politicians

Appealing to Pride

“We shall not find any charge against this Daniel unless we find it against him concerning the law of his God”

Daniel 6:5

Because Daniel was faithful in all his service and work (v 4) he was much liked by king Darius (v 3) and he was raised to authority over all other leaders and governors (vv 1 & 2). This aroused jealousy and greed in those under him and they formed a lobby group to plot his demise. They could find no just accusation against him to present to the king so they had to manufacture one and they knew that it would have to be in relation to his worship of his God.

Their scheme involved deceiving and manipulating the king by appealing to his pride. Satan has used this tactic frequently through history – because it worked and still works. Only a person who walks humbly with God (Micah 6:8) has any protection from this tactic.

Pride allowed the king to be deceived and manipulated into signing what was essentially Daniel’s death warrant. Satan’s goal has been and remains to utterly destroy Israel. If Israel is destroyed then Messiah will have no kingdom to return to and God will be proven unfaithful to His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Protection of Daniel meant protection of Israel.

In recent years we have seen a lobby group seeking the demise of God’s faithful people. Like the governors of Daniel’s day they could find no legal reason to silence them so they sought to bring into being a law that would put God’s people at odds with the government. They deceived and manipulated political leaders and the people in order to have laws passed that they hoped would silence God’s people. Whether their appeal was to pride or greed in our politicians could be debated. Either way, the politicians wanted to be re-elected. Satan wants to destroy the faithful church as well as Israel.

Daniel was delivered from the lions’ mouths and the faithful church will be delivered from Satan’s power and from God’s wrath that is to come (Revelation 3:10). Those who plotted against Daniel were all destroyed (Daniel 6:24) as will all who plot against Christ’s church. To plot against Christ’s faithful church is to plot against the Lord Jesus Christ Himself (Acts 9:1-5; Colossians 1:18) and, like king Darius, He will turn judgment back on those who plotted against Him.

Pleasing the Crowd

“So Pilate, wanting to gratify the crowd released Barabas to them; and he delivered Jesus, after he had scourged Him, to be crucified” Mark 15:15

In democratic countries of the world the political systems have deteriorated into essentially politicians seeking to please the people in order to be elected to office. One only has to take a casual look at the style of electioneering to observe this. When leaders of a country have only their own interest at heart and thereby seek to gratify the crowd then righteousness will be crucified.

In Daniel’s explanation of king Nebuchadnezzar’s dream regarding his and future kingdoms, the last kingdom in the image prior to the Lord’s return is a mixture of iron and clay (Daniel 2). These substances cannot hold together. We know that the iron represents the oppressive dictatorship of the Roman Empire but in the last days that will be mixed with a weak form of government depicted by clay in the feet and toes of the image. Just as iron and clay cannot mix, neither does a dictatorship and democracy. Just as iron is strong and clay crumbles, so a dictatorship is strong and democracy is weak. The weakness of democracy is in the fact that in order for politicians to be elected they must please the people. If the people seek righteousness it is strength but when they seek unrighteousness the weakness of democracy is revealed.

In Saul’s day the people demanded a king like the surrounding nations. In doing so they rejected God as their King (1 Samuel 8:7). The final renunciation of Jesus by the chief priests is expressed in their words, “We have no king but Caesar” (John 19:15). In these days we observe that politicians, in order to please the crowds of lobbyists, are choosing to crucify Jesus all over again by turning from righteousness to unrighteousness and oppression of His people.

God gave Israel the king they desired essentially saying, “You can have the king you desire but you will be sorry” and “You will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the Lord will not hear you in that day” (1 Samuel 8:18). Samuel had just told the people of Israel that the kind of king they wanted would tax their hides for his own luxury and a vast military force.

If, as a nation, we demand unrighteous leaders (by our democratic vote) God may give what we ask for but we will be sorry.

In the current alignment of nations and the raising up and pulling down of nations, we are observing the horizon of fulfillment of the prophetic Scriptures drawing ever nearer. “… knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed” (Romans 13:11).