Interpretation Without Wisdom is Destructive!

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance. (Psalm 33:12)

On my computer, I receive a scripture of the day each morning. On the 4th of July, I was horrified to receive Psalm 33:12. The scripture implies that the United States national holiday is uniquely blessed by God. We are chosen for divine inheritance above all others. The app's editors created a terrible misinterpretation by implying that our nation is the chosen replacement for the people of Israel. What of all the other God-fearing people throughout the world? If they had only been born American!

Allow me to quote from 2 Peter 1:20, "Knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation." Quoting a Scripture out of context warps God's truth. We do not need to pretend that our nation is the embodiment of the Israelites to receive God's blessings. Christ expanded the chosen people from a single nation to all God's people worldwide. Attempting to limit Christ's love and blessing to a single nation is selfish and arrogant, which are not qualities of our Triune God.

In the week after Independence Day, take time to give thanks for all the blessings we have as a nation. Rather than celebrating divinely chosen nationalism, humbly realize that with many blessings come many responsibilities. Prayerfully ponder what God expects from us since we've received so much. With humility, ask God to help all Americans recognize that we are not innately better than people from other nations but fortunate. Finally, ask God to give our nation the humble wisdom to focus on global support and care. Helping others does not diminish us.