HOME "Ephraim My Firstborn"
As I began the effort to understand the significance of Jeremiah 31:9 (KJV: Ephraim is my firstborn) it didn't take long before I realized that the subject is enormous in scope. It begins with an understanding of the significance of being a "firstborn". From there we need to look at who was called a firstborn. Then we can go on to the prophecies of Jacob for Josephs' young sons and then eventually go all the way to Ephraim's part with the beginning of the millennium.
The following is from https://www.gotquestions.org/firstborn-in-the-Bible.html
Why is the firstborn so important in the Bible?
In biblical times, the firstborn was given certain unique rights, responsibilities, and privileges. A married couple’s firstborn male child was given priority and preeminence in the family, and the best of the inheritance. The nation of Israel is identified as God’s “firstborn” in the Bible (Exodus 4:22;
Jeremiah 31:9); in other words, Israel held a special place of privilege and blessing among the nations.
People in ancient cultures attached great value to the eldest son, assigning him distinct benefits and obligations. The firstborn male was important because he was believed to represent the prime of human strength and vitality (Genesis 49:3; Psalm 78:51) as the “opener of the womb” (Exodus 13:2, 12, 15; Numbers 18:15; Luke 2:23). As a result, the firstborn son became the primary heir of the family. The firstborn’s birthright involved a double portion of the household estate and the leadership of the family if his father became incapacitated or was absent for some reason (Deuteronomy 21:17). After his father’s death, the eldest son usually cared for his mother until her death and provided for his unmarried sisters.
In the Old Testament, firstborn humans—and animals—were considered sacred to God (Genesis 4:4; Exodus 13:1–2; Leviticus 27:26; Numbers 3:11–13; Deuteronomy 15:19–23). After God rescued Israel from slavery in Egypt, He commanded the people to consecrate every firstborn male human and firstborn animal to Him (Exodus 22:29–30). The dedication was in memory of God’s great deliverance and a sign to their children that God had brought them out of Egypt (Exodus 13:11–16).
We are very familiar with the 12 sons of Jacob and that Ruben was the first to be born.
Gen 49:3 Reuben, thou art my firstborn H1060, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power:
Gen 49:4 Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father's bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch.
And we are familiar with how Ruben lost his firstborn birthright.
1Ch 5:1 Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel, (for he was the firstborn; but, forasmuch as he defiled his father's bed, his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph the son of Israel: and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright.
1Ch 5:2 For Judah prevailed above his brethren, and of him came the chief ruler; but the birthright was Joseph's:)
"The Torah. com" indicates that Joseph was given Reuben's firstborn birthright by Israel near the end of his life. This resulted in Ephraim and Manasseh being given the birthright blessing. Yet, Exodus 4:22 states that Moses was to tell Pharaoh the nation of Israel is God's firstborn.
Exo 4:22 And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn H1060 :
Exo 4:23 And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.
These words by Moses would show the significance of Israel to Pharaoh in addition they would have a personal affect on him. Albert Barnes provides us the following commentary:
My firstborn - The expression would be perfectly intelligible to Pharaoh, whose official designation was “son of Ra.” In numberless inscriptions the Pharaohs are styled “own sons” or “beloved sons” of the deity. It is here applied for the first time to Israel; and as we learn from Exo 4:23, emphatically in antithesis to Pharaoh’s own firstborn.
We come to, what I consider some of the most important words of prophecy in the Bible.
Gen 48:3 And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me,
Gen 48:4 And said unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a multitude of people; and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession.
The prophecy of Gen 48:3-4, is general in nature. In addition to that promise, in Gen 48:16, Ephraim and Manasseh are made inheritors by being included as sons of Israel. The total number of the "sons of Jacob" now numbered 13. We can ask; why were their 13 original colonies with 13 stripes on our flag.
Gen 48:16 The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.
Then the well known verses show that even though Manasseh was the "firstborn", or older brother and should receive the greater blessing, Ephraim was to be greater than his brother.
Gen 48:19 And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.
Gen 48:20 And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh.
This paper will endeavor to document the eventual world shaping significance of this prophecy concerning Joseph's youngest son.
But now I believe we should look to see how Ephraim first came to its level of influence among all of the tribes of Israel.
From Wikipedia,
The territory of Ephraim contained the early centers of Israelite religion - Shechem and Shiloh. These factors contributed to making Ephraim the most dominant of the tribes in the Kingdom of Israel, and led to Ephraim becoming a synonym for the entire kingdom.
From https://www.israel-a-history-of.com/tribe-of-ephraim.html
"Of the 12 tribes of Israel, none symbolize the struggle between flesh and spirit more poignantly than the tribe of Ephraim. At one moment rebuked, and the next praised, Ephraim was never far from God's watchful eye.
In fact, the Ephraimites seem to be at the center of many of Israel's most historical moments, drawing a mixture of both wrath and praise.
A prime reason for this was their tribal allotment. The pages of the Old Testament are saturated with the phrase, "hill country of Ephraim".
For it was in these hills Abraham first journeyed, Simeon and Levi slaughtered the men of Shechem, Deborah and Gideon warded off heathen armies, Saul and David fought the Philistines, and the northern kingdom of Israel was first born.
The hill country of Ephraim played host to much of the Old Testament. The term would come to encompass much more than just the boundaries of the tribe of Ephraim. In fact, the name Ephraim came to represent much more than simply the tribe, but also the entire northern kingdom of Israel. Oftentimes Israel and Ephraim are used interchangeably.
The Biblical description of the boundaries of Ephraim can be found in Joshua 16.
The entire chapter is only ten verses long, and covers the lot of Ephraim and Manasseh, and the cities and boundary of the tribe of Ephraim.
One must make note that many times in Scripture the tribe of Ephraim is mentioned in conjunction with Joseph and Manasseh. Ephraim was the second and youngest son of Joseph, with Manasseh being the eldest.
This stretch of land, approximately 55 miles in length and 30 miles in width, lay tucked within the Western Mountains of Palestine. These mountains ranged in height from 1,500 feet to 4,000 feet in altitude. This is comparable to the Ozark Mountain Range in the United States, located in southwestern Missouri and north Arkansas.
The Great Sea and the Jordan River were within easy reach of the tribe of Ephraim, opening it up to trade and commerce from both land and sea. Major roadways dissected the land, namely the Central Ridge Route, which ran from Beersheba in the south all the way through Shechem.
Hebron, Jerusalem, Bethel and Shechem lay on this road, as they do to this very day. The Central Ridge Route connected the north and the south, and Ephraim sat straddled in the middle.
The mountains provided protection, the plateau produced rich and fertile crops, and the lines of communication between north and south passed within its boundaries, thus the tribe of Ephraim came to be a major influence in the shaping of Israel's earliest periods. Ephraim also shared a border with Benjamin in the south, placing it within close proximity to Judah.
This proximity attributed to the jealousies and rivalries which developed between the seat of power in the south, Judah, and the original seat of power in the north, Ephraim. During the days of Solomon, the border between the tribe of Ephraim and the tribe of Benjamin was a peaceful one.
Benjamin took a favorable stance towards the tribe of Ephraim and vice versa. It was only during the days of the schism that the border became Ephraim and Judah, as Benjamin was absorbed into the southern kingdom.
At this point we see the conflict develop between Ephraim and Judah. It was this conflict which provided the spark for Ephraim's idolatry."
I believe it is time to look at the Strong's Concordance relating to the word "nations" used in Genesis 48:19 --- "but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations"
H1471 go'ee, go'-ee Apparently from the same root as H1465 (in the sense of massing); a foreign nation; hence a Gentile; also (figuratively) a troop of animals, or a flight of locusts: - Gentile, heathen, nation, people.
It can be helpful to look at Young's Literal Translation of Gen 48:19.
Gen48:19 And his father refuseth, and saith, `I have known, my son, I have known; he also becometh a people, and he also is great, and yet, his young brother is greater than he, and his seed is the fulness of the nations;
It's interesting that most of the time the word relates to Gentile people but on occasion it is used for the Israelites. The wording of the KJV for Genesis 48:19 can be considered accurate. It is rather obvious that the United States of America came out of England, therefore is the younger of the two. And it will be made clear that the U. S. is a "multitude of nations".
In the land of Israel the ten northern tribes became known as the "house of Israel". The ten tribes were defeated by Assyria and eventually migrated to western Europe. Elsewhere the evidence has been provided through detailed historical records and the Bible that shows the credibility of this migration. The north-west European nations are the descendents of the "house of Israel". This includes the English nation. It is noteworthy that the strength of the U.S. and its penchant for liberty has its roots in the British adoption of the "Common Law" and the "Magna Carta". They provided for a level of freedom under law and limited the power of the King.
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirteen_Colonies#18th_century
The Thirteen Colonies were a group of British colonies on the Atlantic coast of North America during the 17th and 18th centuries. Grievances against the imperial government led the 13 colonies to begin uniting in 1774 and expelling British officials by 1775.
Protestantism was the predominant religious affiliation in the Thirteen Colonies. There were also a few Catholics in Maryland as well as Jews, and deists, many colonists had no religious connection.
From https://billofrightsinstitute.org/essays/the-founding-of-maryland
The Calverts knew these fears could disrupt their plans. In their minds, the colony would be a refuge for English Catholics, who had long been persecuted by their Protestant countrymen. They worried that anti-Catholic anger might keep their colony (named Maryland in honor of King Charles’ wife, Queen Henrietta Maria) from succeeding. In an attempt to address Protestant fears, the Calverts published a paper titled “Objections Answered Touching Maryland.” They insisted that they posed no threat to the Protestant colonies in Virginia and New England. They assured their Protestant countrymen that there was no conspiracy to subvert the English Crown, to ally with the Spanish, or to proselytize their Protestant neighbors. All the Maryland colonists wanted, the Calverts explained, was to worship freely as Catholics and live in peace and harmony with their neighbors.
Prophetically and sadly the current younger generation is not concerned with the early history and formation of the United States of America. There is a fact that would be very difficult to negate; the U. S. came from the stock of England. The ascendency of the U. S. does represent a major part in God's work with the people of His world, as we shall see.
Ephraim did not become a "multitude of nations" as prophesied in Genesis 48:19 during the time the tribes were in Canaan. Looking back on our historical beginnings it is easy enough to see that the United States started out as a multitude or "fullness" of nations as the KJV and Young's Literal Translation puts it. The U. S. grew larger yet always as a single "multitude" or group of nations. The number of states grew and eventually became 50 separate states that formed a single union. It is now time to consider the far-reaching prophecy by Jacob given in Genesis 49:1
Gen 49:1 And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.
Gen 49:2 Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father.
The sons received words that related to each one of them. I will only comment on Issachar and Joseph. Issachar is one of the easiest to recognize and half of my heritage includes Issachar who we now know as "Finland".
Gen 49:14 Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens:
Gen 49:15 And he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute.
It is amazing how these few words generated such a variety of points of view by various Biblical commentaries. They all spoke of Issachar in ways that related to the time the tribe was in the original land of Israel. They simply didn't care about the fact that this prophecy is for the "last days". I'll give you my understanding of its meaning. Before and during WWII Finland came under the pressure of both Nazi Germany and Russia. They fought Russia in what is known as the "winter war". That war resulted in Finland giving Russia a significant part of its land for peace. The following is from Geoffrey Roberts.
Zofia Nowinska (Letters, 16 February) writes that “the consequences of being conquered by Stalin were much worse (for Finns) than being an ally of Hitler, so they chose the lesser evil”. In fact, Finland allied itself with Nazi Germany during the second world war not to prevent Soviet conquest but to win back territories lost to the USSR as a result of the winter war of 1939-40. The peace treaty that ended the (winter)war in March 1940 left Finnish independence intact. It was the reckless act of joining the Nazi attack on the USSR that endangered Finland’s national existence and cost tens of thousands of lives. In 1944-45 the Red Army could have occupied Finland with impunity, but Stalin chose not to, mainly because Finnish leaders admitted their error and pledged neutrality and friendship with the Soviet Union. “Finlandisation”, as it was called, enabled Finland to remain free of Soviet domination and communist takeover.
Now for the words that were directed to Joseph.
Gen 49:22 Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall:
Gen 49:23 The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him:
Gen 49:24 But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)
Gen 49:25 Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:
Gen 49:26 The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.
The blessings for all the tribes of Genesis 49:1, being for the "last days", is for our "relative" recent history. I believe we can see that history is fast changing. Remember that in Genesis 48:19 it said the younger shall be greater than the older and be a multitude of nations? We can see that prophecy actually fulfilled in what can be considered the "last days". So then the pronouncements given in Genesis 49:22-26 to Joseph would actually be words relating to Ephraim and Manasseh - in the last days.
There are a number of things that we look for in the past and the future in regard to Ephraim, in particular, and Manasseh.
1. Two nations that are closely related.
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom%E2%80%93United_States_relations
America and Britain are bound together by a shared history, a common language, an overlap in religious beliefs and legal principles, and kinship ties that reach back hundreds of years. Today, large numbers of expatriates live in the other country.
In the early 21st century, Britain affirmed its relationship with the United States as its "most important bilateral partnership" in current British foreign policy, and the American foreign policy also affirms its relationship with Britain as its most important relationship, as evidenced in aligned political affairs, mutual cooperation in the areas of trade, commerce, finance, technology, academics, as well as the arts and sciences; the sharing of government and military intelligence, and joint combat operations and peacekeeping missions carried out between the United States Armed Forces and the British Armed Forces.
2. The significant scope of the difference between a colony and a state.
The British Empire gained world-wide supremacy, to a large degree, through the various benefits gained from its colonies. The United "States" of America came to its dominance principally through its unique system of government which included capitalism for a market system coupled with its abundant resources. There are, at present, 50 united "states" that form the union.
Definitions from Oxford Languages
Colony: A country or area under the full or partial political control of another country, typically a distant one, and occupied by settlers from that country. [What a description of the once great British Empire; a single great nation controlling other lands through a political and military system.]
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
State: A state is a political entity that regulates society and the population within a territory. Government is considered to form the fundamental apparatus of contemporary states.
3. One being a multitude of "nations".
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In the United States, the government of each of the 50 states is structured in accordance with its individual constitution. In turn, each state constitution must be grounded in republican principles. Article IV, Section 4, Clause 1 of the United States Constitution tasks the federal government with assuring that each state's government is so organized.
All state governments are modeled after the federal government and consist of three branches (although the three-branch structure is not Constitutionally required): executive, legislative, and judicial. All state governments are also organized as presidential systems where the governor is both head of government and head of state (even though this too is not required). The government of each of the five permanently inhabited U.S. territories is modeled and organized in a like fashion.
Each state is itself a sovereign entity, and as such, reserves the right to organize in any way (within the above stated parameter) deemed appropriate by its people. As a result, while the governments of the various states share many similar features, they often vary greatly with regard to form and substance. No two state governments are identical. The following tables compare and contrast some of the features of U.S. state governments. (not included)
4. Uniqueness of the constitution.
From https://nccs.net/blogs/our-ageless-constitution/the-unique-idea-of-the-american-constitution
Our Constitution embodied a UNIQUE IDEA. Nothing like it had ever been done before. The power of the idea was in the recognition that people's rights are granted directly by the Creator - not by the state - and that the people, then, and only then, grant rights to government. The concept is so simple, yet so very fundamental and far-reaching.
From https://www.heritage.org/the-essential-constitution/the-genius-the-constitution
The Constitution’s genius begins with recognizing both the virtues and limitations of human nature. It establishes a system of government that channels human nature toward the good of all.
The first plan the Framers tried after declaring independence was called the Articles of Confederation. The government that the Articles created failed because it was too weak to coordinate national policy among states with different priorities. Before the government could do almost anything, the Articles required a unanimous vote by all of the states, which often put the states in the position of voting against their own individual interests. The Framers saw that it was not realistic to expect the states to do that. George Washington wrote, “We have probably had too good an opinion of human nature in forming our confederation.”10 So the Framers tried again, creating a system of government that did not deny the pursuit of self-interest, but instead helped to direct it toward compromise and consensus.
5. The younger a greater nation than the older.
The following from: https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/american-history-the-rise-of-us-influence-after-world-war-two-126735008/116180.html
American History: The Rise of US Influence After World War Two - (transcript of a radio program).
STEVE EMBER: Welcome to THE MAKING OF A NATION – American history in VOA Special English. I’m Steve Ember.
Britain was once the most powerful nation in the world. It ruled a wide-reaching empire. This week in our series, we look at how British power gave way to American influence after World War Two.
One can almost name the day when this happened. It was February twenty-first, nineteen forty-seven. British diplomats in Washington called the State Department. They had two messages from their government.
The first was about Greece. The situation there was critical. Greece had been occupied by Germany during the war. Now it was split by a bitter civil war. On one side of the fighting was the Greek royal family supported by Britain. On the other side were communist-led rebels supported by Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union.
British forces had helped keep Greece from becoming communist at the end of World War Two. A few years later, Britain could no longer help. It needed all its strength to rebuild after the war. So, on that February day in nineteen forty-seven, Britain told the United States it would soon end all support for Greece.
Britain's second message that day was about Turkey. Turkey was stronger than Greece. But the concern was that it, too, could become communist unless it received outside help.
Britain warned the United States that the Soviet Union would soon extend its control all the way across eastern Europe to the eastern Mediterranean. It called on President Harry Truman to provide strong American support to help Greece and Turkey resist the communist threat.
Britain, in effect, was asking the United States to take over leadership of the Western world. The United States was ready to accept this new responsibility.
For months, relations between the United States and the Soviet Union had been growing worse and worse.
The two countries had fought together as allies in the Second World War. But Soviet actions after the war shocked the American people.
The Soviet Union wanted to block western political and economic influence in central and eastern Europe. It wanted to extend its own influence instead. So, after the war, it forced a number of countries to establish communist governments.
WINSTON CHURCHILL: “From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic an iron curtain has descended across the Continent.”
Britain's prime minister, Winston Churchill, described the situation in a speech in March of nineteen forty-six at Westminster College in the American state of Missouri.
WINSTON CHURCHILL: “Behind that line lie all the capitals of the ancient states of Central and Eastern Europe. Warsaw, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade, Bucharest and Sofia, all these famous cities and the populations around them lie in what I must call the Soviet sphere, and all are subject in one form or another, not only to Soviet influence but to a very high and, in some cases, increasing measure of control from Moscow.”
Churchill warned that the Soviet Union was trying to expand its power. He described it as an "iron curtain" falling across the middle of Europe. This iron curtain divided Europe into a communist east and a democratic west.
The situation was made even more tense by news coming from China. China was a divided nation at the end of World War Two. The forces of Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek controlled the southwestern part of the country. Communist forces under Mao Zedong controlled the north.
Both the United States and the Soviet Union expected that Chiang Kai-shek would be able to unite China.
Chiang and the Nationalists won several early victories over the Communists. But Mao and his forces used a growing hatred of the Nationalist government to win support. Slowly, they began to win battles and capture arms.
Early in nineteen forty-nine, communist forces took control of Peking -- now Beijing -- and Tientsin. They captured Shanghai and Canton. By the end of the year, Chiang and his Nationalist forces had to flee to the island of Taiwan.
The fall of the Nationalist government on the mainland caused a bitter political debate in America. Some critics of the Truman administration thought the United States had not done enough to help the Nationalists.
The Truman administration rejected the charges. It said Chiang caused his own defeat by failing to reform and win the support of the Chinese people. Secretary of State Dean Acheson described the defeat this way:
"The unfortunate but inescapable fact is that the ominous result of the civil war in China was beyond the control of the government of the United States. Nothing that this country did or could have done within the reasonable limits of its capabilities could have changed that result; nothing that was left undone by this country has contributed to it. It was the product of internal Chinese forces, forces which this country tried to influence but could not. A decision was arrived at within China, if only a decision by default."
The United States was more successful in its policies toward Europe. The British warnings about the communist threat in Greece and Turkey led President Truman to speak to Congress. He said, "I believe that it must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures."
Truman called on Congress to give him four hundred million dollars in aid for Greece and Turkey. After a brief but intense national debate, Congress agreed. Truman then launched an effort to save the Greek economy and reorganize the Greek army. Soon after that, Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union ended their aid to Greek rebels. The civil war in Greece ended.
American help for Greece and Turkey was the first step in what became known as the "Truman Doctrine." The goal of this policy was to stop Soviet aggression anywhere in the world.
Truman was willing to use military force to stop the spread of communism. But he also believed it was equally important to build up western European nations so they would be strong enough to defend themselves.
Europe was suffering terribly after World War Two. There were severe shortages of food and fuel. Crops were destroyed. Many Europeans were beginning to look to the communists -- to anybody -- to save them.
This is one reason why Truman and his advisers developed a plan to rebuild the economies of Europe.
After the war, President Truman made George Marshall his secretary of state. Marshall had led American troops as a general in World War Two. Now, as the nation's top diplomat, he proposed the idea for rebuilding Europe. This idea became known as the "Marshall Plan."
President Truman explained why there had to be a Marshall Plan. People were starving, he said. There had been food riots in France and Italy. There was not enough fuel. People were cold and sick. Tuberculosis was breaking out.
As Truman said later, "Something had to be done."
Secretary of State Marshall described the plan during a congressional hearing in Washington.
GEORGE MARSHALL: “Why must the United States carry so great a load in helping Europe? The answer is simple. The United States is the only country in the world today which has the economic power and productivity to furnish the needed assistance. The six and eight-tenths billion proposed for the first fifteen months is less than a single month’s charge of the war.
To be quite clear, this unprecedented endeavor of the new world to help the old is neither sure nor easy. It is a calculated risk. It is a difficult program. And you know, far better than I do, the political difficulties involved in this program.
But there’s no doubt whatever in my mind that, if we decide to do this thing, we can do it successfully. And there’s also no doubt in my mind that the whole world hangs in the balance as to what it is to be.”
The United States offered aid through the Marshall Plan to all countries in Europe. The Soviet Union and its allies refused help. Sixteen other countries, however, welcomed the aid.
From nineteen forty-eight to nineteen fifty-two, administrators of the Marshall Plan worked with these countries. The United States spent thirteen billion dollars.
The plan worked. Agricultural production in Marshall Plan countries increased by ten percent. Industrial production increased by thirty-five percent. Production in some industries, such as steel, increased by much more.
There were political results, as well. Stronger economies helped prevent communists from gaining control of the governments in France and Italy.
Some Europeans criticized the Marshall Plan. They said it increased tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union in the years after the war. Yet few could deny that the plan was one of the most successful international economic programs in history.
Next week, we look at another way the United States provided aid in postwar Europe -- the Berlin Airlift.
You can find our series online with transcripts, MP3s, podcasts and pictures at voaspecialenglish.com. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter at VOA Learning English. I’m Steve Ember, inviting you to join us again next week for THE MAKING OF A NATION -- American history in VOA Special English.
Contributing: David Jarmul
This was program #200. For earlier programs, type "Making of a Nation" in quotation marks in the search box at the top of the page.
6. Awesome natural resources.
The prophetic words of Genesis 49:25 do little to convey the reality of the blessings conveyed upon Manasseh and in particular Ephraim.
Gen 49:25 Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:
Mark Melzer; engineer (2007-present)
The US is rich in just about every natural resource imaginable. It has large stocks of inorganic resources such as industrial metals (copper, nickle, iron, silver), rare earths, and fuels (coal, petroleum, methane, uranium). It has plenty of biologicals such as wood and fish. More importantly, it has an abundance of good farmland with plenty of water — fairly clean water, no less. However, America’s most important natural resource is one you probably didn’t even think of: navigable waterways.
A side note: We live about 29 miles from historic Jerome. From https://azjerome.com: Jerome resides above what was once the largest copper mine in Arizona which was producing an astonishing 3 million pounds of copper per month. Jerome was born a copper mining camp, growing from a settlement of tents into a roaring mining community. It is now a bustling tourist destination full of artists, musicians, gift shops and restaurants. It is also known as the largest ghost town in America (we have heard some very interesting stories of "ghosts" there).
7. America, the Greatest Nation in the History of the World
excerpts from James Slate May 3, "2017"
Freedom:
However, the United States due to its Constitution/Bill of Rights remains more Free (At Least in terms of Personal/Individual Freedom) than every country mentioned and in the world. And more free than Japan France Italy Germany Spain and Belgium in terms of Economic Freedom.
The American Constitution also created the idea of constitutional protected civil liberties. This was based on the precedents of the state constitutions. They were not liberties granted at the grace of a monarch and subject to repeal , but guaranteed by law as part of a citizen's natural rights. They had to be respected by the Government. America was the first country to provide constitution guarantees of civil liberties. These became liberties that people of countries around the world aspire to and totalitarian governments and theocracies attempt to suppress.
Property Rights Freedom From Taxes Freedom of Speech/Religion Gun Rights Drug Rights Business Freedom
The United States Gets a score of 75. The Highest Score in the world and rising.
America has shined as a beacon of freedom in an unfree world for more than two centuries.America remains a shining city on the hill because, despite steady erosion in some cases, we are a nation that celebrates individuals-individual freedom, individual initiative, and even individual failure. We tolerate failure more than any country in the world, and everyone learns from failure.
Religion:
As the greatest foreign observer of America, the Frenchman Alexis de Tocqueville, noted in his Democracy in America, “Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power.” Or, as the great British historian Paul Johnson has just written: “In George Washington’s eyes, at least, America was in no sense a secular state,” and “the American Revolution was in essence the political and military expression of a religious movement.”
In fact, the Founders regarded America as a Second Israel, in Abraham Lincoln’s words, the “Almost Chosen” People. This self-identification was so deep that Thomas Jefferson, today often described as not even a Christian, wanted the seal of the United States to depict the Jews leaving Egypt at the splitting of the sea. Just as the Jews left Egypt, Americans left Europe.
This country was founded overwhelmingly by men and women steeped in the Bible. Their moral values emanated from the Bible, and they regarded liberty as possible only if understood as given by God. That is why the Liberty Bell’s inscription is from the Old Testament, and why Thomas Jefferson, the allegedly non-religious deist, wrote (as carved into the Jefferson Memorial): “God who gave us life gave us liberty. Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are the gift of God?”
Military Spending:
The US military provides stability to global markets. So yes, the current size of the US military is justified because it is a very small cost to allow trillions of dollars worth of international trade.
The presence of US military forces in foreign countries (such as South Korea and Japan among others) deters aggression. It limits the amount of saber rattling and in some cases the actual violence that a belligerent nation may want to cause
The United States has the Highest Quality of Life in the World:
America provides an amazingly good life for the ordinary guy. Rich people live well everywhere, but what distinguishes America is that it provides a remarkably high standard of living for the “common man.” A country is not judged by how it treats its most affluent citizens but by how it treats the average citizen.
In America, the immigrant immediately recognizes that things are different. The newcomer who sees America for the first time typically experiences emotions that alternate between wonder and delight. Here is a country where everything works: The roads are clean and paper-smooth; the highway signs are clear and accurate; the public toilets function properly; when you pick up the telephone, you get a dial tone; you can even buy things from the store and then take them back.
Critics of America complain about the scandal of persistent poverty in a nation of plenty, but the immigrant cannot help noticing that the United States is a country where the poor live comparatively well. This fact was dramatized in the 1980s when CBS television broadcast “People Like Us,” which was intended to show the miseries of the poor during an American recession. The Soviet Union also broadcast the documentary, probably with a view to embarrassing the Reagan Administration. But by the testimony of former Soviet leaders, it had the opposite effect. Ordinary people across the Soviet Union saw that the poorest Americans have television sets and microwave ovens and cars. They arrived at the same perception of America as a friend of mine from Mumbai who has been trying unsuccessfully to move to the United States for nearly a decade. Finally, I asked him, “Why are you so eager to come to America?” His reply: “Because I really want to move to a country where the poor people are fat.”
America is the Most Genuinely Compassionate Nation On Earth:
If you look at rates of “voluntary private social expenditure” among nations, it turns out that Americans are easily the most generous people in the developed world. People in the United States are so generous that their voluntary giving amounts to 10.2 percent of gross domestic product. The only other nations that even crack 5 percent of GDP are the Netherlands, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
The welfare state has grown in the United States, but much less than it has grown in Europe. And the intellectual climate in the United States is much more supportive of capitalism. The growth of the social democratic parties in Europe and the resulting expansion of the welfare state are reasons why the industrial countries of Europe have not enjoyed the same robust economic growth that has prevailed in the United States.
America is the most charitable nation on the face of the Earth…and I am NOT talking about the trillion-plus dollars in annual federal welfare spending paid for with tax dollars extorted from working Americans. I am talking about the billions of dollars that Americans voluntarily give each year to The Salvation Army, Goodwill, The Red Cross, their churches, and other national and local charities. I am talking about the millions and millions of volunteer hours donated to churches, homeless shelters, battered women’s shelters, children’s homes, and food kitchens, not to mention the private monetary donations made to fund these endeavors.
The United States is the Wealthiest Nation in the History of the World:
America is the sun around which the world economy revolves. The typical creator of wealth in the world is an American. Foreigners benefit from buying better products from American companies and working better jobs manufacturing such products. Take America’s $19 trillion dollar economy out of the picture, and the economic well being of the rest of the world nose-dives.
Remarkably, not only do 84 percent of all Americans exceed their parents’ family income, but 93 percent of Americans raised in the bottom quintile do so as well, which gives an important twist on the stickiness concern for those at the bottom of the income spread.In contrast, despite stickiness at the top, only 70 percent of all Americans who were raised in the top quintile were able to surpass their parents’ family income..
America has the Most Influential Culture in the world:
The movies the world watches, the television shows they tune into, and the music they listen to are, for the most part, produced in the United States. For instance, the U.S. exports more than 25 times the number of movies and television shows than it consumes from abroad, a fact that causes Ben Wattenberg to observe quite correctly that America is “the most culturally potent nation in the world.” Even the virulent America-hater Saddam Hussein reportedly spends a good portion of his time watching American-made movies such as The Godfather and Enemy of the State.
Films, televisions, stories, icons, there has never been a culture to so saturate the world quite like that of America’s. Even if you personally don’t like American culture, this one is undeniable as seen by looking at the top grossing films, albums and most influential modern artists of our time, American dominates the list.
The United States is the Most Individual Innovative Nation Per Captia in the World:
It’s true that on the Global Technology index, the United States ranks third behind Finland and Japan overall when a more significant portion of technological advancements come from government, but the United States still leads by a large margin in individual innovations/patents per capita because sure, it’s hard to argue with our global stand-outs like Microsoft, Google, or Apple but more importantly, the United States is still the land of small business owners and innovators, not only a few companies with big government contracts. Our continued scientific, technological and medical innovation is yes, a huge reason that the United States is still arguably the biggest determining factor in global market economic impact, but not the biggest.
Americans have also made huge contributions to the world’s technology from telephones and cars to iPhones and FaceBook. Innovation was enabled by our nation’s foundation. American innovation has increased the world’s standard of living and will continue to do so.
Nothing disproves the Leftist mantra that “all cultures are equal” more than technology does. Americans have given the world motion pictures, the telephone, the television, the computer, the Internet, the airplane, the VCR, and a host of other machines and devices that have vastly improved the quality of life on the planet. Ironically, the terrorists who hate the U.S. give America a tacit endorsement every time they turn on a light, escape the heat through air conditioning, monitor their exploits on television or the internet, or communicate via telephone.
Americans have stretched the bounds of the possible. The first transatlantic flight, putting a man on the moon, breaking the speed of sound, constructing the Hoover Dam, and building the Panama Canal serve as testimony to American courage and ingenuity. It wasn’t Danes or Bolivians or Iranians or Koreans who achieved these feats. It was Americans. This is significant.
The United States leads the World in Medical Research
The United States has the Most Billionaires in the World
America Dominates Top University Rankings
The United States leads the World in terms of Foreign Aid
The United States leads the World in Disaster Relief
America is the most Entrepreneurial Country in the World
America has a mostly Decentralized Political System with Interstate Competition
America Ranks Third on the Global Competitiveness Report The bad news is that we used to be ranked #1 and now we’re #3. The good news is that being #3 is still pretty good, and it’s hard to beat Switzerland and Singapore because they have such good free-market policies. And that’s where America falls short.
We have to remember this was written on May 3, "2017"
8. Close relationship with the Jews of the nation of Israel..
We may not be as aware as we should be in recognizing how the leadership of "Ephraim" has helped Judah in the time designated as the last days. The following is taken from a program presented by Dr. David Reagan of the Lamb and Lion Ministries. It gives a very good understanding of President Truman's part that helped "Israel" become a nation. That is followed by the work of the Trump presidential administration.
Only two men in the government of the Truman administration favored Israel becoming a nation, Harry Truman and close friend Clark Clifford who was his personal lawyer.
Clark Clifford was a Bible student and believed that the Jewish people needed to come back to their homeland.
Harry Truman also was a Bible student and was abruptly made vice president by President Roosevelt through the previous election.
Harry Truman was a child prodigy. He was reading at age three. At the age of six he had read the Bible twice. He came from a family of devout Baptists. He had a good understanding of the Bible by the time he started school.
He had almost a photographic memory. He could answer any question concerning any of the presidents of the U. S. He was a walking encyclopedia of the history of the presidents of the U. S.
The rest of the government, at that time, was overwhelmingly opposed to Israel becoming a nation including the joint chief of staffs. They were worried that our access to Arab oil would be cut off if we recognized Israel. .
The secretary of defense and General George C. Marshall of the Marshall plan, who Truman idolized, was then the secretary of state. Both of them were absolutely against Israel being recognized as a state.
Truman hated the State Department and referred to them as the "men in fancy striped suits" and intellectuals who had no common sense. But Truman had high respect for General Marshall ".
Eddie Jacobs, was a Jewish man from Saint Louis Missouri and very close friend (World War I fellow solder). After that war they were in business together. He went to Washington when the decision to recognize Israel was about to be made and asked Harry, with great solemnity, to recognize Israel. Jacob felt that his friend was given, by God, the task at hand of that recognition. For the rest of Truman's life Eddie continued to be his best friend.
May 12th, General Marshall came with a large staff to give President Truman a long list of reasons why he should not recognize Israel. His spokesman spoke at length from the list.
Marshall had little respect for Clark Clifford who at Truman's request spoke at the May 12th state department meeting. After Clifford's talk, Marshall declared he would vote for Truman's opponent in the upcoming election if Truman recognizes the state of Israel. Marshall, on the next day, May 13th, softened his anger.
May the 14th 1948 David Ben-Gurion in an epic presentation made the following statement: “We hereby declare the establishment of a Jewish state in the land of Israel” marking the official declaration of Israel's independence.
Eleven minutes after the declaration of Israel's independence was made President Truman recognized the State of Israel.
Shortly after the declaration armaments began to flow to Israel from the U. S. The rest, up to now, is history of significant consequence.
President Trump's administration gave Jerusalem the long awaited distinction of being the capital of Israel and the Abraham Accord. A Trump administration, in time, will likely help provide for the construction of the temple in Jerusalem. Time will tell.
9. On our way down.
A significant national change began for us when the "theory" of evolution began to be accepted as a viable idea. As decade after decade passed, students in increasing numbers accepted this idea as a reasonable fact. A great many believed the "theory" and after leaving their schools of higher learning became leaders. Very many became more and more convinced that their superior knowledge prepared them to oversee a new social system that would solve the worlds various problems. Leader after leader of nation after nation promoted and then demanded that the "equity" of its people be the standard by which their government would function. The common tern for this system is called "communism". A very brief definition for this system is provided by the slogan, “from each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs,” which dates back to before Karl Marx. Equity, in this context, demands that we confiscate and redistribute one way or the other. Most people don't know that it all began with Lucifer's need to be at least equal with the "creator God". He has been continuously working to fashion mankind after his ideas of what is right and what is wrong.
Isa 14:12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
Isa 14:13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the
Isa 14:14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
We recently watched the movie "The Sound of Freedom". After watching this movie we found that the level of debauchery, that a significant percentage in the U. S. is a part of, is hard to believe. We knew that our "open border" is causing great problems but this movie gives a first-hand understanding of the horrific scope of the dissipation our nation is involved with.
I looked in 2Timothy 3:1-5 at the long list of the evils of the "last days" but could find nothing that accurately reflected the dissipation revealed in that movie. The closest I saw in that list was "without natural affection" and being " incontinent" which would have the meaning of "lacking in moderation or self-control, especially of sexual desire". We have come to an astonishing low point in our national morality. All indications are that the nations fate is sealed.
10. Ephraim singled out.
We should try to understand the following statement made by God, as fully as possible. It came after Ephraim's national end time demise
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Jeremiah 31:9 They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.
It is made quite clear in Ezekiel 37:19 that Ephraim, being the dominant tribe, represents the 10 tribes of the house of Israel. This is reaffirmed by God specifying Ephraim being his firstborn
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Eze 37:19 Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.
The 5th chapter of Hosea talks about Ephraim's "whoredom" and Israel's sins.
Hos 5:3 I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hid from me: for now, O Ephraim, thou committest whoredom, and Israel is defiled.
Verses 9 & 15 help us be assured that chapter 5 of Hosea is referring to the end times.
Hos 5:9 Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke: among the tribes of Israel have I made known that which shall surely be.
Hos 5:15 I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.
There is a day of rebuke that is manifested by the end time tribulations. And the only time, that I know of, when Israel fully acknowledges their offence is when they come back to the land of Israel with weeping and supplications.
All of Jeremiah chapter 31 speaks to God's chastening of Israel and how it will be redeemed. The chapter specifically speaks of Ephraim. The following is a list of some of the chapters more prominent words with some comments.
1 At the same time, saith the LORD, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people.
This is speaking of the distribution of the land to the tribes and the fact that the Lord will be with them. Eze 47:13 Thus saith the Lord GOD; This shall be the border, whereby ye shall inherit the land according to the twelve tribes of Israel: Joseph shall have two portions. Eze 48:35 It was round about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be, The LORD is there.
4 Again I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel: thou shalt again be adorned with thy tabrets, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry.
The remnant of Israel will have been humbled by the greatest trouble the world has ever experienced, thereby they will be given the distinction of being a virgin.
8 Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the coasts of the earth, and with them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her that travaileth with child together: a great company shall return thither.
9 They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.
John Gill's Commentary: and gather them from the coasts of the earth; or "sides" of it; from all the parts of the world where they are:
10 Hear the word of the LORD, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock.
13 Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men and old together: for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow.
16 Thus saith the LORD; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the LORD; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy.
18 I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus; Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke: turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the LORD my God.
19. Surely after that I was turned, I repented; and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh: I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth.
20 Is Ephraim my dear son? is he a pleasant child? for since I spake against him, I do earnestly remember him still: therefore my bowels are troubled for him; I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the LORD.
After reading all of chapter 31, I believe it is made clear that the remnant is returning to their original land of Israel from being scattered by the end time tribulation and wrath of God. Verses 18, 19 & 20 are very important in that Ephraim (the U. S. A.) is spoken of after their chastisement. I would like to ask the question; when was Ephraim instructed? The context is clear that the instruction was in the way of "righteousness". The only time that the remnant could have been instructed in the full TRUTH would be during the 31/2 years that the two witnesses delivered "their testimony". Ephraim, one way or another, hears that testimony.
27 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man, and with the seed of beast.
28 And it shall come to pass, that like as I have watched over them, to pluck up, and to break down, and to throw down, and to destroy, and to afflict; so will I watch over them, to build, and to plant, saith the LORD.
31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
36 If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the LORD, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever.
37 Thus saith the LORD; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the LORD.
38 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the city shall be built to the LORD from the tower of Hananeel unto the gate of the corner.
11. Ephraim's responsibility and God's millennial promises.
Verses 16-19 clearly show that the tribe of Ephraim will be the leading tribe to help bring the land of Israel to the paradise that is so lovingly spoken of.
Eze 37:15 The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,
Eze 37:16 Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions:
Eze 37:17 And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand.
Eze 37:18 And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these?
Eze 37:19 Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.
Eze 37:20 And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes.
Eze 37:21 And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land:
Eze 37:22 And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all:
Eze 37:23 Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwelling laces, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God.
Eze 37:24 And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them.
Eze 37:25 And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children's children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever.
Eze 37:26 Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore.
Eze 37:27 My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Eze 37:28 And the heathen shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.
I believe there has been sufficient evidence to prove the fact that latter day Ephraim is the nation of the United States of America.
There are two additional factors that will help to show why the USA (Ephraim) has the distinction of being Gods "firstborn". The first one concerns the priority of the nations founders.
I would like to repeat a paragraph that was previously used.
Our Constitution embodied a UNIQUE IDEA. Nothing like it had ever been done before. The power of the idea was in the recognition that people's rights are granted directly by the Creator - not by the state - and that the people, then, and only then, grant rights to government. The concept is so simple, yet so very fundamental and far-reaching.
The following is from moth-journal.com/for-the-love-of-history/the-bible-and-the-founding-generation:
America’s founding principles are rooted in the teachings of the Bible. Studies have shown the Bible is by far the most often quoted source in all of the writings and speeches of the Founding Era. The Founding Fathers valued the Bible for its wisdom regarding human nature and moral responsibility. They agreed its teachings were essential for nurturing the virtues necessary for self-government. Their views about freedom and liberty, the role of government, and the rights and responsibilities of citizens come from Scripture. In short, they relied on the Bible for guidance.
It is generally understood that our form of government is an experiment. Except for Biblical Israel, our Constitution represents the first time and through evidential research the only time a government looked to the God of the Bible for the establishment and welfare of a nation. This departure, from the norms at that time, was arrived at through consequential Biblical knowledge. But our experiment is in serious trouble. Yet God knew that latter day Ephraim, from the beginning of the nation and for a period of time, would look directly to Him for protection and guidance rather than the guidance and protection that a "king" of a nation, in historical terms, could offer. The departure of the colonists from England was a result of a kings multiple decrees. The nation of Great Britten, with its present king, is fulfilling the prophecies 1 Kings 9:5, 2 Samuel 7:16, 1 Chron. 17:12,14 and 2 Chron. 7:18.
1Ki 9:5 Then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel for ever, as I promised to David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel.
The second deals with the understanding that our great national wealth, once again, comes from the guidance that the Bible provides.
The following are a few excerpts from https://www.aier.org/article/the-pilgrims-tried-socialism-and-it-failed/
Plymouth Colony Planned as Collectivist Utopia: They wanted to erect a New Jerusalem in the new world, a new Jerusalem that would not only be religiously devout, but would be built on a new foundation of communal sharing and social altruism. What resulted is recorded in the diary of Governor William Bradford, the head of the colony. The colonists collectively cleared and worked the land, but they brought forth neither the bountiful harvest they hoped for, nor a spirit of shared and cheerful brotherhood.
Realizing that another season like those that had just passed would mean the extinction of the entire community, the elders of the colony decided to try something radically different: the introduction of private property and the right of the individual families to keep the fruits of their own labor.
Each of the families were allotted an equal section of land and given the responsibility for its development. This was our beginning of the capitalistic or free market system. It eventually resulted in the greatest nation the world had ever witnessed. The "something different" was the use of Biblical directions that included 1 Tim 5:8, 2Thes3:10, Mat 20, Mat 25 and Luke 19.
2Th 3:10 For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.