Corruption works two ways. When a people are corrupt the choose leaders who match their character. When a leader is corrupt, they lead the people into corruption. When the root is rotten, the tree soon dies.
The rise of the United States was due to God’s blessing. As the nation seems to be turning away from God’s righteous standards, the blessing will be withdrawn. This is not merely a corporate action. When we as individuals don’t demand righteousness from ourselves, we certainly don’t demand it from our leaders.
To put it another way, a nation rises and falls for one of two reasons: they are drawing closer to the LORD or the LORD wants to use them for some greater purpose. We see each of these in Scripture. Babylon was raised up so that they could be used to send Israel into exile. They were not righteous, but they became a tool for the LORD to bring correction to His people.
Perhaps the United States was raised up by the LORD to raise an army of missionaries to bring the Gospel to the far corners of the globe. We certainly have done that. Maybe our role in God’s hand is finished and He is letting us get the consequences of our collective unrighteousness. Only eternity will tell.
Can we apply this proverb to our lives? If we live righteously will we be exalted? I hope not! Our goal is to exalt Jesus. If the spotlight is on us, we had better move! If the light is momentarily on us we can use that moment to direct attention to the One who put us there.
We have a responsibility to ourselves, to those around us, and to the LORD to live in such a way that He gets exalted. We might travel along for the ride, but it should never be about us. Our focus should always be on Jesus and His work on our behalf.
The Arnold Journey 