“If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it. And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it.” (Jeremiah 18.7–10)
This passage in Jeremiah is very interesting. The prophet just witnessed a potter shaping a vessel of clay. The pot became misshapen, so the potter reshaped it into something different. God then tells the prophet that this is what He does with the nations. If he intends to destroy a nation and they repent and turn to him, he does not destroy them. If he intends blessing on a nation and they turn away from him, then he does not bless them.
This is a general principle for how God works. He does not say that he will necessarily punish nations that are turned away from him, simply that had he intended to bless them and they turn away, he won’t bless them. Conversely, he doesn’t promise to always bless a nation that turns to him, just that if he intended to destroy them and they repent, he won’t destroy them as he had planned.
One part of this is the purpose of God’s punishment. He punishes with the intent to restore. If a nation sees the punishment coming and repents, the work God intended to accomplish by the punishment is complete and there is no longer any need for the destruction to take place.
What is particularly interesting to me in this passage is that God does not limit this principle to ethnic Israel, but broadly applies it to his work in the world. Therefore, we can readily apply this passage to our own nation today.
In applying it, we must ask a couple of questions.
1. Has God declared an intent to bless or destroy the United States of America?
I am not aware of any such declaration. I think most biblical scholars would agree that such a declaration does not exist in the scriptures. In light of this, we are required to apply only the general principle of the passage.
2. If we desire God’s blessing, and not his judgment, on our nation, what does this passage tell us about why God would act either way toward a nation?
The answer is simple. God desires that the people of a nation turn away from evil and listen to his voice as he tells us how to live in his ways, which will result in our ultimate joy.
Notice that I said “the people of a nation”. Here’s the last verse of the paragraph, as God deals specifically with the nation of Judah.
Now, therefore, say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: ‘Thus says the Lord, Behold, I am shaping disaster against you and devising a plan against you. Return, every one from his evil way, and amend your ways and your deeds.’ (Jeremiah 18:11)
Notice what he didn’t say. He didn’t say they needed to elect the right leaders. He didn’t say that he wanted the politicians to pass laws to reform the nation’s morals. He didn’t say they needed to properly define marriage. He didn’t say they needed to keep God in the schools.
What he did say was that the “every one” of the people should repent, turn from their evil ways and return to God.
3. What does that mean for us?
It means that if we desire God to bless our nation, or at least not destroy it, then our focus should be on our own repentance, not on other people’s behavior. If we, as God’s people in America, were to focus on our own “ways” and “deeds”, on our own returning to God and living the life he has called us to, our witness to our neighbors would be much greater than it is when we spend our energies trying to pass laws dictating how our neighbors will live as non-believers.
If our lives were characterized by love, love for God and for our neighbors (regardless of their attitude toward God and his ways), and our energies were spent making disciples instead of legalities, then we would have a much greater chance of seeing the hearts of the people of our nation turn toward God. And when that happens, the laws don’t really matter any more…
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