Who Is In Charge?
Good Morning Friends,
Established frameworks of order are necessary for liberty to be possible but that does not mean that all people in positions of power are good. Some are evil. In today’s text we have the wife of King Ahab, Jezebel, exerting undue influence. The King wanted Naboth to sell out his vineyard, but Naboth refused so he was set up and framed with false accusations and murdered by the actions of Jezebel so the King could have his way. This was not exactly a pleasant situation. One would think that in God’s providential ordering of the world, that nothing would exist unless God’s good will and pleasure ordained it so. Yet, I for one do not sanction the divine right of evil governments. The problem is that we belong to multiple communities with loyalty and obligations to both. If we claim special privilege in either of them we deceive ourselves. Sometimes we must resist, but in almost all situations the Christian must accept the obligations of citizenship. Faced with this reality we would do well to ponder today’s question realizing that loyalty to a county and to its office holders and loyalty to God are not always the same thing. Who Is In Charge?
Scripture: Later the following events took place: Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, beside the palace of King Ahab of Samaria. And Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard, so that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is near my house; I will give you a better vineyard for it; or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its value in money.” But Naboth said to Ahab, “The Lord forbid that I should give you my ancestral inheritance.” Ahab went home resentful and sullen because of what Naboth the Jezreelite had said to him; for he had said, “I will not give you my ancestral inheritance.” He lay down on his bed, turned away his face, and would not eat. His wife Jezebel came to him and said, “Why are you so depressed that you will not eat?” He said to her, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, ‘Give me your vineyard for money; or else, if you prefer, I will give you another vineyard for it’; but he answered, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.'” His wife Jezebel said to him, “Do you now govern Israel? Get up, eat some food, and be cheerful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.” So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal; she sent the letters to the elders and the nobles who lived with Naboth in his city. She wrote in the letters, “Proclaim a fast, and seat Naboth at the head of the assembly; seat two scoundrels opposite him, and have them bring a charge against him, saying, ‘You have cursed God and the king.’ Then take him out, and stone him to death.” The men of his city, the elders and the nobles who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had sent word to them. Just as it was written in the letters that she had sent to them, they proclaimed a fast and seated Naboth at the head of the assembly. The two scoundrels came in and sat opposite him; and the scoundrels brought a charge against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, “Naboth cursed God and the king.” So they took him outside the city, and stoned him to death. Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth has been stoned; he is dead.” As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, Jezebel said to Ahab, “Go, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money; for Naboth is not alive, but dead.” As soon as Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab set out to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.
1 Kings 21:1-16 (NRSV)
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.
Matthew 5:38-42 (NRSV)
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities; for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists authority resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you wish to have no fear of the authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive its approval; for it is God’s servant for your good. But if you do what is wrong, you should be afraid, for the authority does not bear the sword in vain! It is the servant of God to execute wrath on the wrongdoer.
Romans 13: 1-4 (NRSV)
The beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. It was given authority over every tribe and people and language and nation, and all the inhabitants of the earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb that was slaughtered. Let anyone who has an ear listen: If you are to be taken captive, into captivity you go; if you kill with the sword, with the sword you must be killed. Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.
Revelation 13:5-10 (NRSV)
Message: Our culture is very confused, very distracted and very divided in determining what is right and what is wrong. We face polarized ideologies that compete for our time and energy. An organized State does however allow for some degree of unity to occur. And we are better off today than a thousand or a hundred years ago. Governments and rulers do serve a purpose, but they do have a time. In today’s text we are confronted with the challenge of what we are to do when we have rulers that are self-serving? Think of North Korea. Would you take a stand or take a knee? At play here is patriotism, honor, respect, but also the possibility of discord and division and death. Sometimes I think God regrets the leaders put in power even by divine direction. Yet if Romans 13 and Revelation 13 is any guide, God will ultimately assert his sovereignty by defying the death sentence and raising Jesus to power. But we do not often see the bigger picture. Still as Christians we must serve God over man. And it is our purpose as Christians to elevate the minds of others and especially children to be advocates for those who are taken advantage of and to have a contempt of those who are mean until Jesus returns. Yes, we are to abhor injustice and inhumanity. We are to excel in virtue but still to live if we can, for God does not want our sacrifices so much as our love. Maybe it is better to be alive and faithful than dead and famous. Still some may be called into service like Detrick Bonhoeffer who lived his life in this reality and acknowledged that “Yes, there’s a sadness, but to serve God with everything you have unto death is the greatest joy of life.” Thankfully we are not likely to be called into such a service but need to pray for those who are.
Pray we really grasp the depth of the problem we face. Pray we do what is right not because we are afraid of authority but because it is the right response to God. Pray we sincerely pray for our leaders. Pray though, that we realize that God often uses the evil of men for an ultimate good. Pray we realize that our personal sacrifices made for the cause of Christ are not in vain. Pray therefor we speak the truth. Pray we never compromise what is right. Pray, however, that we respect leaders and wait for the Lord. Pray our will is strong and patience longsuffering. Pray we not sell out but pray our actions of resistance count for something. Pray our actions inspire hope in the face of adversity. Pray we trust in the power of God’s love. Pray we realize that ultimately, we are to share in Christ’s death, but also in his resurrection.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 