We are about to elect a new president of our United States
of America. Depending upon your
political bent, you are either excited that the current president is finally
leaving office or you are sad that he cannot be re-elected again. But for both sides of the political
landscape, we are all somewhat concerned about the outcome of the upcoming
election. On both sides of the
debate, we are all asking the same question: “What if _____________ actually
gets elected?”
As a pastor, I have to be very careful about political
endorsements because getting to active in the political process from the pulpit
can jeopardize the legal standing of the church. Honestly, I don’t know how some pastors get away with saying
some of the things they on Sunday mornings. Nevertheless, what I can do is provide some biblical insight
into how a believer ought to go about making their decisions.
I think it would be fair to say that everyone is fed up with
the political process right now.
It seems as if nothing ever changes and it certainly seems as if nothing
you or I could do makes any difference whatsoever. The old adage that says one man (person) can make a
difference doesn’t seem to hold much truth. However, what we must consider regarding that proverb is
that the extent to which that one man can make a difference may very well
depend upon his influence and authority.
In that regard, I would ask you to consider the difference
that one godly man in a place of authority can make. To make my point, I would ask you to consider King Hezekiah.
In the 8th Century BC, the spiritual condition of
God’s people had reached an all time low.
For generation after generation, the Northern Kingdom of Samaria had
been ruled by one evil king after another. Despite repeated warnings, Samaria had refused to repent of
its idolatry and evil ways. The
result was rampant injustice, oppression of the poor, and considerable violence
and bloodshed. In the Southern
Kingdom of Judah, things were a little better. Neither the people nor the kings were perfect – and there
were times of rebellion - but in generally they followed God faithfully – that
is, until King Ahaz. His
story is in 2 Kings 16 and 2 Chronicles 28
King Ahaz was the grandson of one of Judah’s great kings,
Uzziah. But for some reason, Ahaz
did not follow in the footsteps of his grandfather, Uzziah, and father,
Jotham. Instead, he followed in
the footsteps of the kings of Samaria. Ahaz brought Judah to a new spiritual low. He made idols to the Baals,
offered sacrifices to them, and even burned his on sons as an offering to these
false gods.
The evil of King Ahaz – in conjunction with the ongoing evil
of the kings of Samaria – spurned a wave of prophets not only declaring
judgment, but also crying out for repentance. It is during the reign of King Ahaz that the prophets
Isaiah, Micah, Amos, and Hosea are all proclaiming the word of God. These prophets all declare imminent
judgment against Samaria, but also prophecy that Judah will experience judgment
as well. They all plead for Judah
and Samaria to repent so that God would relent of that judgment. During this time, God begins to bring
about his judgment against Samaria as Assyria begins conquering Samaria one
tribe at a time. Eventually, in 722BC, God finally brings final judgment on
Samaria as Assyria utterly destroys Samaria and carries its people off into
captivity.
As all this is happening, Ahaz’s son, Hezekiah, is growing
up and seeing all that is taking place.
When his father dies, Hezekiah becomes king. Listen to these words that God speaks of King Hezekiah from
2 Kings 18.
“And he did what was right in the eyes
of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done”
“He trusted in the Lord, the God of
Israel, so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him,
nor among those who were before him.”
“For he held fast to the Lord. He did
not depart from following him, but kept the commandments that the Lord
commanded Moses.”
One man in a place of authority during a time when everyone
was turning away from God took a stand and said “I will follow God.” Immediately Hezekiah set about to undo
all the wrong that had been done by his father.
- He torn down the high places (the places of improper worship)
- He broke down the pillars and the Asherah
- He broke the bronze serpent of Moses because the people had been worshipping it instead of God
- He cleansed the temple of all its “filth”
- He restored the temple sacrifices
- He assigned ministers to the task of musical praise and worship
- He reached out to the remnant of those still in Samaria calling them to come to God and to Jerusalem to worship
- He re-established the Passover relationship
- He reorganized the priesthood
Essentially, one man in leadership who was faithful to God
and not afraid to live out his faith in the public square sparked a nationwide
spiritual revival. The result on the nation of Judah was unmistakable. Consider these words from 2 Kings 18
“And the Lord was with him; wherever he went out, he
prospered. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and would not serve him. He struck down the Philistines as far as
Gaza and its territory, from watchtower to fortified city.”
So what does this story have to do with our upcoming
elections? It has EVERYTHING to do
with them because just as one righteous leader made a difference in the nation
of Judah, so one righteous leader can make a difference in the United States.
Despite what you may think of our current president and his
social and political agenda, it is a fact that he has no real fear of God. He neither honors him as God nor gives
him thanks (Romans 1:21) and the result has been a growing spiritual darkness
in our land. That can change – and
every time we have an election, we have an opportunity to put someone in
leadership who can help lead that change.
Yes, we need jobs. Yes, we
need a good foreign policy. Yes,
we need strong leadership on issues such as trade, and terrorism, and
immigration. But more than
anything else, we need revival.
And while it is neither the responsibility nor the authority of an
American president to bring about such revival – it is absolutely essential
that the one we place in leadership is a man (or woman) who honors God and
gives Him thanks.
My evangelical brothers and sisters, I beg you not to be
fooled by the promises and political rhetoric of those running for office. Courage is good, but it must be courage
of the right kind – courage to stand up for faith. Don’t listen to those who say we need to keep faith
out of the political process and don’t fall for a candidate who sounds like
they stand for your principles but won’t stand strong for your faith. That is a tactic of our adversary, the
devil, to keep us from electing a leader like Hezekiah. Take another look at the candidate you
have been supporting. Will he be a
Hezekiah? Or an Ahaz?
I will not use the pulpit to support or detract against any
particular candidate, but I do think there is one that just might have the courage
and faith to be our Hezekiah – but it just might not be the one you are
thinking of…
