The
lesser of two evils
The
sad reality is that, the majority of us who profess to have accepted Jesus
Christ as our King and supposed to be citizens of the kingdom of light are
unable to grasp the reality and practicality of being in the world but not of
the world as stated by Jesus Christ in His prayer to the Father stating; “I
have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of
the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take
them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They
are not of the world, just as I am not of the world” (John
17:14-16).
Yes,
to be in the world and not be of the world is something many people have not been
able to fathom and incidentally are repeating the same mistake made by the
children of Israel when they rejected God as their King when they said to
Samuel; “Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations." But the
thing displeased Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to judge us."
So Samuel prayed to the LORD. And the LORD said to Samuel, "Heed the voice
of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but
they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them” (1
Samuel 8:5-7).
But
the irony of truth is, the Lord has never relinquished His power and authority
as Sovereign King and Lord over His subjects it is the people that are
rejecting Him for this is what Samuel said to the people; “But you have today
rejected your God, who Himself saved you from all your adversities and your
tribulations; and you have said to Him, 'No, set a king over us!' Now
therefore, present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and by your clans”
(1Samuel
10:19).
Rejecting
God as our King is not pleasing to Him, although He allows it, but it is not
what He requires of us. This action is termed the lesser of two evils meaning
that, instead of destroying us in His anger He allows us to choose our own king
and pay the consequences of our actions as the Lord explained to the children
of Israel saying; “O Israel, you are destroyed, but your help is from Me. I
will be your King; where is any other that he may save you in all your cities?
And your judges, to whom you said, ' Give me a king and princes'? I gave you a
king in My anger, and took him away in My wrath” (Hosea 13:-11).
Rejecting
the Lord as our King and electing others to rule over us is as evil as when the
children of Israel made that first mistake and our response should be exactly
as that of the children of Israel who after realizing their error said to
Samuel; “Pray for your servants to the LORD your God, that we may not die; for
we have added to all our sins the evil of asking a king for ourselves."
Then
Samuel said to the people, "Do not fear. You have done all this
wickedness; yet do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD
with all your heart. And do not turn aside; for then you would go after empty
things which cannot profit or deliver, for they are nothing. For the LORD will
not forsake His people, for His great name's sake, because it has pleased the
LORD to make you His people” (1 Samuel 12:1-22).
It
is not because the Lord allows us to choose our leaders because of our
rejection of Him as our Sovereign King and reap the consequences of our own
actions that one should assumed that it is not evil. Israel admitted their
error, let us hope that we also can see and admit that we are erring.
But
despite our rejection of God as our Sovereign King He still has sovereignty
over the earth as exemplified and demonstrated to king Nebuchadnezzar in order
that the living may know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, gives
it to whomever He will, and sets over it the lowest of men” (Daniel
4:17, 25, 32, 5; 21).
Therefore,
consider this for a second, if indeed the Most High God rules in the kingdom of
men, and appoints over it whomever He chooses why should professing believers
involve themselves in politics even to the point of fighting to put in power
someone whom the Lord does not want to appoint? Is this not going contrary to
the will of God?
To be continued
With brotherly love
Lucius Joseph
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