Family and the Downfall of Nations

Many nations and cultures have come to ruin. One rises to power for a time, crumbles and another steps in to take its place. Are there commonalities between all the nations which have fallen? Is there something we can learn from them? How is this connected with the family?

In his book Family and Civilization, Carle Zimmerman noticed that the disintegration of cultures directly paralleled the decline of family life and value in those cultures. He noted eight different issues that pervaded each nation as it came to ruin. Those are:

1. Marriage loses its sacredness and divorce becomes common.
2. The traditional meaning of the marriage ceremony is lost.
3. Feminist movements abound.
4. Public disrespect for parents and authority increase.
5. Juvenile delinquency, promiscuity and rebellion accelerate.
6. People with traditional marriages refuse to accept family responsibilities.
7. Desire for and acceptance of adultery grows.
8. Interest in sexual perversions and sex-related crimes increase.

All eight of these were prevalent in every society he studied which came to ruin. Summary: as the value of family decreases along with basic morality this drives the decline of the culture. I believe that morality declines because of the decrease of family values. When divorce and disrespect become common, when people in marriage stop doing their part (dads becoming self-absorbed and weak, moms becoming controlling and focused on other things more than family), we lose the place where morality is taught. As a result children lose respect for their parents and subsequently for the values their parents supposedly hold. It all begins in the home, and without that solid, godly home to teach what is right and wrong, things begin to fall apart. Teens rebel, adultery grows, fascination with sex and crime become praised. I believe that is why satan is attacking the family unit so severely now. He knows this will topple our world.

God has known this all along, that is why He has placed so much value on the family and designed the family unit the way He did.

Genesis 18:19 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

For I have chosen him, so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken about him.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

This command came when the Israelites first set out from Egypt. And it is part of why they were exiled a thousand years later. They ceased to do this. Look at the Proverbs 31 woman. She focused on her family, on doing her family good. She didn’t just sit at home and watch soap operas. She worked diligently to provide for her family, to make sure her household ran smoothly. This does not mean that women should never leave home or have a job. The Proverbs 31 woman worked hard. She made and sold things, invested in real estate, and was generous with her earnings. She had a decent income. But it was all for the benefit of her family, not herself. And I believe that she would not have done anything that would have compromised them. Her family came first. That is what you call a homemaker and it is no title to scoff at.

Proverbs 14:1 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

The wise woman builds her house,
But the foolish tears it down with her own hands.

In the New Testament, women were encouraged to stay home and take care of their families, not because they were of less value, but because of the incredibly great value that role possessed. Women were highly valued in that culture, and taking care of the family was the greatest work a person could do. It was not only vitally important for the family itself, but also for the culture. The family unit is the backbone of every civilization and when the value of family declines, so does that civilization.

Titus 2:3-5 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.

Again, this was not to degrade women, but to show the very great value and importance of the family unit. It was so important that one of the two in charge of the family was to be devoted solely to taking care of it. This does not mean that men had no role in the family. They actually had the greater responsibility, including teaching all members of the family about God and morality, and would be held accountable for the entire family and the way it was conducted even if the woman made the decisions (see Adam and Eve, she sinned first, but he received the blame and greater punishment). They would teach their sons how to follow in their trade, and their children how to be respectful and honor God. They were in charge of the family and how it operated.

Taking care of the family is of great importance and the responsibility of both the father and mother. Unfortunately, some abandon their roles, which again leads to the decline of not only that family but also of that culture. It is something we should all take seriously and do our best to do our part. We should search the Bible to see what specific roles apply to us and how we can/should carry them out. We should take a stand for the value of the family in our society, ask God to forgive the sins our society has already committed, and ask His help in correcting those faults. We need to find out what God says about morality, correct where we are and have done wrong, and seek to instruct the younger generations so that they don’t have to live with our mistakes.

It’s not too late to correct where our civilization is going, but it begins with each of us, with prayer, Bible study, and seeking God to change our own hearts.