Respecting Authority
God's Word is very clear. Believers are not to revile God or curse the leaders of their people.(Exodus 22:28) I believe this command is tied to the respect for authority, whether divine or human. Let's consider this for a minute.
God is in control. He has all authority and power. Sometimes, He does things or allows things we do not like or with which we do not agree. The temptation is to get angry and revile God. We might say He is unfair or uncaring. We might be very harsh toward God. This is all out of place, because He is the Authority of the whole universe. He is running everything. We could not do that, even if we wanted to. We should submit to His authority and respect His wisdom and love, even when we do not understand or we don't agree. Reviling Him does not do us any good, and it is not a good testimony for others to see. If we need to tell Him about our anger or hurt, we should do that in a respectful way. He knows what we are feeling, and He will help us deal with the situation, if we look to Him with respect.
The rulers of our country are flawed people, because none of us are perfect. They have a position of authority, and as I have said before, they are ordained by God. (Romans 13) They may do things that are very wrong, and immoral. However, if we curse them, we weaken all rulers in the sight of other people. Then, even if there is a good leader, some will feel free to curse Him. Cursing someone does not help anything. We should pray for them, and we should have respect for their office and authority, even when we disagree with them. Then, God can change their hearts, and God can raise up a better leader later. As believers, we should not give a bad testimony by cursing the leaders God has over our country. We ought to be the best citizens of whatever country we live in.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Exodus 23-26.
God is in control. He has all authority and power. Sometimes, He does things or allows things we do not like or with which we do not agree. The temptation is to get angry and revile God. We might say He is unfair or uncaring. We might be very harsh toward God. This is all out of place, because He is the Authority of the whole universe. He is running everything. We could not do that, even if we wanted to. We should submit to His authority and respect His wisdom and love, even when we do not understand or we don't agree. Reviling Him does not do us any good, and it is not a good testimony for others to see. If we need to tell Him about our anger or hurt, we should do that in a respectful way. He knows what we are feeling, and He will help us deal with the situation, if we look to Him with respect.
The rulers of our country are flawed people, because none of us are perfect. They have a position of authority, and as I have said before, they are ordained by God. (Romans 13) They may do things that are very wrong, and immoral. However, if we curse them, we weaken all rulers in the sight of other people. Then, even if there is a good leader, some will feel free to curse Him. Cursing someone does not help anything. We should pray for them, and we should have respect for their office and authority, even when we disagree with them. Then, God can change their hearts, and God can raise up a better leader later. As believers, we should not give a bad testimony by cursing the leaders God has over our country. We ought to be the best citizens of whatever country we live in.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Exodus 23-26.