Authority

Listen to this quote from my American Gov. book (BJU Press) ::

"DAVID -- Before becoming king, David faced an ungodly government in the form of King Saul's personal vendetta against him.  Despite almost being run through with a spear and then being hounded across the land, David remained respectful to Saul.  On two occasions when presented with the opportunity to kill the king, David refused.  He even expressed genuine sorrow for cutting off part of Saul's robe (1 Sam. 24:4-6), as this could be interpreted as a sign of rebellion.  Furthermore, he commanded those under him to show Saul respect and refrain from hurting him.  Later, when David received word of Saul and Jonathan's deaths, he lamented over both of them."

It's kind of amazing, if you think about it.  David knew that authorities are put in place by God, raised up to exact judgment, or to show His power.  Ungodly governments are not exempt from His sovereignty.  That's a good thing to remember.

But even more striking, I find, is the level of respect for Saul that David has.  I mean, I enjoy political cartoons, but the caricatures of the country's leaders could be considered disrespectful.  I'm no fan of Obama's policies, and I'm guilty of calling him disrespectful names, in spite of the fact that he is our president and therefore deserves a level of respect.  "But I didn't CHOOSE him as our president!" you (and I) have said.  Okay, true, but guess what?  God did.  As Doc would say, "Put that in your pipe and...chew it."

And another quote :: "I love Obama, I just don't like his ideas.  You need to do that with people--love them but be careful with their ideas." --Chuck Asay

That struck me.  It IS our moral duty to work to reform our country, to fight injustices in it, to elect Godly representatives.  We are NOT to abandon the "state" sphere, because our Christianity ought to permeate every aspect of life.  HOWEVER we are not to become so wrapped up in our politics as to become like secular politicians.  We are NOT to be assimilated and subsequently ignored.  And we are NOT to let our excitement/outrage over issues and ideas drag us headlong into ad hominem.  As Christians we maintain compassion for people, and solidity on issues.  It's a fine line.

I'm loving the weather right now, but I'm freezing!  Must finish that sweater, because I NEED it! :)

AMZi x x x x x