The destruction of a nation

15But Yahweh, the God of their ancestors sent word against them by the hand of His messengers, sending them time and time again, for He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place. 16But they kept ridiculing God’s messengers, despising His words, and scoffing at His prophets, until the Lord’s wrath was so stirred up against His people that there was no remedy. 17So He brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their choice young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary. He had no pity on young men or young women, elderly or aged; He handed them all over to him. 2 Chronicles 36:15-17

This passage was part of my reading in the Bible plan I've been doing for the last month or so. And I couldn't help but be struck by it. As I read this, my heart broke as I saw God essentially give up on His chosen people. I know that He did not give up on them, but He had to give them up for a time because they had fallen too far to be able to respond to all of His messengers and His compassion for them. And this is, in my humble view, the way that our nation is headed. 

The United States has been blessed as a nation as we look back on our history. We have freedoms that people in other countries have only dreamed about. But, we are not God's chosen people and we have taken liberties with the blessings we have received. We turn our backs on God, kicking Him out of our schools and out of the public setting, and then we shake our fists at Him when tragedy strikes. The Gospel message is rejected, God's Word is no longer seen as Truth, we turn and walk in sin, fulfilling our own pleasures and desires. If God hasn't given up on us yet, I wonder if He's close. I know I would be.