GOVERNMENT AND DIVINE SUPPORT (PART ONE)

PROF. BEN ONYEUKWU (REV.)

NCE(Eng.) ND/HD (Journalism); BA (Hons) MA, PhD.

Call: +2348037346939  E-mail: professorbenonyeukwu@yahoo.com

                                  GOVERNMENT AND DIVINE

                                 SUPPORT (PART ONE)

THE FALL OF KING SAUL

“So, all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul King before the Lord” --- (1 Samuel 11:15).

INTRODUCTION:

            “For dominion belongs to the Lord and He rules over the nations” is a scriptural assertion in the twenty-eight verse of the twenty-second chapter of the book of Psalms which readily portrays God’s uncompromising interest in the affairs of mankind, especially in governance. The verse also plays-up the desire of the Most High to always reign as King over every nation and government of the world. However, this concept was not too clear to Israel, though the country enjoyed the sweet breeze of theocracy, while other nations suffered from the burdens of godless monarchy, and so, the nation remained committed to the course of having a system of government fashioned after those of the irreligious nations of that era. It is true that the request for a new king did not go down well with Prophet Samuel and God, they however had to submit to the demands of the people, probably for the fact that Samuel had sons who were dishonest and not trustworthy of the faith, and would have possibly make a shipwreck of the nation if they were appointed judges. The result was the emergence of Saul as the first king of Israel, with the warning that they would suffer from the dealings of the king. Based on this, therefore, the writer opines that:

GOVERNMENT LOSES DIVINE SUPPORT WHEN POLITICAL LEADERS DISOBEY DIVINE INSTRUCTION

            The government of King Saul was the aftermath of the people’s rejection of God’s constituted authority under the leadership of Prophet Samuel, and therefore, carries the seal of the permissive will of God. However, this did not stop God from backing-up the government until it deviated from the standards of the Kingdom of Heaven. This is not to say that God supports governments with false political mandate or false judicial legitimacy, but a way to show that God can at times permit the emergence of such governments just to teach people the pains in making wrong choice of leaders. Today, Nigerians and people all over the world, like Israelites can testify to the brutalities of governments outside the perfect will of God. Thus, it becomes a profound acts of foolishness and insensitivity for a people, at any point in time, to allow their government to be played into the hands of reckless gangsters in the name of political or tribal affiliations.

            King Saul, like most political leaders of today jettison(ed) divine instructions, and so, lack(ed) divine support. In this connection, the New Student Bible in an insight remarks that “Some time Saul compromised in a high-pressure situation, not following the precise instructions God had given for a military campaign, (1 Samuel 15:3). Again Samuel caught him in the act. This time he accused Saul of rebelling against God. Samuel’s words must have rung in Saul’s head the rest of his life; (verse 23).

            Without God’s and Samuel’s support, Saul lost his sense of confidence. An evil spirit began to torment him. Instead of building an alliance with David, Saul drove him away, causing him to run for his life in the desert. Eventually fear reduced Saul to a quivering, helpless jellyfish, incapable of leadership. In that condition he and his army lost a historic battle to the Philistines, allowing them to regain control. In the battle, both Saul and Jonathan (his son) were killed.

            The story just narrated equally pictures how most political leaders of today who lack the support of God behave and end-up. Common knowledge shows that most of our political leaders who were once obedient to divine instructions are presently at lugger heads with their pastors or spiritual leaders for the simple fact that they were asked to abide by the ethics of God’s word in the discharge of their duties. As such, most of them left the faith and are now members of secret fraternities, as well as build alliance(s) with people of dubious character, instead of those of integrity. Therefore, let such leaders be reminded that --- “Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had committed against the Lord, “because he did not keep the word of the Lord, and also because he consulted a medium for guidance, instead of inquiring from the Lord, so the Lord killed him, and turned the kingdom over to David, the son of Jesse, (1 Chronicles 10:13-14).

GOVERNMENT FAILS WHEN RULERS

INTRUDE INTO DIVINE FUNCTIONS

            People intrude, when they go into places where they are not supposed to go or undertake certain functions which are not lawful for them to do. King Saul was fingered in such a habit, which stirred him into a divine function that was the exclusure duty of a priest. To this end, the New Student Bible in an already cited insight also renders that --- “Saul’s life went tragically wrong. The first sign of trouble, as 1 Samuel tells the story, came not long after he became king. While preparing for a campaign against the Philistines, Saul grew impatient. Samuel scheduled to lead in the proper spiritual preparation for battle, was seven days late. Saul’s men began to desert, and Saul decided he could wait no longer. He himself began to make the religious sacrifices that Samuel, as priest, was supposed to make. Just then, Samuel arrived, and in turn blasted him, (1 Samuel 13:13-14). Saul’s hastiness, insignificant though it may seem, showed an inner weakness, that is, his willingness to compromise God’s directives under pressure”.

            Therefore, be mindful of those political leaders who think they have powers to decide on ecclesiastical matters. Nowadays, it is becoming rampant that certain governments intrude into the business of the church. While the legislative arms of such governments drive towards obnoxious laws against the church, their judicial arms hold up the sledgehammer of judgment against it. The result is that sometimes, certain unscrupulous governments order the closure of some denominations or plot the removal or destruction of such groups or even victimize their pastors and members for speaking out against the evil policies of such governments. But, the truth is that no government that intrudes into the affairs of the church or plots against it, openly or secretly that wins the support of God. In fact, governments which embark on such a despicable venture against God and His church always face divine judgment that often bring them down. Also, it is obvious that certain church operatives are in the habit of inciting governments against certain denominations they feel are at variance with their religious beliefs or the way they do things. Such individuals should better note that the judgment of God will as well take hold of them at the appropriate time, if they refuse to repent.

GOVERNMENT EXPERIENCES TRAGIC

END WHERE THE KINGSHIP OF GOD

IS IGNORED

            --- “His Kingdom is a eternal Kingdom: His dominion endures from generation to generation” as we have in the book of Daniel Chapter four verse number three is a verdict of supremacy that seeks to inform leaders of every generation that Heaven rules the earth, and that every political leader in any part of the world is either by omission or commission a servant or delegate of the King of Heaven. And so, the Lord God remains the King of kings and Lord of lords. But, political leaders of all ages, especially those of the Gentile nations seem to always put off this principal truth. This endorses the words of Dr. D. James Kennedy that, “without God, government is a fearful master”, as he cites that sometime in history, Soviet dictator, Joseph Stalin approved the genocide of seven million Ukrairians and Adolf Hitler seized power in Germany. While American humanists entrusted about “a free and universal society in which people voluntarily and intelligently cooperate for the common good, “their ideological cousins in the Kremlin were imposing policies that wiped out almost 25 percent of the Ukraine population, including some three million children. In1933, while these American humanists were joining in a chorus of praise to man’s potential to realize his dreams without the help of God, Europe’s two largest nations led by Stalin and Hitler, were firmly in the grip of totalitarian regimes which preached and practiced, and indeed embodied, moral relativism, with all its horrifying potentialities”. While the American humanists were heralding a social vision that banished God, across the Atlantic, --- Stalin, who had become an atheist after reading Darwin and Hitler, who tried to speed up evolution by eliminating “interior” humans, ruled without moral restraint. They lived out what Lenin called, “the scientific concept of dictatorship”. By that he meant “power without limit, resting directly upon force, restrained by no laws, absolutely unrestricted by rules”.

            To be candid, what is said here about Hitler and Stalin may not be far from the attitude of most political leaders of this generation. Hitler and Stalin openly rejected God, as well as refused to acknowledge His Lordship over the nations they governed, but most of our present day political leaders pretend otherwise. Put rhetorically, if the Lord God actually reigns as King in most political regimes of the states and nations of the world, why are there records of gross violations of human rights by such governments which often claim they were put in power by God? And why should such governments, in most cases be fingered in acts of terrorism? Furthermore, why should a government which claims to be in harmonious relationship with God take part in secret parley with kidnappers in an effort to silence opposition? And why should most of the cabinet members and heads of such a government remain certified members of secret cults and other evil fraternities? Yet, these wicked individuals troop to Christian worship centres and mosques every Sunday and Friday for meaningless worship, as well as organize chapel services in government houses as a way of deceiving the unsuspecting members of the public who hitherto they hyponotize through voodoo and other occult means. But, such governments and their leaders never end-up well. The Bible shows that both King Saul, (1 Chronicles 10) and King Herod, (Acts 12) to mention but two, died miserably. In history, it is on record that Stalin of Soviet Union and Hitler of Germany, as well as Saddam Hussien of Iraq and Idi Amin of Uganda and a host of others died tragic deaths, as their regimes permanently carry the stigma of evil.

            In conclusion, let Charles Taylor, the former warlord and erstwhile president of Liberia be cited as one of the political leaders in recent history whose government was unruly evil in the sight of God and man. He is currently facing trial at the International Court of Justice. Will he end-up well? A food-for-thought for today’s political leaders and head of governments.

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Prof. Ben Onyeukwu (Rev)

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