In a recent copy of Coffee Talk Light News (September 11, 2015), an article by Lee Griffith caught my eye. I have used Mr. Griffith’s appropriate title of his article for this post.
In his piece, Mr. Griffith notes that more lives were lost in the 9/11 attack on the U.S. than in the attack on Pearl harbor. He notes, “There is actually a shocking similarity between the 9/11 attack on our nation and something that happened in ancient history. About a decade prior to the destruction of Israel by the Assyrians (722 B.C.), there was a limited strike by Assyria on portions of Israel…”
“The book of Isaiah makes it clear that this attack was an early cycle of judgment by God against the apostasy of a nation of people who had turned from God. This judgment was not intended to destroy the nation, but to awaken it. Instead of recognizing the alarm, the people of Israel reacted in arrogant defiance:
9 All the people will know — Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria — Who say in pride and arrogance of heart:
10 ” The bricks have fallen down, But we will rebuild with hewn stones; The sycamores are cut down, But we will replace them with cedars.”
(Isaiah 9:9-10, NKJV)
The bricks had fallen, but Israel, instead of seeing this as a warning from God and responding accordingly, just decided to rebuild with better materials.
The day after the attack of 9/11, Tom Daschle (then Senate Majority Leader) delivered a message in which he quoted Isaiah 9:10, “The bricks have fallen down, But we will rebuild…” Although Senator Daschle’s intentions were good, he failed to include Isaiah 9:9, recognizing the chance that the attack was a Devine warning requiring a Devine response.
Is this notable simialrity between ancient Israel and present-day U.S.A. a warning or a coincidence? Are we ignoring a blatent sign from our Heavenly Father that He wants our nation to return to the principals of the Bible, a nation who calls itself Christian but does not follow Jesus Christ or His principles?
Whether warning or coincidence, it doesn’t seem prudent to ignore historic lessons portrayed in God’s Word. God teaches us to repent, not rebuild.
