Last night, President Obama addressed the nation on why we should go to war with Syria.
The nation yawned.
Other than the pundits on TV who whipped themselves up into a frenzy, nobody was really listening. I heard crickets. As a matter of fact, as a soccer fan, I was almost happy that people seemed to care more about the fact that the United States beat Mexico 2-0 to ensure a place in the World Cup in Brazil next year than they did about what the president said.
Why this apathy towards something so important?
As always, we see a Biblical precedent for this- it is found in 1 Kings 12.
After the Golden Age of Israel (King Saul, King David, and King Solomon), Solomon's son Rehoboam comes to power. The people of Israel come to him and say, "Your father placed on us a heavy burden; now lighten the harsh labor and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you."
King Rehoboam went to his advisors for some wisdom.
One set of advisors, the older men, said, "If today you will be a servant to these people and serve them and give them a favorable answer, they will always be your servants."
The other set of advisors, the younger spoiled brats who grew up with Rehoboam, said, "Tell them that my little finger is thicker than my father's waist. My father laid on you a heavy yoke; I will make it heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions."
In other words, the older guys said, "Treat the people with respect; listen to them and be a servant. You will have the hearts of the people. They will trust you and follow you." The younger guys said, "Screw you all. I'm king, I'll do what I want."
King Rehoboam listened to the advice of the younger people and told the nation of Israel what they told him to say. What was Israel's response?
Verse 16- "When all Israel saw that they king refused to listen to them, they answered the king, "What share do we have in David, what part in Jesse's son? To your tents, O Israel! Look after your own house, O David!"
In modern English, that basically says, "Fine. You won't listen to us? Screw you. From now on, we'll look after ourselves. We won't listen to you, we won't follow you, we won't back you up, we won't support you. Don't count on us for anything. From now on, we'll just look after ourselves."
Exactly what the American public said to Obama last night.
America has tuned this president out for the same reasons that Israel tuned out Rehoboam: Obama has refused to be a servant of the people. He has treated his position as president more like a king than an elected official, and in return, has lost the hearts of the American people.
Did Israel hate Rehoboam? No.
Does America hate Obama? No.
It's just that we aren't listening anymore.
We don't particularly care what he has to say. Everyone has gone to look after his own tent. Everyone has said, "What share do we have in this nation? We no longer have a president that represents us, nor do we have a government that acts as we want it to. We don't hate it- it's just that we don't care anymore."
This is the reason that there were crickets after Obama's speech last night. No one is listening anymore, because Obama has lost the heart of this nation.
He has refused to do anything about Benghazi- no one has been punished or brought to justice because of it.
He has refused to reign in the IRS. It is still targeting conservatives.
He has refused to do anything about the national debt. We are still having to borrow money to run our government.
He has refused to reign in the NSA and its activities spying on the American people.
He has refused to do anything about Lois Lerner or Eric Holder- these people still hold positions of power and receive paychecks from the government, even though they are criminals.
He has cut out a hot meal for veterans overseas while taking a one-week $100 million vacation to Africa.
All of these actions are modern-day Rehoboam statements, and as a result, he has received the same message from the American people that Rehoboam received from the Israelites. Apathy. Silence. Lack of support.
Things didn't end well for Rehoboam. President Obama would do well to read Scripture and find out how these things end up. However, those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it.
Everyone to your own tent, America.
The nation yawned.
Other than the pundits on TV who whipped themselves up into a frenzy, nobody was really listening. I heard crickets. As a matter of fact, as a soccer fan, I was almost happy that people seemed to care more about the fact that the United States beat Mexico 2-0 to ensure a place in the World Cup in Brazil next year than they did about what the president said.
Why this apathy towards something so important?
As always, we see a Biblical precedent for this- it is found in 1 Kings 12.
After the Golden Age of Israel (King Saul, King David, and King Solomon), Solomon's son Rehoboam comes to power. The people of Israel come to him and say, "Your father placed on us a heavy burden; now lighten the harsh labor and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you."
King Rehoboam went to his advisors for some wisdom.
One set of advisors, the older men, said, "If today you will be a servant to these people and serve them and give them a favorable answer, they will always be your servants."
The other set of advisors, the younger spoiled brats who grew up with Rehoboam, said, "Tell them that my little finger is thicker than my father's waist. My father laid on you a heavy yoke; I will make it heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions."
In other words, the older guys said, "Treat the people with respect; listen to them and be a servant. You will have the hearts of the people. They will trust you and follow you." The younger guys said, "Screw you all. I'm king, I'll do what I want."
King Rehoboam listened to the advice of the younger people and told the nation of Israel what they told him to say. What was Israel's response?
Verse 16- "When all Israel saw that they king refused to listen to them, they answered the king, "What share do we have in David, what part in Jesse's son? To your tents, O Israel! Look after your own house, O David!"
In modern English, that basically says, "Fine. You won't listen to us? Screw you. From now on, we'll look after ourselves. We won't listen to you, we won't follow you, we won't back you up, we won't support you. Don't count on us for anything. From now on, we'll just look after ourselves."
Exactly what the American public said to Obama last night.
America has tuned this president out for the same reasons that Israel tuned out Rehoboam: Obama has refused to be a servant of the people. He has treated his position as president more like a king than an elected official, and in return, has lost the hearts of the American people.
Did Israel hate Rehoboam? No.
Does America hate Obama? No.
It's just that we aren't listening anymore.
We don't particularly care what he has to say. Everyone has gone to look after his own tent. Everyone has said, "What share do we have in this nation? We no longer have a president that represents us, nor do we have a government that acts as we want it to. We don't hate it- it's just that we don't care anymore."
This is the reason that there were crickets after Obama's speech last night. No one is listening anymore, because Obama has lost the heart of this nation.
He has refused to do anything about Benghazi- no one has been punished or brought to justice because of it.
He has refused to reign in the IRS. It is still targeting conservatives.
He has refused to do anything about the national debt. We are still having to borrow money to run our government.
He has refused to reign in the NSA and its activities spying on the American people.
He has refused to do anything about Lois Lerner or Eric Holder- these people still hold positions of power and receive paychecks from the government, even though they are criminals.
He has cut out a hot meal for veterans overseas while taking a one-week $100 million vacation to Africa.
All of these actions are modern-day Rehoboam statements, and as a result, he has received the same message from the American people that Rehoboam received from the Israelites. Apathy. Silence. Lack of support.
Things didn't end well for Rehoboam. President Obama would do well to read Scripture and find out how these things end up. However, those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it.
Everyone to your own tent, America.
Well said, Bro. David! The POTUS is a Muslim and a traitor -- both qualities which our Founding Fathers did NOT support or institute into our U.S. Constitution.
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