KEY VERSE: “I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God… The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it.” – Revelation 21:2, 24

The spirituality of a nation is the foundation of its social cohesion, and this cohesion transforms a people into a nation. There are four terms often used as synonyms, but they are not: people, country, state, and nation.

First, “people” refers to the population of human beings living within a given space. For example, the people or population of the United States is close to 330 million, while the people of Haiti number about 12 million.

Second, “country” refers to the physical territory occupied by a distinct group of people. The country of the United States, for instance, covers 9,630,709 km², while Haiti’s territory is about 27,750 km².

Third, “state” refers to the various institutions that enable a people to function in an organized manner. A state may have ministries of agriculture, family, finance, sports, and so on.

But “nation” does not mean any of these things. A people can be counted, a country can be measured, and the institutions of a state can be identified, but the concept of a nation is abstract. A nation is a family.

The Bible says: “All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him.” – Psalm 22:27 (NIV)

A nation is meant to be a large family. Without this fraternal bond, the inhabitants are merely a group of strangers living on the same land. The atmosphere would be like that of a jungle.

One of the factors that creates a sense of brotherhood in a nation is worship. This is evident in the case of Israel. When the children of Israel left Egypt, they were not a monolithic group. The Bible says:

“The Israelites set out from Rameses for Succoth; there were about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women, children, and the elderly. A mixed multitude also went up with them, along with large droves of livestock, both flocks and herds.“ – Exodus 12:37-38 (NIV)

The Bible states that a “mixed multitude” also accompanied them. The term “mixed multitude” means “foreigners” in the Bible (Jeremiah 50:37, Nehemiah 13:3). There was likely a significant number of Egyptians among them, as Moses was considered a hero among the Egyptians (Exodus 11:3). There were also Ethiopians, as Moses had married an Ethiopian woman (Numbers 12:1).

Thus, the nation of Israel did not begin as a homogeneous group; it was originally quite diverse. The force that united them into one people and eventually into a nation was their worship of the Lord. Moses went to Pharaoh and said:

“The Lord commands you to let His people go so they may worship Him.“ – Exodus 7:26 (NIV)

The initial bond that made Israel a nation was not their language, skin color, food, or dress code; it was their worship of the same God. Worship unites and keeps people together.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, I worship You and You alone. May my worship draw closer to You the people You have placed in my life. In Jesus Christ’s name, I pray.
Amen.

APPLICATION

The presence of the Lord creates extraordinary bonds; let us commit today to inviting friends, colleagues, and others to worship God with us.

This text is an excerpt from the book “BUILDING A HOLY NATION: THE ROLE OF SPIRITUALITY” by Pastor Gregory Toussaint.

We invite you to read the following article: “THE SPIRITUALITY OF A NATION AFFECTS ITS DEVELOPMENT.”