07/04/2024
HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!! 🇺🇸
The first mention of God occurs in the very first sentence of the declaration which refers to the source of power being the “Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God.” The beginning of this powerful document openly acknowledges from Whom power comes. The founders recognized that they had not created the power to establish a nation, but rather that power was given to them from God.
Second, God is referred to as the Creator Who endows humans with unalienable rights. In other words, God is the granter of human rights and the Creator of natural law. A year before the Declaration of Independence Alexander Hamilton wrote, “The sacred rights of mankind are not to be rummaged for, among old parchments, or musty records. They are written, as with a sun beam, in the whole volume of human nature, by the hand of the divinity itself; and can never be erased or obscured by mortal power.”
Third, God is called the “Supreme Judge of the world.” Our founding fathers recognized that justice is God’s idea, not man’s. He judges the actions of all people and ensures that ultimately true justice will prevail.
Fourth, the final sentence of the declaration says, “with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.” The founders entrusted themselves to God, the “divine Providence,” Who they believed had protected them and would continue to do so.
The Declaration of Independence laid the foundation for our Constitution. References to natural law, inalienable rights endowed by our Creator, the Supreme Judge of the World, and more, are principles that were reflected in and fleshed out in practical ways in our governing document that gave us a Republic that requires self-governing, three separate but equal branches of government, and important protections for some basic rights.
From beginning to end, the Declaration of Independence displays the founders understanding of and trust in God. Although our nation has drifted much since the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, we still have much to celebrate this Independence Day. Thanks to the wisdom of our founding fathers and the faithfulness of God, at least some of our unalienable rights are still largely protected. This week, let us thank God for the blessing of America and commit ourselves to doing what we can to restore God to His rightful place in our nation.
This is Julaine Appling for Wisconsin Family Council, reminding you the prophet Hosea said, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”
Independent from the world, let’s make sure we stay DEPENDENT on GOD!!
Remember,
“Hell from beneath is excited about you, To meet you at your coming; It stirs up the dead for you, All the chief ones of the earth; It has raised up from their thrones All the kings of the nations. They all shall speak and say to you: ‘Have you also become as weak as we? Have you become like us? Your pomp is brought down to hell, And the sound of your stringed instruments; The maggot is spread under you, And worms cover you.’”
Isaiah 14:9-11 NKJV
