Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, and all that he did—his might, how he made war, and how he recaptured for Israel, from Damascus and Hamath, what had belonged to Judah—are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 2 Kings 14:28

And he did evil in the sight of the LORD; he did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin. 2 Kings 14:24

Jeroboam I was the first king of Israel when it was divided into Israel in the North and Judah in the South. Jeroboam I led the nation away from God from the outset. Generations later, Jeroboam II (the one in 2 Kings 14) became king. Please don’t miss this: Jeroboam II was a political and military success. But spiritually, he was evil in the sight of the Lord.

May we in America not be duped by political and military successes brought about by godless leaders. We can be thankful for the successes, but in the end, they are detrimental unless we as a nation turn to the Lord—not to anemic civil religion, but to biblical faith in and obedience to the King of kings.

Thank the Lord that we are blessed to live in a nation like no other in the world (as evidenced by the fact that people from all over the world want to come here!). But let us repent of the false notion that an ungodly nation (regardless of outward strength) will be spared the wrath of God in the end. Let us worship and follow the only true and living God of the Bible!