Articles
Our Only Hope for This Country
There are two extreme positions concerning one’s opinion of the prospective leadership of our coun-try; both of these should be avoided. The first, and most dangerous extreme is evidenced by the man who may be heard saying something to the effect of: “this is the most important election of our life-time. Everything comes down to this moment. If {my candidate} isn’t elected then there is no hope for this country.” Of course, such perspectives are fueled by the media and even our candidates, some of whom are making such claims as, “I am the only one who can save this nation.”
I wonder if Jews in the days of Zerubbabel were worried about such things. There was much work that needed to be done and many supplies needed for the rebuilding projects. Besides this, they were vulnerable. They would need safe passage, permis-sions to build, financial assistance, etc… How can they count on all these things from all the various foreign kings who would come to power? From 539 B.C. when the Persians fought against Babylon until 444 B.C. when Nehemiah helped build the wall, there were at least seven rulers—Cyrus II, Ahasue-rus, Bardis, Darius, Xerxes I, Artabanus, Artaxerxes I. Of course, Cyrus was the one who was prophesied by Isaiah to facilitate the return of the Jews to their home, but what happens if Persia doesn’t win the war with Babylon? Or, what happens after Cyrus is displaced and someone else comes to power who isn’t so agreeable? In the course of time, many po-litical maneuvers were employed to frustrate the plans of the Jews. Letters were written, slander was leveled, fear was mongered, lusts for greed were threatened, egos were flattered, and power was said to be jeopardized, and that’s all from Ezra 4:11-16 alone! How will King Artaxerxes respond to this letter? Oh no! Fret! Fret! Worry! Worry! Are we going to be allowed to rebuild? Has gone returned us in vain?
The fact that God’s will was done in the midst of such a tumultuous political time and with so many fierce enemies such as Sanballat the Horonite and To-biah the Ammonite, is a testament to the power of God. It is as Isaiah once said, “Behold, the nations are as a drop in a bucket, and are counted as the small dust on the scales...He sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabit-ants are like grasshoppers...He brings the princes to nothing; He makes the judges of the earth useless (41:15, 22-23).”
The only name given under Heaven whereby men will be saved is “Jesus.” (Acts 4:12) Let not any who believe be drawn in by such rhetoric as though it is imperative that one man be elected who can save this nation. The truth of the matter, Jesus is our only hope...although He doesn’t save nations unless nations repent (like Ninevah). He saves people who believe in Him.
The other extreme position worthy of rejection concerning the prospective leader of a nation is that those whose King is Jesus, and whose hope is not in this life but the one to come, should not care who leads the nation. I have heard it said, even preached elsewhere, that it is a sign of unbelief for a be-liever to feel strongly about or talk with people about who he believes should lead the country. Some say that it should not matter to Christians who is in charge because God is the One who puts people into power (Jn. 19:11), and He can remove them whenever He wills. Although the above sentiment may sound spiritual, and certainly seems like it might resonate well from the podi-um, I don’t believe that it holds up under careful scriptural scrutiny, nor even common sense.
Can a believer not feel strongly about the country’s leadership, even speak with others about his conviction, while at the same time recognizing that God appoints leaders and that we must submit to every lawful order by our gov-erning authorities, regardless of our feelings about them?
Does the Bible teach that since God is in control, the man in authority doesn’t matter? No, instead it shows the opposite, often that these bad leaders God has given us are exactly what we deserved at the time, and they did a lot of damage to the country. When the whole issue of Israel having a king was
broached, Samuel’s message was that “he will take” from you (we call it “high taxes”); he will confiscate your lands (we call it eminent domain), he will take your sons to build up his army and man his chariots (we call it pro-military / strong national defense). It’s politics, and we feel strongly about these issues. The point is, Samuel said it will affect your life, and even make you cry out (1 Sam. 8:17). If God offered a new leader who didn’t do those things, do you think they would have appreciated that (supported that candidate)?
Interestingly enough, God called Joseph and Mary out of Egypt to Israel because Herod had died, but they became fearful because they heard that Archelaus was reigning. I wonder why they didn’t trust God who gave him that authority? God, perhaps recognizing that he was indeed a dangerous man, allowed them to be diverted to Galilee. Does it really matter who’s in charge?
Bible history is filled with examples of good kings who practiced justice and right-eousness, and were a blessing to the people. Likewise, when evil leaders were appointed, they often led Israel away from God and made them sin against the LORD. Sometimes there was a good leader, like Jehoshaphat, who set a great example of faith for the people, but they failed to follow his example (2 Chron. 20:33). But, for the most part what we see is, as is the king so goes the people.
Contrast the leadership styles of Gideon and Jephthah—both men faced the same provocation from the Ephraimites (Judges 8 & 12). Gideon’s soft answer turned away much wrath (Prov. 15:1), whereas Jephthah’s quick temper quickly escalated their reproach into all out war. Does it really matter who’s in charge?
Our goal (and prayer) says the apostle Paul, is that we should aspire to continue to lead a quiet life in godliness (1 Tim. 2:2). It is a blessing to have been able for so many years to serve the Lord and share the gospel without much, if any, fear of persecution from our government. However, our society is becoming a very intolerable place. There are some evil philosophies (Col. 2:8) that are becoming more prevalent; some have termed it well a “woke mind virus.” The recent attack in Israel has served to expose some of these deplorable attitudes, but it is a bit frightening to think of some of these people gaining political power and actually having some sway in our way of life. (Names will be provided privately upon re-quest.) We may have our own Archelaus in the near future; indeed we will if no one seems to care who our leader is! Let us not be overcome by anxiety, but let us cast our cares upon Him and pray that He gives us leaders who are better than we deserve. And, let us be thankful that God reigns supreme.
