“There are six things the Lord hates, seven that
are detestable him.” Proverbs 6:16
And God spoke all these words: "I am the Lord your God...you shall have
no other gods before me. You shall not make any image as an object of worship. You
shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, Remember the Sabbath day by
keeping it holy. Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long
in the land the Lord your God is giving you. You shall not murder. You shall
not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not give false testimony.
You shall not desire anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
There is little debate
over the Ten Commandments. And, when we are unable to “measure up” we
don’t seriously pretend, we’re on firm ground. Even unbelievers defer to their
authority in many circumstances. Somethings just aren’t debatable. Even so,
there are some charlatans who occasionally attempt to redefine the Ten in order
to justify personal preferences. But, no serious Judeo-Christian suggests any
wiggle room here.
So...is that all there
is to say about this? Probably not...
Literally the smartest
man in the world...Solomon...says in Proverbs 6 there are six things the Lord
hates, seven that are detestable to him. What he offers is a commentary on
God’s standards. Not technically the 10 Commandments but, certainly an obvious
allusion to them since all 10 are either inferred or implied. So, this is what
God detests...
1. haughty eyes, 2. a lying tongue,
3. hands that shed innocent blood,
4. a heart that devises wicked schemes,
5. feet that are quick to rush into evil,
6. a false witness who pours out lies
7. and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.
Granted, there are many
who couldn’t care less about what God hates. But, for those of us who still do,
we can’t allow others to influence our Godly devotion by goading us into
reacting to their bad behavior. When it comes to our vote, In Solomon’s
words...he would suggest:
1. Don’t support
candidates who think they are smarter than God. 2. Don’t support candidates who don’t tell the truth.
3. Don’t support candidates who support violence against the innocent (born or unborn).
4. Don’t support candidates who hide their true agenda.
5. Don’t support candidates who create "special interest" coalitions
6. Don’t support candidates who promise anything just to get elected.
7. Don’t support candidates who seek to divide us rather than unite us.
Every two (or four)
years our politicians proclaim some existential threat to "life as we
know it" with virtually no evidence other than their own rhetoric.
And, of course, they are the only ones capable of rescuing us from impending
disaster. After the elections they do virtually nothing about their
prognostications and...nothing happens. Except, they got what they wanted...our
vote. I’m beginning to believe Solomon's list describes nearly every politician
today...regardless of affiliation...with very few exceptions. Why? Because they
all desire something you and I have (#10)...our
vote. It seems most of them will lie (#9), steal (#8) and cheat (#7) to get our
vote...and justify their bad behavior because really, only they can get us out
of this mess.
Oh, for a savior I could
trust!
Solomon’s 7th point is
particularly salient...”don’t stir up conflict in the community”. This
is important because the easiest way to prevent us from uniting around Godly
standards is to pit us against each other. We, as believers, must remember we
have an allegiance to one another. We are all co-members in the Body of Christ.
We all are united by the one sacred DNA...of the Holy Spirit who dwells within
every believer. We cannot let venal political desires foment rancor and
distrust among us.
Since this pretty much
eliminates all the major candidates, what do we do? I’ve often been tempted to
seek out the least offensive but I wonder if that’s just capitulation to the
myth that voting is our Christian duty. Is it? After all, we are reminded in
scripture that we are not citizens of this world.
Voting is a test. Not of
my political affiliation but of my spiritual allegiance. I have often advocated
for the scriptural proposition that God uses profane leaders for holy
purpose...to benefit his people (Cyrus the Great comes to mind). I've relied on
this to defend my vote for an unappealing candidate. The obvious flaw in my
reasoning is nobody voted for Cyrus...God picked him.
Herein is our dilemma:
Christians reside in a democracy but our citizenship is in a Theocracy. The two
systems are inherently incompatible in a fallen world because citizens in
a democracy are generally forced to choose from a slate of candidates...all of
whom God would reject...as imposters. You see, Democracies presume to choose
leaders when the role of leader is reserved solely for God. How do I know this?
Because when sovereign God reaches down to influence the political whims of
man, he doesn’t choose leaders...he chooses servants.
Perhaps this provides a
way out of our dilemma. Can we commit ourselves to voting for a candidate, to
lead us that we confidently believe God, himself, would choose to serve Him?
Like Moses or David or Solomon? No man can serve two masters. We can mangle
God’s high standard just to make a choice but “what does it profit us if we
gain the world but lose our souls?”
I pledge to refrain from
criticizing the political choices of my fellow Christians as long as they have
reasonably attempted to ground them in scripture. I pledge to pray that God’s
Spirit will give us all the Mind of God as we approach this momentous
responsibility. Only, let’s all covenant among ourselves to take Solomon’s
admonition to heart.
Live boldly out there today…
