The Eastern Tribes' Altar of Witness

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Joshua 22:1) Then Joshua called the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh,

In the past few chapters, all of the promised land had been divided and given to each of the tribes.  Cities of refuge had been established, and each tribe gave some of their cities to the Levites where they could dwell since they did not have their own land.  Then Joshua called to him the two and a half tribes who had their inheritance east of the Jordan River.

(2) And said to them, "You have kept all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you and have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you."

When the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh desired their lots to be east of the Jordan River, Moses agreed because they said they would leave their families there in safety but would fight with the other tribes west of the Jordan, and they promised not to return to their lots on the east until the land was subdued and every tribe had its inheritance (Numbers 32:18).  The two and a half tribes had obeyed Joshua's every command and went wherever he told them to go (Joshua 1:16).

(3) "You have not left your brethren these many days until this day but have kept the charge of the commandment of the Lord your God."

Joshua commended the men of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh, for staying with their brethren on the west side of the Jordan up to that point.  It had been very many days according to Dr. John Gill in his Exposition of the Bible, who wrote that the consensus of the Jews was that it had been fourteen years, seven years subduing the land and seven years dividing it.

(4) "And now the Lord your God has given rest to your brethren as He promised them; therefore now return and go to your tents to the land of your possession which Moses the servant of the Lord gave you on the other side of Jordan."

Now that the Lord had given all Israel rest from their enemies and every tribe had been given his lot, Joshua gave the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh, permission to return to their homes on the east side of the Jordan.  They had fulfilled the condition that they wait until the land of Canaan was subdued and only then would they be given their inheritance east of the Jordan (Numbers 32:22).

(5) "But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord charged you, to love the Lord your God and to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commandments, and to cleave to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul."

Joshua advised his brethren to make sure that they diligently followed the commandments of their Lord to love, honor, and serve Him with all their hearts and souls, and to cleave to Him, walk in His ways, and obey all His commandments.

(6) So Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their tents. (7) Now to the half of the tribe of Manasseh Moses had given in Bashan, but to the other half Joshua gave among their brethren on this side of Jordan westward. And when Joshua sent them away also to their tents, then he blessed them.

It appears that all of Manasseh had come before Joshua, but as only half of them had received land on the east of the Jordan, Bashan, the kingdom of Og, Joshua sent the half tribe living on the west side of the Jordan to their tents.  Then he sent the two and a half tribes back to their tents on the east of Jordan, and he blessed them.

(8) And he spoke to them, saying, "Return with much riches to your tents, and with very much cattle, with silver, and with gold, and with brass, and with iron, and with very much clothing; divide the spoil of your enemies with your brethren."

Joshua told them to return to their homes with a division of the spoil they had acquired from their enemies, of the cattle, silver, gold, brass, iron, and fine clothing.  Some Biblical scholars think this meant they were to divide the spoil with their brethren who had remained at home on the east of the Jordan to protect the women, children, and livestock.  That may be, as only 40,000 (Joshua 4:13) of the approximately 110,000 able to go to war, according to the census taken in Numbers 26, went to help their brethren in the west. 

(9) And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh returned and departed from the children of Israel out of Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan, to go to the country of Gilead, to the land of their possession which they possessed according to the word of the Lord by the hand of Moses.

And so the men of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, departed Shiloh in Canaan to return to their land east of the Jordan River, the country of Gilead (and Bashan), the land they were given according to the word of the Lord through Moses.

(10) And when they came to the borders of Jordan in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by Jordan, a great altar to see.

When the two and a half tribes arrived at the Jordan River, they built a great altar built very high to be seen from far away.  Although verse 10 makes it sound as if they built the altar in the land of Canaan, the next verse indicates they built it on their own side of the Jordan, but perhaps visible from Canaan.

(11) And the children of Israel heard say, "Behold, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh have built an altar across from Canaan in the borders of Jordan at the passage of the children of Israel."

The Israelites on the west side of the Jordan River learned by hearsay that the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, had built an altar across from Canaan on the banks of the Jordan where they had passed over when they first came into Canaan.

(12) And when the children of Israel heard, the whole congregation of the children of Israel gathered themselves together at Shiloh, to go up to war against them.

When the Israelites in the land of Canaan learned about the altar, they gathered themselves together at Shiloh where the tabernacle and altar of the Lord were.  They considered the altar built by the two and a half tribes an offense to the Lord that needed to be avenged, and they discussed going to war against them.

(13) And the children of Israel sent to the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the half tribe of Manasseh, to the land of Gilead, Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the priest, (14) And with him ten princes, of each chief house a prince throughout all the tribes of Israel, and each one a head of the house of their fathers among the thousands of Israel.

The Israelites in Canaan on the west of the Jordan sent Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the priest, and ten princes, one from each tribe, each from the chief house in their tribe, over the Jordan River to Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh.

(15) And they came to the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the half tribe of Manasseh, to the land of Gilead, and they spoke with them, saying, (16) "Thus says the whole congregation of the Lord, 'What trespass is this that you have committed against the God of Israel, to turn away this day from following the Lord, in that you have built you an altar, that you might rebel this day against the Lord?'"

The delegation came to the eastern tribes, telling them that the entire congregation in Canaan wanted to know why they had committed such iniquity against their Lord by building an altar to rebel against Him.  Many people before them had built altars to honor God, but God had said in Deuteronomy 12:13-14, that they were not to offer burnt offerings in any place they wanted, but only in the one place that the Lord Himself would choose.  The western Israelites must have assumed that the tribes on the east wanted to sacrifice at the altar they had made.

(17) "'Is the iniquity of Peor too little for us from which we are not cleansed until this day, although there was a plague in the congregation of the Lord? (18) But that you must turn away this day from following the Lord? And it will be, if you rebel today against the Lord, that tomorrow He will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel.'"

They asked if the sin of worshipping the idol Peor in the plains of Moab (Numbers 25:2) was so small a sin that they must add to it a much greater sin of what they assumed to be continuous idol worship.  They said they had not been cleansed from the shame and disgrace of that sin until this time when they started anew in their promised land, although there had been 24,000 people killed by a plague because of it (Numbers 25:9).  They were convinced that if the two and a half tribes continued with their altar the Lord would be angry with the entire congregation.

(19) "'Nevertheless, if the land of your possession is unclean, pass over to the land of the possession of the Lord where the Lord's tabernacle dwells and take possession among us, but do not rebel against the Lord, nor rebel against us, in building an altar besides the altar of the Lord our God.'"

I believe the sense is that if the two and a half tribes felt their land was unclean because it had not been cleansed from the sins of the former inhabitants, and they felt a need for an altar where they could sacrifice for the atonement of sin, then they should go back to the land of Canaan on the west of the Jordan and possess land there.  But they asked that they not rebel against the Lord and their brethren by building an altar besides the one altar of their Lord God.

(20) "'Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass in the accursed thing, and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel? And that man did not perish alone in his iniquity.'"

They reminded them of the sin of Achan when he sinned against the Lord by taking of the accursed things against the commandment of the Lord (Joshua 7:11).  Achan had not perished alone in his iniquity.  The Israelites had lost their first battle with Ai where they fled before their enemies, and thirty-six of them were killed by the men of Ai (Joshua 7:5).

(21) Then the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, answered and said to the heads of the thousands of Israel, (22) "The Lord God of gods, He knows, and Israel shall know; if it is in rebellion or if in transgression against the Lord, do not save us this day, (23) That we have built us an altar to turn from following the Lord, or if to offer on it burnt offering or meat offering, or if to offer peace offerings on it, let the Lord Himself require it."

Then the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, answered their accusers.  Their Lord God knew their hearts, and now all of Israel would know, because if they had rebelled against the Lord or transgressed against Him, they asked that the Lord not save them alive that day.  If they had built that altar in order to turn away from following the Lord or to offer sacrifices on it, even if to their Lord God, then let the Lord Himself require their punishment.

(24) "And if we have not done it for fear of this, saying, 'In time to come your children might speak to our children, saying, "What have you to do with the Lord God of Israel? (25) For the Lord has made Jordan a border between us and you, you children of Reuben and children of Gad, you have no part in the Lord." So shall your children make our children cease from fearing the Lord.'"

However, they declared they had rather built the altar because they feared their children might turn away from the Lord.  They saw a time when the children of the Israelites in Canaan would notice a border between them and the two and a half tribes east of the Jordan and determine that it must mean the eastern tribes had no part in the Lord, that He Himself had placed a border between them.  They feared that their children might then cease from fearing and following their Lord God.

(26) "Therefore we said, 'Let us now prepare to build us an altar, not for burnt offering nor for sacrifice, (27) But as a witness between us and you and our generation after us, that we might do the service of the Lord before Him with our burnt offerings and with our sacrifices and with our peace offerings, that your children may not say to our children in time to come, "You have no part in the Lord."'"

Therefore the two and a half tribes built an altar, not for offerings or sacrifice, but as a symbol of their solidarity with Israel and in the worship of the Lord God of Israel.  In the future, children of the tribes in Canaan would know that the two and a half tribes indeed had a part in their Lord God and would allow them to come to Canaan to the altar of the Lord with their offerings and sacrifices.

(28) "Therefore we said that it shall be when they should say so to us or to our generations in time to come, that we may say, 'Behold the pattern of the altar of the Lord which our fathers made, not for burnt offerings, nor for sacrifices, but as a witness between us and you.'"

They built the altar so that in generations to come if the tribes in Canaan suggested that they had no part in their Lord, that they could point to the pattern of their altar built by their fathers, that it was an exact replica of the altar in Canaan, not for offerings or sacrifices, but as a witness between the tribes that they all worshipped the same God.

(29) "God forbid that we should rebel against the Lord and turn this day from following the Lord, to build an altar for burnt offerings, for meat offerings, or for sacrifices, besides the altar of the Lord our God that is before His tabernacle."

The two and a half tribes proclaimed that God forbid they should do such an abhorrent thing as to rebel against their Lord God and build an altar at which to bring sacrifices and offerings, besides the one true altar of the Lord at His tabernacle.  

(30) And when Phinehas the priest and the princes of the congregation and heads of the thousands of Israel with him heard the words that the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the children of Manasseh spoke, it pleased them.

When Phinehas the priest and the ten princes representing thousands in Israel heard what the two and a half tribes said about the purpose of their altar, they were pleased.

(31) And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said to the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the children of Manasseh, "This day we perceive that the Lord is among us because you have not committed this trespass against the Lord; now you have delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of the Lord."

Phinehas the priest then told the two and half tribes that he was sure the Lord was among them all because they had not done what the western Israelites had feared they had done.  And because their hearts and motives were pure, they had saved all of Israel from the anger of the Lord.

(32) And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest and the princes returned from the children of Reuben and from the children of Gad, out of the land of Gilead to the land of Canaan to the children of Israel and brought them back word.

Phinehas and the ten princes returned to their tribes on the west of the Jordan River and told them what had transpired with the two and a half tribes on the east side.

(33) And the thing pleased the children of Israel, and the children of Israel blessed God and did not intend to go up against them in battle to destroy the land in which the children of Reuben and Gad dwelt.

All of western Israel was pleased to hear the outcome, and they blessed and thanked God that no trespass had been made against Him, and therefore they did not intend to go to battle against their brethren in the east.

(34) And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad named the altar, "For it is a witness between us that the Lord is God."

The eastern tribes named their altar as it was always to be remembered as a witness between the Israelites on both sides of the Jordan that the Lord was the one true God worshiped by both.  The KJV and many other translations inserted the word "Ed" which meant "witness" to say that the eastern tribes named the altar Ed because it was a witness.  However, the original text did not specify a name, only that it was named for it was to be remembered as a witness that the Israelites on both sides of the Jordan worshipped the same God.

The western tribes had jumped to a wrong conclusion about their eastern brethren.  It may have been wrong to judge them without knowing the facts, but they were zealous for their Lord, wanting no trespass against Him nor any sin in the house of Israel.  Although they had initially planned to go to war with them, they first sent a delegation to confront the two and a half tribes and gave them a chance to respond, so all was worked out peacefully.  It's a good lesson in how Christians ought to resolve conflicts, and additionally, they ought always to remember that God judges the heart, and they can't be too quick to jump to erroneous conclusions just because of how they think a thing looks.

Israel Defeated at Ai Because of Sin in the Camp

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Joshua 7:1) But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing, for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing, and the anger of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel.

In the last chapter and post, Israel had taken Jericho when they obeyed their Lord and marched around it seven days in a row and the walls of Jericho fell.  The Lord had also told the people through Joshua that everything in the city was cursed, and they were forbidden to take anything of the accursed thing; only the silver, gold, brass, and iron were to be taken and put into the Lord's treasury.  Now it seems that Achan from the tribe of Judah disobeyed and took from the accursed thing and brought the Lord's anger against His people.

(2) And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, beside Beth Aven, on the east side of Bethel, and spoke to them, saying, "Go up and view the country." And the men went up and viewed Ai.

Again Joshua sent spies to check out the next place, Ai, north of Jericho, on the east side of Bethel, being the same place where Abraham built an altar in Genesis 12:8, only there it was called Hai.

(3) And they returned to Joshua and said to him, "Do not let all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and strike Ai; do not make all the people labor there, for they are few."

The spies came back to Joshua with their report and suggestion that Joshua only send two or three thousand men into Ai.  They said there was no need to send all the people and weary them all because the inhabitants of Ai were few in number.

(4) So there went up there of the people about three thousand men, and they fled before the men of Ai.

As the spies suggested, about three thousand Israelite men went into Ai, but they wound up fleeing from the men of Ai.  Because God was angry with Israel and had turned from them, their courage had failed.

(5) And the men of Ai struck of them about thirty-six men, for they chased them before the gate to Shebarim, and struck them in the descent; therefore the hearts of the people melted and became as water.

The men of Ai struck down about thirty-six of the Israelite men in their pursuit of them.  They chased them from the city gate to a place called Shebarim, which may have been named after this event, as it meant "ruin or broken."  They struck them in their descent, which indicates that Ai was on a hill.  However, some suggest that the original word "morad" that was translated as "descent" may have actually been the proper name of a place that descended from Ai.  The Israelites were completely discouraged and faint of heart because of this.

(6) And Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the Lord until the evening, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads.

Joshua tore his clothes, a sign of distress, and fell upon his face before the ark of the Lord until the evening.  The elders joined him in humbling themselves before the Lord, and they all put dust on their heads, another sign of distress and mourning.

(7) And Joshua said, "Alas, O Lord God, why have You at all brought this people over Jordan to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? Oh, that we had been content and dwelt on the other side of Jordan!"

Joshua's faith faltered and he asked the Lord why He had brought them over the Jordan only to deliver them into the hand of the Amorites.  However, the next part of what he said sounds as if he gave some blame to himself and the people because they were not content to dwell on the other side of the Jordan, but desired something better.

(8) "O Lord, what shall I say when Israel turns its back before its enemies? (9) For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear and shall surround us and cut off our name from the earth, and what will You do to Your great name?"

Joshua asked the Lord about what he should say when Israel turned away and fled from their enemies.  What should he say when their enemies were emboldened because their Lord had seemingly turned His back on His people, or worse, was not strong enough to lead His people to victory against them?  What would that do to His great name?

(10) And the Lord said to Joshua, "Get up! Why do you lie thus on your face?"

The Lord asked Joshua why he lay on his face. It's not that there was anything inherently wrong with Joshua falling before and praying to his Lord, but the Lord instructed Joshua to get up for there was more than prayer that had to be done.

(11) "Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them for they have even taken of the accursed thing and have also stolen, and lied also, and they have even put it among their own stuff."

The Lord told Joshua that Israel had sinned; they had transgressed by doing the very thing God had commanded through Joshua that they not do, take of the accursed thing and make the camp of Israel a curse (Joshua 6:18).  Although only one man had stolen of the accursed thing, lied about it, and put it among his own things, he had brought a curse on the entire camp of Israel by his actions.

(12) "Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned back before their enemies, because they were cursed; neither will I be with you anymore unless you destroy the cursed from among you."

And because the entire camp of Israel was cursed, they were unable to stand before the men of Ai but turned and fled.  The Lord told Joshua He would no longer be with him and them unless he destroyed the cursed from among them.

(13) "Up, sanctify the people, and say, 'Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow for thus says the Lord God of Israel, "There is an accursed thing in the midst of you, O Israel; you cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the accursed thing from among you."'"

The Lord told Joshua to get up and sanctify the people by telling them to sanctify themselves by prayer and repentance for the next day, for the Lord God of Israel said there was a cursed thing among them and that they would not be able to stand against their enemies until they removed it from among them.

(14) "'In the morning therefore you shall be brought according to your tribes, and it shall be the tribe which the Lord takes shall come according to its families, and the family which the Lord shall take shall come by households, and the household that the Lord shall take shall come man by man.'"

The Lord went on to instruct Joshua he was to tell the people that in the next morning they would be brought out according to their tribes.  Although we are not told exactly how, the Lord would take one of the tribes, and then that tribe would be brought forth according to its families.  The Lord would take one of those families, and then that family would be brought forth according to households.  Again the Lord would take one of those households, and then the household would come forth man by man.

(15) "And it shall be he who is taken with the accursed thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he has, because he has transgressed the covenant of the Lord and because he has wrought folly in Israel."

The Lord continued on to say that the one person who was taken with the accursed thing was to be burnt with fire, he and all that he had.  It should be noted that the accursed thing should have been burnt by fire when the accursed city of Jericho was burnt with fire in Joshua 6:24.  Now the one who had the accursed thing and all that he had would be burned along with the cursed thing.  That was because he had transgressed against the covenant God had made with Israel regarding the taking of Jericho, and he had thus brought foolishness and wickedness into the camp of Israel.

(16) So Joshua rose up early in the morning and brought Israel by their tribes, and the tribe of Judah was taken.

Joshua rose up early the next morning and brought all the people out according to their tribes.  Again it was not described exactly how, but the tribe of Judah was taken by the Lord.

(17) And he brought the family of Judah, and He took the family of the Zarhites, and he brought the family of the Zarhites man by man and Zabdi was taken.

Then Joshua brought out the tribe of Judah according to families, and the Lord took the family of the Zarhites who descended from Judah's son Zerah.  Then Joshua brought out the family of the Zarhites, actually household by household rather than each single man by man, as the Lord took the household of Zabdi, not Zabdi himself.

(18) And he brought his household man by man, and Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah of the tribe of Judah was taken.

Indeed it was the household of Zabdi that was then brought out man by man, and Achan, the son of Carmi who was the son of Zabdi and part of his household, of the family of Zerah of the tribe of Judah, was taken by the Lord.  The Lord Himself showed Israel the one guilty of bringing a curse upon her and all her people.

(19) And Joshua said to Achan, "My son, give, I pray you, glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession to Him, and tell me now what you have done; do not hide from me."

Joshua then spoke to Achan, notably in a very affectionate way, even though he knew him to be a wicked criminal who had single-handedly brought a curse upon all of Israel.  There is a sweet lesson in this simple demonstration by Joshua.  It's a sad thing when a child of God has strayed so far from His Father as to bring death and eternal destruction to himself.  May we always recognize the poor state of the sinner and pity him for his choices, remembering that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, our fellow humans, but against the powers of Satan and his demons (Ephesians 6:12), and we can have compassion on the one who has been deceived by Satan.  Joshua called on Achan to give glory to his Lord and make confession to Him by telling Joshua what he had done.  He told him not to hide the truth from him, but that would have been obviously futile as the Lord Himself had shown Achan to be guilty of the curse against Israel.  However, he could tell Joshua the particulars which would allow him to remove the accursed thing from the midst of the Israelites' camp.

(20) And Achan answered Joshua and said, "Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I have done. (21) When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonian garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels' weight, then I coveted them and took them, and behold, they are hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent and the silver under it."

Achan did confess to Joshua and the Lord that he had sinned against the Lord.  When he had seen a magnificent Babylonian garment, he coveted it and took it, even though his Lord had commanded through Joshua that he not do that.  But even worse than that, it seems to me, he coveted and took the things that were devoted to the Lord, the silver and gold.  He not only disobeyed God, but he stole from Him.  He told Joshua all the things were hidden in the earth under his tent.

(22) So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent, and behold, hidden in his tent and the silver under it.

Joshua sent those called messengers to Achan's tent, and they found the garment with the gold and the silver under them, just as Achan had said.

(23) And they took them out of the midst of the tent and brought them to Joshua and to all the children of Israel and laid them out before the Lord.

The messengers brought the accursed things out of Achan's tent to Joshua and all of Israel, and they laid them out before the Lord.

(24) And Joshua and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had, and they brought them to the valley of Achor.

Joshua and the people took Achan and the cursed things he had stolen, along with everything he had that had been cursed along with him, including his livestock and even his children, and brought them all to the valley of Achor.

(25) And Joshua said, "Why have you troubled us? The Lord shall trouble you this day." And all Israel stoned him with stones and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones.

Joshua asked Achan why he had caused so much trouble for all of them, and then he declared God's curse on him in righteous return.  All Israel then stoned him with stones and burned him with fire.  It seems they stoned to death and burned even his children and livestock.  It makes one wonder why the children had to be killed for their father's actions when God stated in Deuteronomy 24:16 that children would not be put to death for their fathers and vice versa.  We know that God is just and righteous and can be nothing but.  We also know that God could not tolerate Achan's cursed things to pollute the camp.  It is very likely that his children were grown and knew what he had done and did not reveal it.  However, if any of them were completely innocent and knew nothing about it, you can be sure that God took them home to be with Him.  Real life is the eternal life we have with God, not this temporary blip on earth.  Dr. John Gill, in his Exposition of the Bible, took it a step further.  He laid emphasis on the words "this day."  Perhaps Achan (and his family) was only troubled that day, but would be forgiven his iniquity and saved with an everlasting salvation after his confession before the Lord.  Judgment belongs to the Lord, and we can be sure He is just.

(26) And they raised over him a great heap of stones to this day. So the Lord turned from the fierceness of His anger. Therefore the name of the place was called the Valley of Achor to this day.

The people raised a huge heap of stones over Achan that remained to the day Joshua wrote this account.  The Lord turned from His anger because all the accursed things had been removed from the camp.  It seems that the valley was not named until after this event as it was called the Valley of Achor, "achor" meaning "troubled."

The lesson here is about what sin in the camp can do to the whole.  Sin in a household troubles the entire household.  What about sin in a nation?  I often think about how we can declare so proudly, "God Bless America" while we allow the sins of abortion, homosexual "marriage," and sex trafficking of children.  How can we expect God to bless such a nation?  And how can we expect to survive without His blessing?  All we can pray is that God have mercy on us!