Ahab went home disturbed and angry at the answer Naboth the Jezreelite had made to him: “I will not give you my ancestral heritage.”
Lying down on his bed, he turned away from food and would not eat.
A theology student in Washington DC during the early 1970's, I began to realize that our nations leaders are often no more clever, capable, or prepared to do their work than I was at the time, in my early twenties. While some had better information and clearer insight than I could possibly have, many were just faking it, or working their careers in hope of personal advantage. And, it was becoming more clear by the day, the President was a crook.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
A ruler never has enough power; they are never willing to shed real power for the sake of an ideal like "democracy." Even as they surrender with the right hand, they grasp with the left. Sincerely convinced that what they want is in the best interest of their government, the state, and "the people," they do not hesitate to use violence and murder, especially when the crime can be legally justified, denied, or hidden.
Democracy was created after seventeen centuries of Christian influence with the idea that power might be limited by distributing the ruler's three functions -- legislating, executing, and judging the laws -- into three separate branches of government. They would balance each other. But like a marriage licence, the United States Constitution is written on paper. It can be reinterpretted, ignored, dismissed or forgotten when well-positioned people choose to do so.
The divine authors of the Old Testament knew that, and the writers of the New Testament inherited their skepticism. There is only one ruler, and that is the LORD. We have only one protector from injustice, hardship, disease, famine, and war. That is the LORD. If humans often prefer economic, social, and political stability over chaos, they cannot sustain it very long without God's help.
My generation has enjoyed the Pax Americana that followed World War II. I fear that age is rapidly closing as racism, economic inequity, and militarism resurge on a planet whose climate has become unstable.
I remain confident of God's abiding care. "I will not leave you orphans!" he has assured us. Let us keep our eyes, minds and hearts fixed on him, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.