The Lord Will Rule Over You
Gideon led the people of Israel in a great victory over the Midianites who had been oppressing them for several years. He did it by God's command only using 300 men against a vast army. Israel ended up killing their kings and seeing well over 100,000 of their oppressors killed, too. This led the people to ask Gideon to be their ruler. He refused. He told them, "The Lord will rule over you." (Judges 8:23) He was very wise to turn down their offer and to realize this truth. We need to live in this same way.
As believers, we obey the laws of the land, and we prayerfully follow the leaders God has ordained for us. However, our Ruler is the Lord Himself. Therefore, if an earthly ruler calls on us to disobey God in any way, then, we are to obey God, not men. We are citizens of the Kingdom of God, so we are subject to Him first and foremost. In reality, everyone is under His rule, so it is wise to humbly bow to Him as Lord of all, instead of being forced to do it one day at the Judgment. I pray that we all have settled the question of who is our ruler in our hearts forever, and that Ruler is the Lord!
Tomorrow, I intend to read Judges 9-12.
As believers, we obey the laws of the land, and we prayerfully follow the leaders God has ordained for us. However, our Ruler is the Lord Himself. Therefore, if an earthly ruler calls on us to disobey God in any way, then, we are to obey God, not men. We are citizens of the Kingdom of God, so we are subject to Him first and foremost. In reality, everyone is under His rule, so it is wise to humbly bow to Him as Lord of all, instead of being forced to do it one day at the Judgment. I pray that we all have settled the question of who is our ruler in our hearts forever, and that Ruler is the Lord!
Tomorrow, I intend to read Judges 9-12.