[258 words]
Have you ever wondered why strong nations fall? Think about it: strong nations always have the best armies, most up-to-date weapons, strongest economies, and the best citizens. So why do they fall? And we must admit that they do fall! The British Empire fell. Rome fell. Alexander’s Greek kingdom fell. Babylon, Assyria, Egypt, and countless other strong nations have fallen and lie in the dust. Why? The Bible suggests two reasons.
“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Prov. 16:18). We usually think of the individual when reading this verse, but it seems to me that it also applies to national pride as well. It was said, “The sun never sets on the British empire,” but now it is in the dark! Isaiah 14 records a proverb against the king of Babylon who was so full of pride that he thought he was “the Most High.” But Jehovah of hosts “cut off from Babylon both name and remnant” (22). Take warning, brethren, for it has been recently said by those in high places that “America is the only nation on earth that the world cannot do without.”
“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people” (Prov. 14:34). Now you know the second reason strong nations fall. Need I say more?
When politicians and judges make laws that sanction sin, they are acting as if they were God Himself. That pride and the sins which follow it will lead to the destruction and fall of any people.
Alton Norman
Owingsville church of Christ
Owingsville, KY