It is a truth that
humans will generally prefer security to liberty, however. The Hebrews will
eventually want a king and, therefore, a government like the heathen around
them. God will tell Samuel, who objects to their cry;
1Samuel 8:4 ¶
Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to
Samuel unto Ramah, 5 And said unto him,
Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to
judge us like all the nations. 6 But the
thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel
prayed unto the LORD. 7 And the LORD
said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice
of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee,
but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.
Then, gave them
this prophetic warning of the evils and expectations of human government.
8 According to
all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of
Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other
gods, so do they also unto thee. 9 Now
therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and
shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them. 10 And Samuel told all the words of the LORD
unto the people that asked of him a king. 11
And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over
you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots,
and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots. 12 And he will appoint him captains over
thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and
to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his
chariots. 13 And he will take your
daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. 14 And he will take your fields, and your
vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his
servants. 15 And he will take the tenth
of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his
servants. 16 And he will take your
menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your
asses, and put them to his work. 17 He
will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants. 18 And ye shall cry out in that day because of
your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that
day. 19 Nevertheless the people refused
to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over
us; 20 That we also may be like all the
nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our
battles. 21 And Samuel heard all the
words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the LORD. 22 And the LORD said to Samuel, Hearken unto
their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, Go
ye every man unto his city.
The Bible gives us
a detailed treatise on human government if we regard the entire book and not
just Romans 13 as an excuse for tyranny. Pray for your leaders. They are
typically not good men. There is a famous quote in recent history that pertains
to the men who have led people in government and war by the Englishman John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton, known
as Lord Acton.
“Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts
absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise
influence and not authority; still more when you superadd the tendency of the
certainty of corruption by authority.”
The Holy Spirit reports through the Bible writers that God
has placed over humans as rulers the worst sort of men…
Daniel 4:17
This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word
of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High
ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth
up over it the basest of men.
…and the
governments of the world are under Satan’s authority.
Luke 4:5 And
the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the
kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6
And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the
glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give
it.
The lacking of men
to rule generally in the right way is based on one major lacking even if they
call themselves Christians.
2Samuel 23:3
The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth
over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.
Now, it must be
said that even though a chief executive other than God Himself was not His
direct will for Israel it fell under His permissive will, His permission, and
He did bless kings and Israel when they were obedient or repentant, seeking
forgiveness, for their lack of obedience. Do not make the mistake, though, that
brought Western Civilization to World War One where most of the warring
countries thought they were God’s chosen people and God’s chosen government
each fighting evil personified in their opponents. Do not make the mistake of
believing that what God allows mankind to do is what His good, and acceptable,
and perfect will is rather than the lusts of our own hearts. In the end all the
machinations of mankind cannot thwart God’s eventual plan for humanity nor do
they help mankind escape the judgment that is being brought down.
Your government,
whether it be the United States, China, Russia, England, or even Namibia is the
enemy of your liberty in the Lord because you have rejected His leadership.
This fact is part of His judgment.
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