A Nation that Is Blessed

This is a sermon that was offered in recognition of America's Independence Day and is based on the text in Psalm 33:12. Due to technical problems the audio recording of the message is not available.

Written Excerpts:

Psalm 33:12 ^(NKJV) Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, The people He has chosen as His own inheritance.

Introduction:

At the beginning of this service today we took a little time to talk about our nation’s independence and refer to some of the religious/spiritual heritage our nation was founded upon. As I considered the significance of our spiritual heritage, I recalled this verse from Ps. 33:12.

With the help of the Lord, I would like to speak to you today about the meaning of this verse and try to apply it to both our nation and to each of us personally.

I.     Who is God?

(Following breakdown of Ps. is from Tyndale Commentary)

33:1-3. A New Song – “The psalm begins with a call for the congregation (the righteous/the upright) to worship God with music and enthusiasm.”

“New Song” – term for victory song

(Keil and Delitzsch Commentary) – A "new song" is one which, in consequence of some new mighty deeds of God, comes from a new impulse of gratitude in the heart…”

33:4-5. The Word of God – “God’s word is right and true, and his actions in the world demonstrate his (covenantal) faithfulness.”

33:6-9. God Made the Heavens by His Word – The pagans believed that God or gods were all part of creation, but the Bible, including this psalm, declare that the creation is separate from God. And, God is the Creator. This demonstrates His awesome power, creativity and care of creation.

33:10-11. God’s Plans Prevail – “These verses contrast the plans of the Lord with the plans of the nations.”

33:12-15. God Sees All – [vv. 13-15] “God watches over all his people. He is concerned about their inner life (the hearts of all) and their actions (everything they do).”

33:16-19. God Saves – “Military success is not found in strength of numbers or in superior armaments, but rather in … God the Warrior who is able to deliver them from death through battle, famine or any other disaster.”

The Psalmist lays out a complete description of this one true God who is infinitely different and apart from all other gods. Who He is and what He has done is beyond compare to any gods of the pagans.

II.    Who is the nation?

“nation” –  (Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament) “… the basic idea is that of a defined body or group of people, or some specific large segment of a given body. The context will generally indicate the specific quality or characteristic which is to be understood…. The term gôy is used especially to refer to specifically defined political, ethnic or territorial groups of people…” 

(Tyndale Commentary) – v. 12; “However, there is one exception among the nations: the nation God chose for his inheritance, which of course is Israel (Exod. 19:3-6; Deut. 7:7-11). No other nation, ancient or modern, fits this category.”

The nation, whether Israel or Christian believers, is made up of those who earnestly seek to live a godly life. Today, God’s people [includes] the church. And we must keep in mind that God chose Israel [and the church] not just to bless them, but to bless all the nations through them.” The NT repeatedly reminds us that those who put their trust in Jesus Christ are grafted into Israel. The believers in Christ are fellow-heirs of the promises.

Psalm 33:1-3 – “The call contained in [these three verses] is addressed to the righteous and upright, who earnestly seek to live a godly and God-pleasing life, and the sole determining rule of whose conduct is the will and good pleasure of God.” (Keil and Delitzsch Commentary)

So, the nation, whether we’re talking about Israel or Christian believers, is that group of people who “seek to live godly and according to the will and good pleasure of God.”

III.  What does it mean?

Compare: Deuteronomy 33:29 ^(NKJV) Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD, The shield of your help And the sword of your majesty! Your enemies shall submit to you, And you shall tread down their high places."

The psalm obviously means that this awesome God has set His unfailing love upon Israel, calling out and creating a nation that was not a nation, beginning with Abraham. It should be seen as a direct contrast and distinction from the other nations all around them who believed that the gods they worshiped were territorial & were “responsible” for their protection from enemies, and for victories in conquering other nations.

e.g. – The Assyrian king brags against Israel saying that none of the gods of all the other nations he had conquered were able to save those people from his army. The God of Israel is all-powerful and He sets His unfailing love upon His people. He accomplishes all the things mentioned in preceding verses of this psalm.

But, He is not only Israel’s God because He chose them, but He is Israel’s God as long as they choose Him! When Israel abandons their allegiance to the Lord, and they disobey His clear commands, then God withdraws His protection and allows them to be conquered and destroyed by enemies. He’s still their God, but He isn’t delivering them from enemies as He has in the past. In that sense, they are no longer blessed.

In the same way, we not only are blessed because God has chosen “whosoever will” to be His people, but we are blessed as long as we cling to His Word and obey His will. 

I firmly believe that our nation has been abundantly blessed because of the clear and intentional commitment to the principles of the Bible in our founding documents. I believe our nation has been blessed because of our commitment to support and defend the nation of Israel. 

But, I am saddened to say that our nation has had decades of abandoning the principles of Scripture and therefore have no basis for God’s continued blessing. Except, if we follow the principle of 2 Chron. 7:14. This is not only true of our nation, but it is true of the church.

Institutional church denominations and organizations are rapidly abandoning the clear teachings of Scripture in favor of accommodating the immoral values of this world. So many have fallen prey to the world’s definition of tolerance and compassion and now practice a religion that has no moral direction or standards.

Let us purpose in our hearts to be a people that is devoted to the Word of God and pray for a revival of biblical faith and morality in our land.

I want to invite you to stand together and sing our closing song:

If My People’s Hearts Are Humbled