(Parallels
to America and the nations today,
Extrapolated
from the Book of Jeremiah)
The
Word of the Lord came to me:
'Go
and proclaim in the hearing of America, in the hearing of New York
City
And
all the other cities of America:
'I
remember the devotion of your youth, how as a bride you loved Me
And
followed Me through the gaining of your independence,
Through
a land not sown.
America
was holy to the Lord, the first fruits of His harvest.
All
who devoured her were held guilty, and disaster overtook them,'
Declares
the Lord.
Hear
the world of the Lord, O America, all you clans of America.
This
is what the Lord says:
'What
fault did your fathers find in Me that they strayed so far from Me?
They
followed worthless idols and became worthless themselves.
They
did not ask, 'where is the Lord, who brought us up out of bondage
And
led us to America, across a fierce ocean
From
a land of darkness and sin.
I
brought you into a fertile land to eat its fruit and rich produce.
But
you came and defiled My land and made My inheritance detestable.
The
preachers did not ask, 'Where is the Lord?'
Those
who deal with The Word of God did not know Me;
The
leaders rebelled against Me.
The
prophets prophesied by the spirit of the evil one,
Following
the worthless idols of the day, even what their hands had made.
Speaking
only what itching ears wanted to hear.
'Therefore
I bring charges against you again,' declares the Lord.
'And
I will bring charges against your children's children.
Cross
over to the coasts of Kittim and look,
Send
to Kedar and observe closely;
See
if there has ever been anything like this:
Has
a nation ever changed its gods? (Yet they are not gods at all.)
But
My people have exchanged their Glory for worthless idols.
Be
appalled at this, O heavens, and shudder with great horror,'
Declares
the Lord.
My
people have committed two sins:
They
have forsaken Me, the spring of Living Water,
And
have dug their own cisterns,
Broken
cisterns that cannot hold water.
Is
America a servant, a slave by birth? Why then has he become plunder?
Lions
have roared; they have growled at him.
They
have desire to lay waste his land;
They
desire to see his towns burned and deserted.
Also,
your enemies have shaved the crown of your head.
Have
you not brought this on yourselves by forsaking the Lord your God
When
He led you in the WAY?
Now
why go to other nations to drink water from their polluted steams?
Your
wickedness will punish you; your backsliding will rebuke you.
Consider
then and realize how evil and bitter it is for you
When
you forsake the Lord your God and have no awe of Me,'
Declares
the Lord, the Lord Almighty.
Long
ago you broke off your yoke and tore off your bonds;
You
said, 'I will not serve you!'
Indeed,
on every high hill and under every spreading tree
You
lay down as a prostitute.
I
had planted you like a choice vine of sound and reliable stock.
How
then did you turn against Me into a corrupt, wild vine?
Although
you wash yourself with soda and use an abundance of soap,
The
stain of your guilt is still before Me,' declares the Sovereign Lord.
How
can you say, 'I am not defiled; I have not run after worthless
idols?'
See
how you behaved in the valley; consider what you have done.
You
are a swift she-camel running here and there,
A
wild donkey accustomed to the desert, sniffing the wind in her
craving--
In
her heat who can restrain her?
Do
not run until your feet are bare and your throat is dry.
But
you said, 'It is no use! I love foreign gods, and I must go after
them.'
'As
a thief is disgrace when he is caught, so America is disgraced--
Their
presidents and their government officials, their governors and
mayors,
Their
preachers and their prophets.
They
say to what their hands have made, 'You are my father,'
And
to what is material and technological, 'You gave me birth.'
They
have turned their backs to me and not their faces;
Yet
when they are in trouble, they say, 'Come and save us!'
Where
then are the gods you made for yourselves?
Let
them come if they can save you when you are in trouble!
For
you have as many gods as you have towns, O America.
Why
do you bring charges against Me?
You
have all rebelled against me,' declares the Lord.
In
vain I punished your people; they did not respond to correction.
Your
wicked mouth has discredited the prophets I sent to you
Like a ravening lion.
You
of this generation, consider the Word of the Lord:
'Have
I been a desert to America or a land of great darkness?
Why
do My people say, 'We are free to roam; we will come to You no more?'
Does
a maiden forget he jewelry, a bride her wedding ornaments?
Yet
My people have forgotten Me, days without number.
How
skilled you are at pursuing love!
Even
the worst of women can learn from your ways.
On
your clothes men find the lifeblood of the innocent poor,
Though
you did not catch them breaking in.
Yet
in spite of all this you say, 'I am innocent;
He
is not angry with me.'
But
I will pass judgment on you because you say,
'I
have not sinned.'
Why
do you go about so much, changing your ways?
You
will be disappointed by Europe and all the other nations you look to.
You
will leave the United Nations with your hands on your head,
For
the Lord has rejected those you trust; You will not be helped by
them.
'If
a man divorces his wife and she leaves him and marries another man,
Should
he return to her again?
Would
not the land be completely defiled?
But
you have lived as a prostitute with many lovers—
Would
you now return to Me?' declares the Lord.
Look
up to the barren heights and see.
Is
there any place where you have not been ravished?
By
the roadside you sat waiting for lovers, sat like a nomad in the
desert.
You
have defiled the land with your prostitution and wickedness.
Therefore
the showers have been withheld, and no spring rains have fallen.
Yet
you have the brazen look of a prostitute;
You
refuse to blush with shame.
Have
your not just called to Me: My Father, my Friend from my youth,
Will
You always be angry? Will Your wrath continue forever?'
This
is how you talk, but you do all the evil you can.'
(Extrapolated
from Jeremiah 2, 3:1-6)
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