hypocrisy.

Isaiah 1:4 “Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.”

A few weeks ago, I published four posts related to the insidious national dangers of power and wealth. This post and the next will punctuate those thoughts in different ways, one historical and one sociological.

Samuel Langdon, former president of Harvard University, said the following in 1775:

“When a government is in its prime, the public good engages the attention of the whole; the strictest regard is paid to the qualifications of those who hold the offices of the state; virtue prevails–every thing is managed with justice, prudence, and frugality; the laws are founded on principles of equity rather than mere policy, and all the people are happy.  But vice will increase with the riches and glory of an empire; and this gradually tends to corrupt the constitution, and in time bring on its dissolution.  This may be considered not only as the natural effect of vice, but a righteous judgment of heaven, especially upon a nation which has been favored with the blessing of religion and liberty, and is guilty of undervaluing them; and eagerly going into the gratification of every lust.”

Langdon was speaking of the British Empire, which had grown corrupt because of its power, prestige, and prosperity.   The same may be said of America today. Our corruption stems from the natural effect of vice and the righteous judgment of heaven. We have undervalued our blessings and gratified our every lust. As a result of God’s particular blessings of religion and liberty, we are held to a higher standard and a greater level of accountability.   We have fallen short of both, and have provoked the Holy One unto anger.

PLEASE PRAY THAT AMERICANS WOULD SHED OUR CONFIDENCE AND COMPLACENCY AND RETURN TO A NATION IN ITS PRIME. Otherwise, history books will relegate us to being another cautionary tale – another nation gone away backwards.

Proverbs 29:23 “A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.”

The humble in spirit shall be upheld in honour. Unfortunately, humility is a rare trait in 21^st Century America. Defiance, pride, and self-centeredness are more characteristic of today’s national character. Rebellion is recurring; restraint is rare. American society elevates everything but godliness. We have steadily progressed into greater pride – from neglecting God, to forgetting God, to ignoring God, to defying God.

The Lord elevates the humble and deflates the proud; He lifts up the humble and brings low the proud. We have not yet experienced the depths of our just deserts, but we will if we fail to reverse the trends of neglect, forgetfulness, ignorance, and defiance.

PLEASE PRAY THAT AMERICAN CHRISTIANS WOULD HELP OUR NATION TO REALIZE THE RECKONING WE WILL SOON REAP. We have been elevated for the majority of our national history. As we recklessly remove ourselves from God-given humility and towards self-cultivated pride, we will be brought low.

NOTE: I will take a short summer break from posts next week; my next post will be on August 2^nd. See you then! In the meanwhile, please continue to pray daily and fervently for our nation. We desperately need you to do so, and to encourage others to do the same.

Hosea 4:6-7 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I change their glory into shame.”

President Abraham Lincoln once said: “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”

Indeed, adversity provides a humbling influence that draws people towards God. On the other hand, power provides a prideful influence that draws people towards self. Power and wealth create and exacerbate sinful selfish impulses that elevate self-sufficiency and replace the need for God. It does the same to a nation.

America has rejected God’s knowledge and forgotten God’s law. As we have increased, we have increasingly sinned against Him. As a nation, we have withstood adversity together, but we have failed to demonstrate character as we have gained power.

Frighteningly, God has a remedy for this problem … induced humility. This remedy includes rejection and destruction. It is characterized by a withholding of God’s blessings. It contains a transformation of glory into shame. It provides a stark reminder that we are not self-sufficient and that we desperately need God. Only then, in adversity that can last for generations, will the powerful and the wealthy return to their first love – only when power and wealth are things of the past.

PLEASE PRAY THAT AMERICA WOULD PRACTICE PREEMPTIVE HUMILITY BEFORE IT IS THRUST UPON US. We are failing the test of our character, and the remedy is a harsh one that is better preempted than induced.

Job 9:4 “He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered?”

President John Adams stated: “Because power corrupts, society’s demands for moral authority and character increase as the importance of the position increases.”

President Thomas Jefferson said: “Experience hath shewn, that even under the best forms of government those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny.”

God is wise in heart and mighty in strength. We alone are neither wise in heart nor mighty in strength. When we harden ourselves against Him as we grow in our power and wealth, we will fail to prosper.

The responsibilities of power are massive, the greatest of which are maintained humility and moral authority. Everything about power and wealth lures people and nations away from God and degrades the ability for continued prosperity. It corrupts and perverts. Unchecked, it leads to personal and national tyranny.

PLEASE PRAY FOR A NATION THAT WILL SOFTEN OUR HARDENED HEARTS. We must not continue to resist God and harden ourselves against Him. Instead, we must grasp desperately to moral authority so that it does not become moral depravity.