daily java

Daily Java: In Exodus 12:37-38, as the Israelites left Egypt, a count was taken. The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Succoth. There were about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children. Many other people went up with them, as well as large droves of livestock, both flocks and herds.

In Ezra 2:64, as they came back to Israel from Babylonian captivity 1000 years later, there were: The whole company numbered 42,360, besides their 7,337 menservants and maidservants; and they also had 200 men and women singers. They had 736 horses, 245 mules, 435 camels and 6,720 donkeys.

So few. Israel had started out so great. In the time of David and Solomon, the kingdom of Israel was the greatest world empire of its day, numbering in the millions.

Now, just 500 years later, they straggle home with less that 43,000 people. They had been conquered by other nations and enslaved, whittled down until they just had a small city worth of people.

Will America be the same?

In its heyday, the temple was covered in gold in the entire inside. The amount of stuff listed in the books of Chronicles was astonishing.

When they came back from Babylon? Ezra 1:9-11: Moreover, King Cyrus brought out the articles belonging to the temple of the LORD, which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of his god. Cyrus king of Persia had them brought by Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah. This was the inventory: gold dishes 30, silver dishes 1,000, silver pans 10, gold bowls 30, matching silver bowls 410, other articles 1,000. In all, there were 5,400 articles of gold and of silver. Sheshbazzar brought all these along when the exiles came up from Babylon to Jerusalem.

So few things left from the riches of Solomon. All of that stuff gone.

Where did it go? Mainly it paid off all of the people attacking Israel and Judah, and was stolen when they were conquered.

The glory of Israel could now be carried in a couple of carts.

It makes one wonder about us as a civilization. There are those in our country who seem bound and determined to destroy us as a civilization.

Which brings up a sad question: will there be anything left from the riches of our heritage in our country in the near future?

We started and grew so great. The Christian basis upon which we founded our country was a strong one.

But when that began to go, America began to founder. Without God, we will become like the nation of Israel: conquered by somebody and a remnant nation, a shadow of what we were.

A sad ending to a great nation. Israel was never again what they were before. In fact, until the 1940’s, there wasn’t even a nation of Israel. And the one today is different than that one.

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land (2 Chronicles 7:14).

I pray we can turn back. But I am afraid it is too late.