Training Up Our Children

There is probably no greater responsibility given to us as human beings than the raising up of the generations of people who will follow us on to this world. The ability to procreate children is easy. God has given us the natural ability to produce other human beings from the time we hit adolescence. Teaching them and training them how to live in this world is not so easy. It is, however, the single most important job we will ever undertake as adults. 

From the time God gave the Law to Moses and then Moses instructed the children of Israel in the Law, it was the task of every parent to teach their children the Laws and ways of God daily. In Deuteronomy 6 verses 6 and 7 Moses instructed the people regarding this task when he said: 

“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”. 

Later Solomon instructed the people of Israel in the same way in Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he 

should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it”.

In these passages we are given the blueprint for raising God followers. When we think about what we need to teach our children beyond reading writing and arithmetic, if we assume that all we need to teach them is that Jesus died for their sins so they can be forgiven and someday go to heaven after this life is over, then the teaching is fairly simple. But, if we are to teach them how to live in this world, with all of its debauchery, sin and evil, then it becomes a much more complex task, one which most parents today are failing in doing. 

The instruction given in Deuteronomy is that we are to teach our children from the time they get up in the morning until they go to bed at night. Everything in this world and in this life is to be correlated back to God’s Laws and His ways as it is revealed in His word. When we think of the books of the Law we are taken back to the first five books of the Bible, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In these books we have much more than just Laws given to us. We have stories of real life, lived out in worlds and cultures that were no better than ours. In those stories we find examples of people who held on to faith and some who threw away faith. We see the consequences of believing and the disasters that occur when we fail to believe. 

When we come to believe in Jesus Christ as our savior, we are not joining a religious organization. We have become a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven. In Ephesians 2:19 Paul says of us: “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household.”  From the beginning people have been looking for a country, a kingdom, that they could not find. The writer of Hebrews said this about them: “All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own”. (Hebrews 11: 13, 14) Then came John the Baptist proclaiming that the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand. Jesus continued the message throughout his time on earth letting us know that the Kingdom was here, even in our hearts. 

As citizens of this Kingdom we have also been given a position of high authority and responsibility. Paul calls us “Ambassadors for Christ” in 2 Corinthians 5:20. As ambassadors the task we have been given is to disciple the nations, Matthew 28:19-20. This means that it is our task to challenge the cultures of the world and demonstrating the superiority of the culture of the Kingdom of Heaven. God tells us that we need to change the way we think (Romans 12:2). Our world has many cultures, from primitive natives in jungles to highly educated intellectuals, and yet their thinking is flawed and needs to be conformed to God’s way of thinking. 

So, as parents, when we send our children out into the world they are being confronted with many different cultures through many means. Every avenue is being used to influence our children’s thinking. From the video games they play to the movies and Television shows they watch, the Internet sites they visit, to the books and magazines they read, the news reports they hear, and even the friends they make, they are being shaped and molded into patterns of thinking that are not in alignment with the ways of God. This means that every day we need to be discovering what they have heard and experienced and we need to counter the false teachings, concepts, ideas and behaviors that they have seen and heard. Everyday we need to be taking them back to the word of God and showing them how to confront the culture they live in so that they become the influencers not the influenced. 

Far too many children have been lost to the cultures of this world and we are seeing the devastating results play out before us as these lost children have taken to the streets to proclaim their allegiance to false teachings that will never prosper them. Many of them may be lost for eternity unless someone is able to challenge their ideology and persuade them of the truth. 

Raising our children to be God followers is a daunting task, but can we afford to shirk our responsibility to obey our Lord and train them properly? 

How Would Jesus Vote - Part 4

How Would Jesus Vote

Principles of Scripture to Guide Christians

as They Face Another Election

Part 4

            In my last blog I showed you from the scriptures the qualities that make up a good leader. I want to now turn my attention to what scripture has to say about the qualities that bad leadership exhibits and the effect it has on those under it. We need to keep in mind that all of us are leaders at one level or another. So, as you read this blog, examine yourself to see what type of leader you are. Do you exhibit any of these negative qualities? If so, then it is time to make a change and begin to replace those negative qualities with the opposite positive quality. Let’s get started.

            Wicked leadership is addressed several times in the book of Proverbs, so that is probably a good place to start. First of all, we probably should define what wickedness is, for without a proper understanding of the term we might label the wrong people as wicked. A dictionary definition of wicked is “evil or morally bad in principle or practice; sinful, iniquitous.” Additional definitions include “distressingly severe”, “unjustifiable, dreadful, beastly”, “having a bad disposition, ill-natured, mean”, “spiteful, malevolent, vicious”, and “extremely troublesome, or dangerous”.

            These are certainly good terms to describe a wicked person, but in a society where the meanings of words are being twisted and applied to the opposite of what they actually meant, it can be relatively easy to misidentify a good person as wicked or a wicked person as good. Terms such as “mean” can be interpreted many different ways. Today we see colleges and universities creating “safe zones” because of the “mean speech” of someone who simply disagrees with a particular point of view. So, rather than relying solely on a dictionary definition of wicked, we should see how the term is used in the Bible so we can see how God defines the term.

            The very first use of the word Hebrew word for wicked is found in the story of the Garden of Eden where there was a tree in the garden that was called the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil”. The word for evil here is the same Hebrew word also translated in other places as the word wicked. The Hebrew word is “ra”. A wicked person in Hebrew is a “rasha”. The first usage of the term is found in Genesis 6 where God sees that the wickedness of man on the earth had become great, or widespread. God saw that the thoughts of men’s hearts was only evil continually. At that point the wickedness of man was so widespread that only Noah and his family were saved when the earth was destroyed by the flood.

            The next time we run into these terms is in the story of Sodom in Genesis 13 and 18. Once again we see that when the wickedness of the people had completely taken over the society, God brought destructive judgment to them. This pattern is continued throughout the Old Testament. But, what are these people doing that causes God to classify them as wicked?

            In Exodus 9 we have a portion of the story of Moses and his battle with the Pharaoh of Egypt over letting the children of Israel leave. Because Pharaoh would not let them go, God sent a judgment of hail upon the land of Egypt, but not on the children of Israel. Pharaoh then admitted in Exodus 9:27 that he and his people were wicked.

            Once the people of Israel had left Egypt God began to give them His laws. In Exodus 23:1 God gave them this law: ““You must not pass along false rumors. You must not cooperate with evil people by lying on the witness stand.” (NLT) A few verses later God adds to this command with this command in verse 7: “You must not pass along false rumors. You must not cooperate with evil people by lying on the witness stand.” These are just a couple of examples, but as you continue to look through the usage of the term “wicked” or “wickedness” throughout the Old Testament, they all boil down to the same basic concept. A wicked person is someone who raises their hand against an innocent or righteous person. They attack good and godly people. It can be a physical attack, it can be a legal attack, or it can be a sexual attack. In all cases though, these things are called wicked. So, now that we have a little bit of an understanding of what it means to be wicked, we can now look at what the Bible says about wicked leadership.

            Proverbs 28:15 (NLT)

A wicked ruler is as dangerous to the poor as a roaring lion or an attacking bear.

            Right away we see that there is danger to the poor from a wicked ruler. This reiterates what I just said about the wicked attacking the innocent or righteous.

            Proverbs 29:2 (NLT)

When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice. But when the wicked are in power, they groan.

            Have you ever felt your spirit in you groaning over what people in authority may be doing to oppress innocent or righteous people? I just read a news article this morning about a woman who had sued a couple of police officers in Kansas because they had, without justification or provocation, demanded entry into her home and after allowing her to pray, they told her to stop praying. You can read the story at this link. http://www.wnd.com/2016/10/stunner-cops-tell-woman-to-stop-praying/

            This next verse gives us some insight into what type of people will surround a wicked leader.

            Proverbs 29:12

If a ruler pays attention to liars, all his advisers will be wicked.

            If the advisers for a ruler are wicked, from what we have already learned about the wicked, wouldn’t you expect that their administration would be oppressive? Wouldn’t you expect that they would especially target those who are righteous? Yes, you should expect that. In just this past week I found two stories of the oppression and suppression of Christians in Russia and China. In both countries, moves have now been made by the government to outlaw Christian activities and evangelism. Those governments can be classified as wicked, based on the Biblical description of wickedness.

            This verse ought to also cause us to pay attention to the things that the people around a leader are saying. For if those people lie, for whatever reason they might give, then that administration will move in the direction of oppression. It will particularly be bad for the poor people and for the Christians who are practicing their faith, not just at home or at church, but who may live out their faith at their place of employment.

            Think back over the past several years and recall the stories you’ve seen or read about how Christians have been sued, or placed in jail because they refused service to someone who wanted them to endorse their wicked lifestyle. There is a difference between a person simply living a perverse and wicked lifestyle and the attempt to force godly people to acknowledge, accept and endorse their lifestyle as good and wholesome. Once that line is crossed and good people are persecuted for refusing to declare wickedness as acceptable, God’s judgment is not far off.

            Another negative quality that leaders should not have is that of foolishness. The character of a fool is mentioned many times in the scripture. There are so many aspects of what a fool looks like, how they talk, how they behave and how they relate to others, that I simply do not have time to go over them all. But, I’ve put together a little list of just a few of the characteristics of a fool for you to examine. Look over this list carefully and see if you can identify people you may have known or heard of who would fall into this category of being a fool.

Attitude Toward Education:

            The fool despises wisdom and instruction                                                        – Proverbs 1:7

            The fool hates knowledge                                                                               – Proverb 1:22

            The foolish woman is naïve and ignorant                                                          – Proverbs 9:13

            The fool dies because he lacks understanding                                                  – Proverbs 10:21

            The fool does not know how to teach knowledge to others                                 – Proverbs 15:7

            The fool likes to share his thoughts, but does not enjoy understanding               – Proverbs 18:2

            The fool despises wisdom given by others                                                       – Proverbs 23:9   

Attitude Toward Work:

            The fool is complacent                                                                                   – Proverbs 1:32

            The fool becomes the servant of the wise                                                        – Proverbs 11:29

            The fool is a daydreamer                                                                                – Proverbs 17:24

            The fool is unreliable                                                                                      – Proverbs 26:6

Attitude Toward Religion:

            The fool's heart rages against God                                                                 – Proverbs 19:3

            The fool denies the existence of God                                                             – Psalm 14:1

            The fool spurns God's name                                                                          – Psalm 74:18

Attitude Toward Correction:

            The fool doesn't learn from discipline                                                              – Proverbs 17:10

            The fool brings punishment upon himself                                                        – Proverbs 19:29

Attitude Toward Pleasure:

            The fool enjoys the foolishness of others                                                        – Proverbs 15:14

            The fool wastes his wealth                                                                            – Proverbs 21:20

            The fool thinks of nothing but pleasure                                                           – Eccl. 7:4

The Fool's Speech:

            The fool's mouth gets him in trouble                                                              – Proverbs 10:14

            The fool spreads slander about other people                                                  – Proverbs 10:18

            The fool says stupid things                                                                          – Proverbs 12:23

            The fool says things that come back to hurt him                                            – Proverbs 14:3

            The fool lies                                                                                                – Proverbs 14:8

            The fool is quarrelsome                                                                                – Proverbs 20:3

            The fool talks and talks and talks                                                                  – Eccl. 10:12, 14

The Fool's Behavior:

            The fool displays dishonor                                                                            – Proverbs 3:35

            The foolish woman is boisterous                                                                   – Proverbs 9:13

            The fool views wicked behavior as sport                                                        – Proverbs 10:23

            The fool considers it wrong to abandon their evil ways                                    – Proverbs 13:19

            The fool will always repeat his foolishness                                                     – Proverbs 26:11

            The fool is inclined to wickedness                                                                 – Isaiah 32:6

The Fool and Family:

            The fool destroys their own home                                                                – Proverbs 14:1

            The fool doesn't belong in luxurious surroundings                                          – Proverbs 19:10

            The fool destroys his family heritage                                                            – Proverbs 19:13

The Fool and Relationships:

            The fool hurts those who are closest to them                                                – Proverbs 13:20

            The fool cannot be trusted                                                                           – Proverbs 14:8

            The fool is more dangerous than an angry wild animal                                    – Proverbs 17:12

            The fool rages or laughs during controversy with a wise man                          – Proverbs 29:9

            The fool does not help meet the needs of those around them                          – Isaiah 32:6

The Fool and His Emotions:

            The fool cannot control his emotions when things don't go his way                   – Proverbs 12:16

            The fool always loses his temper                                                                  – Proverbs 29:11

            The fool has anger hidden inside him                                                             – Eccl. 7:9

            The fool is easily frustrated                                                                           – Job 5:2

The Fool's Attitude:

            The fool thinks his way is always right                                                           – Proverbs 12:15

            The fool is arrogant and careless                                                                   – Proverbs 14:16

            The fool trusts in his own heart                                                                      – Proverbs 28:26

The Fool's Death:

            The fool will die before his time                                                                      – Eccl 7:17

            I think you can see from this blog that it is not good to be under the leadership of a fool nor of the wicked. Both of them can be dangerous. Both of them can bring about an oppressive state. As Christian parents and grandparents, we need to watch carefully the development of our children and grand-children, because we do not want to produce foolish or wicked children. For those in the work place, if you find yourself under the leadership of a foolish or wicked person, you might want to seriously consider finding a different job.

            Finally, as Christians, we need to prayfully and thoughtfully consider the type of administration the two primary candidates for President would bring with them.

How Would Jesus Vote - Part 3

How Would Jesus Vote

Principles of Scripture to Guide Christians

as They Face Another Election

Part 3

            If you could design a leader what would you choose as character qualities for that person? Would you want a leader who was diligent, dedicated, and thorough? Are there any negative character qualities that you might say are deal breakers if you were choosing a leader? I want to think beyond the presidential race to also think about leaders at all levels. We have leaders in business, in community groups, in churches and hopefully in our homes in addition to the leaders in politics.

What I want us to do today though, is to look at ourselves and ask ourselves, “What type of leader am I?” Some of you may think you are not a leader, but everyone has someone who looks to them for guidance at some level. Even within the home the parents are leaders to the children and grandchildren. Older children are leaders to the younger ones in the family. If you are a business owner you are a leader. If you are a manager or supervise people in the work place you are a leader. If you belong to a community group you are a leader. The bottom line is that it does not matter what position you think you have, everyone influences others. Therefore we need to know the marks of a good leader. To discover God’s view of leadership we need to turn to the Bible.

            King David of Israel spoke his final words which are recorded in 2 Samuel 23. He began his statement declaring the type of king that God wants to rule over his people and what life would be like under such a king.

            2 Samuel 23:3, 4 (NLT)

The God of Israel spoke.
The Rock of Israel said to me:
‘The one who rules righteously,
who rules in the fear of God,

is like the light of morning at sunrise,
like a morning without clouds,
like the gleaming of the sun
on new grass after rain.’

            We begin by noting that the type of leader God desires is one who will rule over his people with righteousness and who fears God. If such a leader is in authority over a group of people it is pleasant in the same way that a beautiful morning breaks in the eastern sky or in the way that sun will sparkle on the grass immediately after a rain shower.

            What does it mean for a leader to rule righteously? The original language word translated here as “righteously” is a word that primarily refers to being just. So we could say that the leader should have justice as a hallmark of his leadership. Justice refers to the balancing of the scales when they have been put out of balance. It means that when someone has suffered a wrong, that wrong is made right and things are put back into place as they should have been. That’s why righteousness is the doing of what is right as opposed to doing things that are wrong. And we need to understand that right and wrong as defined Biblically are determined by what God considers right and wrong, not what a society decides is right or wrong. So, it is not too much of a stretch to realize that a leader who rules justly must know the laws and ways of God, which is why the fear of the Lord is so important.

            Let’s look at some other positive qualities God desires in human leadership.

Proverbs 12:24

Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in forced labor.

            This Hebrew word for the diligent means a person who can be relied on. They are trustworthy and solid. They are valuable and capable of maintaining the things under their care and they even have the ability to improve whatever he has authority over. A diligent leader is not lazy. They do not sit around all day playing video games or just hanging out.

A great example of this character quality is the story of Joseph in the book of Genesis, who rose to high positions of leadership whether it was over the house of his master when he was a slave, or over the prison in which he was a prisoner and ultimately to be the second in command over the nation of Egypt. Whatever he touched as a leader flourished and grew. Those over him never had to worry about him doing anything wrong. He could be completed trusted with the most precious of items. That is a diligent leader.

            A pair of verses from Proverbs 20 highlight the role of a good leader is eliminating evil from his realm of authority.

Proverbs 20:8 (HCSB)

A king sitting on a throne to judge sifts out all evil with his eyes.

Proverbs 20:26 (NLT)

A wise king scatters the wicked like wheat, then runs his threshing wheel over them.

            In these verses we find that wisdom is vital for a leader. Without wisdom he will not be able to lead well. If the leader is wise he will be able to spot the wicked who do evil and he will deal decisively with them, removing them from his realm. A leader who is blind to wickedness and evil is not the type of leader that anyone should want over them. There is also a promise for the leaders who remove the wicked from their domain. This type of leadership needs to start in the home. If more parents today would root out the evil in their children, we would have far fewer problems with crime in our nation.

Proverbs 25:5 (KJV)

Take away the wicked from before the king, and his throne shall be established in righteousness.

            When the wicked are removed from a kingdom, that king and kingdom will remain stable and firm because it is grounded in righteousness. Wicked people will upset the stability of any society. They must be dealt with quickly and firmly. If wickedness is allowed to proliferate it will eventually destroy a nation. To see examples of this we only need to look back in history to see the many empires that collapsed or were defeated after they grew soft toward the wicked within their nation.

Proverbs 20:28 (KJV)

Mercy and truth preserve the king: and his throne is upholden by mercy.

            Here we have two more excellent character qualities that a leader should have. Mercy is the compassionate response of one in authority toward one who has broken the law. Instead of being harsh and unfeeling a merciful person will seek the healing and restoration of the lawbreaker. A merciful leader is one who will give people a second chance. Such leaders are seen as strong yet tender and they are greatly loved by those under their leadership. That’s why they will be able to remain in their position or be promoted to higher and higher levels of leadership.

            Truth is always important to a leader. Truth will prove itself. Truth will always overcome lies. To see what happens when truth is not what a leader lives by we find the answer in this verse in Proverbs.

Proverbs 29:12 (NIV)

If a ruler listens to lies, all his officials become wicked.

            If a leader practices lying and deception, all those under them who carry out the leaders desires will become wicked and it will not be good for the people under their rule.

            Proverbs 29:14 (NKJV)

The king who judges the poor with truth, His throne will be established forever.

            This is another aspect of truth within the realm of a leader in that a good leader who has to make judgments regarding those under their command will make sure they have all the truth when they make their decision. They do not make decisions based on half-truths or lies.

            The quality of wisdom is critically important for leaders. Do you know how to recognize a wise person? Are they wise simply because they agree with you? Fortunately we don’t have to guess about what a wise person looks like and how they behave. The Bible gives us the things to look for.

            The following verse is very important for us to understand in light of the civil unrest we are seeing in our nation at this time.

            Proverbs 29:8 (NLT)

Mockers can get a whole town agitated, but the wise will calm anger.

            Some translations of this verse say that scoffers will set a city aflame. Sounds like rioters setting fires, doesn’t it. So how does a wise person respond in such a situation? They calm the anger. How is anger calmed? A soft answer will turn off anger, Proverbs 15:1. If a leader does not know how to calm outbursts of anger, they will cause the situation to worsen. This is true as much for a parent as it is for a mayor, a governor, or the president of the United States.

            Not only does a wise person know how to calm anger in others, they are able to control their own anger.

            Proverbs 29:11 (HCSB)

                        A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man holds it in check.

            There are many things that can cause us to become angry, and that is understandable, but the issue for a leader is, what do they do when they become angry? Even Paul tells us that we can be angry and not sin, Ephesians 4:26. It is not being angry that is the problem. The problem begins when we begin to give full expression to the anger. How a leader responds can be critical, especially when it is at the level of a national leader.

            Proverbs 29:9 (NASB)

When a wise man has a controversy with a foolish man, the foolish man either rages or laughs, and there is no rest.

            This is a good verse to keep in mind as you watch the political races this year. There is much controversy taking place. How do those involved respond to one another? It will tell you much about whether you are watching someone wise or someone foolish.

            Proverbs 21:11b (ESV)

                        When a wise man is instructed, he gains knowledge.

            This is the issue of whether or not a person is teachable. No one knows everything. So we all must learn from others. If a person will not receive instruction, they are not wise.

            Proverbs 16:21 (NET)

The one who is wise in heart is called discerning, and kind speech increases persuasiveness.

            This is a very good verse. Not only does it tell us that a wise person has great discernment, which means they can tell the difference between good and evil, but they also know how to speak in such a way that they can persuade others to follow them.

            Proverbs 14:16 (NASB)

A wise man is cautious and turns away from evil, But a fool is arrogant and careless.

            This is a great verse that highlights one of the differences between the wise and the foolish. A wise person is cautious and avoids doing what is wrong, but a fool is careless, or we might use the word reckless, and will not avoid breaking laws and doing wrong. Recklessness, or carelessness in not acceptable in a leader. If they are reckless or careless in small things, they will be reckless and careless in major things as well and that will endanger those under their leadership.

            There are many other verses in Proverbs that describe a wise person. These verses tell us that wise people listen to counsel, are restrained in speaking too quickly, they learn quickly, they know how to heal wounded people, and they know how to build up a home, a city or a nation.

            Leaders should be people of good and upright character. As members of the ecclesia we all need to be leaders of good character. God has called us to be the major influencers of those around us. We are to impact our society in keeping with the will of God and the kingdom of heaven.

My next blog will examine the bad character qualities that should disqualify a person from higher levels of leadership.  

How Would Jesus Vote - Part 2

How Would Jesus Vote

Principles of Scripture to Guide Christians

as They Face Another Election

Part 2

            In my last blog I laid out my reasoning as to why Christians ought to vote in every election. In this blog I want to address the issue of voting when there seems to be no candidate that is “ideal” or even what we would consider “Godly”. It does present a dilemma for us and it can seem that it might not make a difference who we choose. We might even conclude that because, as we saw last time, it is God who sets up leaders and removes leaders, so therefore, why bother when it is so difficult.

            I believe it is important to vote even in a very confusing election. Just because there doesn’t seem to be good candidates to vote for, doesn’t absolve us from trying to choose the best one. I want to use a Biblical example to illustrate how God chose leaders, even leaders who did not end up following Him. For God did indeed choose leaders over his own people who would, in the end, lead the children of Israel into great wickedness. Why would God do that? Why wouldn’t God always choose Godly leaders for His own people?

            Let’s look at a story of one such choice in the books of 1st Kings, 2^nd Kings and 2^nd Chronicles. It is the story of Jehu. In 1 Kings 19:15 and 16, the Lord told the prophet Elijah to anoint two people as king. One was to be Hazael, king over Syria and the other was to be Jehu the son of Nimshi over Israel. The anointing was not done until long after Elijah was gone. We find the story of his anointing in 2^nd Kings 9 where Elisha the prophet sent a son of one of the prophets to find Jehu and anoint him as king.

            2 Kings 9:1-3 (ESV) “Then Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets and said to him, “Tie up your garments, and take this flask of oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth-gilead. And when you arrive, look there for Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi. And go in and have him rise from among his fellows, and lead him to an inner chamber. Then take the flask of oil and pour it on his head and say, ‘Thus says the LORD, I anoint you king over Israel.’ Then open the door and flee; do not linger.”

            The rest of 2 Kings 9 and up through 2 Kings 10:11 tell the story of what Jehu did to destroy the house of Ahab. 2 Chronicles 22:7 (ESV) says this about why Jehu was chosen by the Lord to be king over Israel. “But it was ordained by God that the downfall of Ahaziah should come about through his going to visit Joram. For when he came there, he went out with Jehoram to meet Jehu the son of Nimshi, whom the LORD had anointed to destroy the house of Ahab.”

            Ahab and Jezebel were two of the most wicked people to ever rule over the nation of Israel. It was God’s desire to destroy their rule over the kingdom, including destroying their entire family line, all Ahab’s close friends and all the priests he had put into office. This was a complete destruction of Ahab’s legacy. In addition, God also allowed Jehu to bring down the wicked king Ahaziah who was over the kingdom of Judah at the time.

            Jehu was not a righteous king himself either. We find his legacy in 2 Kings 10:28-31.

“Thus Jehu wiped out Baal from Israel. But Jehu did not turn aside from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin—that is, the golden calves that were in Bethel and in Dan. And the LORD said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in carrying out what is right in my eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab according to all that was in my heart, your sons of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.” But Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of the LORD, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He did not turn from the sins of Jeroboam, which he made Israel to sin.”

            Did God know that Jehu would not be careful to walk in the law of the Lord? Of course He was, but God had a higher priority in the bringing down of the houses of king Ahab and king Ahaziah. In other words, there are times when God will use people who are not perfect, to accomplish His will.

            There are other examples throughout the Old Testament that I could give, such as Nebuchadnezzar and others that God used to bring judgment to His people, because of their sin. These were ungodly, wicked people, yet God allowed them to rule over and even destroy the nation of Israel and the nation of Judah.

            So, as we think about this election in America, we can readily see there are some problems with the candidates. I have to ask the question then, “Is it possible that God is seeking to bring down an evil regime or is He even going so far as to bring judgment to us as a nation?”

            As I looked at the scriptures regarding leadership, I came across a number of verses that talked about what type of leadership God puts into place over a nation that He has judged. Look at these interesting verses.

            Isaiah 3:1-4

            “For behold, the Lord GOD of hosts is going to remove from Jerusalem and Judah both supply and support, the whole supply of bread and the whole supply of water; The mighty man and the warrior, The judge and the prophet, The diviner and the elder, The captain of fifty and the honorable man, The counselor and the expert artisan, and the skillful enchanter. And I will make mere lads their princes, and capricious children will rule over them”.

            Isaiah 3:12

O My people! Their oppressors are children, and women rule over them. O My people! Those who guide you lead you astray and confuse the direction of your paths.

            Notice in these verses who God allows to rule over his people when they come under judgment. They are the young, childish people, oppressive people and women. So, I ask again, “What is God wanting to do?” If we are a nation under judgment, then as we look at our current leadership, are we seeing young, oppressive, capricious leaders ruling over us? Is it possible that Hillary is one of those women that God allows to be placed over a nation when it has been judged? I do not know the answer to that question at this time.

            On the other side is the question of whether or not God is seeking to bring down a corrupt and wicked administration. As you know, the past couple of years has seen gay rights triumph and be celebrated by our president. We have seen the transgendered people be embraced by our current administration. Have we been living under a spirit of leadership like that of Ahab and Jezebel? Is it possible that the time has come for God to remove the worst of the worst among the leadership in this nation?

            Really, only time will tell. But, as for us and our decision on who we should vote for this time, let’s not throw up our hands because we don’t have a wonderful candidate running for office. Instead, let’s begin to seek the Lord, just as Elijah and Elisha did when the Lord directed them to anoint Jehu as king. God does have a choice in this election. Our job is to discern as best we can what that choice is. I pray that it is God’s desire to remove the evil and not to bring us to judgment.

            In my next blog I will begin to examine the type of leadership God desires. 

How Would Jesus Vote

How Would Jesus Vote

Principles of Scripture to Guide Christians

as They Face Another Election

Part 1

            This presidential election cycle has been one of the toughest I’ve ever seen in my lifetime to be able to select people for the elected offices which will guide this nation for the next four years. I know many Christians are particularly distressed when they look at the two major Presidential candidates, because they see major problems with both of them. The third party candidates may be an option, but let’s be honest, no third party candidate will win this election. The most a third party candidate has ever done is to cause one party to lose because they took votes away from that candidate. It happened in 1980 when John Anderson took votes away from Jimmy Carter thus allowing Ronald Reagan to become president. In 1992 and 1996 it was Ross Perot taking votes away from George H. W. Bush and Bob Dole respectively, thus giving us the eight years of the Bill Clinton administration.

            It is not my goal here to tell you who to vote for as President. Instead, what I want to do is to give you some scriptural principles that ought to guide you in voting for all the offices that need to be fulfilled, from school boards to the President. Every office and every proposition or measure on the ballot is important and needs a good decision made on our part. I know too that there are many Christians who feel strongly that they don’t need to vote at all in any election. This first blog in this series is designed to destroy that idea. So let’s begin.

            Many American Christians do not vote in elections and they have many reasons why they choose to not participate in the process. Some simply don’t see candidates that they feel are perfect enough to earn their vote. Others may believe their vote doesn’t count because they live in an area where the opposing party is so strong they have no chance of seeing someone from their party elected. They have essentially given up trying. There are many other reasons for not voting, but I want to examine the question of what the role should be of Christians in democratic societies when it comes to electing their leaders.

            The first principle that I feel we need to understand is found in a number of passages in the Bible and it can be summed up simply as, “God is the one who puts people into places of authority and power and He is the one who removes them”. One such verse is Daniel 2:21 (ESV) “He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding”. Some might read that and determine that they have no role in choosing leadership, that it is already determined by God and thus they don’t need to be involved. However, that is not the Biblical perspective.

            If we go all the way back to the very beginning, we find God creating man and giving him dominion over the earth. Why would God give dominion of the earth to mankind? Couldn’t God simply rule over the earth by Himself? Of course He could, but that is not His plan. God’s plan has always been to bring His kingdom rule to bear on the earth through human beings who would work with Him to accomplish His purposes. His first choice was Adam. Adam fell and yet that did not change God’s plan. If we go to the very end of the book we find that even in the time when Jesus rules and reigns from Jerusalem for one thousand years we will be ruling and reigning with Him.

            In Matthew 16:18 we have the famous declaration of Jesus that He would “build His church”. It is unfortunate that in our English translations the word church does not carry the same meaning as the word Jesus used in the original text. When Matthew wrote this account of the gospel he used the Greek word “Ecclesia” to express what Jesus was planning to build. What an ecclesia? This word comes from the Greek civilization prior to the Roman Empire when they were ruled by city states. Each city was a state unto itself. Kind of like the fifty states of our union are unique and somewhat independently ruled by governors and legislatures. In the same way, these ancient Greek city states were ruled by a group of elected people who formed the ecclesia. We can think of them as being comparable to our three branches of government: the executive branch – our president, the legislative branch – our senate and house of representatives, and our judicial branch – our supreme court. The Greek ecclesia did the same thing for those city states that our three branches of government do for us. So, when Jesus said He was going to build His ecclesia, He was not instituting a social club. He was letting us know that He was establishing a ruling body of chosen and elected people who would work with their heavenly Father to carry out His will on the earth. That’s why Paul often referred to believers as chosen or as the elect. He understood this concept. Jesus even taught us to pray, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

            Thus, it is the responsibility of the followers of Jesus to do all they can do bring the kingdom of heaven into reality on the earth. I’m not saying that we will completely establish the kingdom on the earth before Jesus returns. What I am saying is that we are to do all we can to live out the kingdom here and now, taking down the kingdom of the enemy until Jesus returns. Jesus Himself, gave us our marching orders when He said in Matthew 6:33 “…seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…” Our focus is to be doing everything we can to establish righteousness and subdue wickedness in this world.

            That then brings us back to the issue of voting. As American citizens, we have the right to put into office, men and women who lead this nation. As Christians, we have the responsibility to choose men and women who will institute righteousness and not wickedness. The fact that we may be out-voted is not important. Consider it like this: do you think it is the responsibility of your senators and representatives to vote on every piece of legislation? We expect that of them, don’t we? We expect them to vote even when they may be vastly outnumbered in the final tally. We expect them to do everything they can to sway the vote in our direction, even if it means a filibuster. That’s all part of their job.

            It is also part of our job as the ecclesia. We are to do everything we can to sway the vote in a Godly direction, even if we lose. So, this year, in this election, let every Christian vote and do all we can to influence others to vote for Godly leadership, not just for the presidency, but for every office being contested on the ballot.

            In my next blog I will address the issue of whether or not we should vote for candidates that are less than “ideal”.