Feature
By Judge John Marshall Meisburg Jr.
On Sunday September 17, the people of the United States will celebrate Constitution Day. This is a day to honor our Constitution, one of the greatest documents ever written by man. It has guided America, the greatest nation in the history of the world for 247 years.
But how many know that the Constitution was Divinely inspired by God and the Holy Bible? The Founders of our country were deeply religious Christian men, who looked to the Scriptures for inspiration more than any other source. Our very form of government, with 3 co-equal branches, was inspired by Isaiah 33:22 which says “God is our judge, our lawgiver and our king.” James Madison, who wrote the Constitution said this verse was his inspiration for Articles One, Two and Three, which include a Judicial Branch and Supreme Court, a Legislative Branch and Congress, and an Executive Branch and President. The three branches represent a separation of powers that protect us from tyranny by any branch.
The Constitution begins with the famous words “WE THE PEOPLE” and creates a republic and gives power to elected representatives. This form of self-government is based upon the Old Testament, Hebrew form of government, where Moses directed the people to choose their own leaders. Deuteronomy 1:9-18. As Abraham Lincoln said, we are a government “of the people, by the people, and for the people.”
The Bill of Rights or the First Ten Amendments insure that the government will not infringe upon our God-given rights such as freedom of religion, speech, press, petition and assembly, as well as the right to bear arms, the right to a criminal trial by jury of our peers, the right to call witnesses, and to be protected from unreasonable searches and seizures.
So today, we thank God for our Constitution and give Him thanks and praise for inspiring our great system of government!
John Marshall Meisburg Jr. is a retired judge residing in Fernandina Beach.
