Good morning. Thank you for reading.
Today, we’ll begin our look at leadership within the Israelite community, beginning with Samuel, looking for spiritual insight from the Lord. Samuel was the last of the judges for Israel, very much a prophet, the very person who ushered in the Israelite monarchy, though he did so reluctantly.
As we work through our scriptures today, one thing will become obvious. Mankind, not just Israel, throughout history, has had many inept and corrupt leaders. It is no different for us in the modern world of today. While some are very inept, I would claim that corruption is the largest problem that we face in our modern leaders of today. We need, in a way, we crave spiritual insight into the leadership that confronts us today.
In fact, in a modern day critique of leadership, 75% of very effective leaders, the best of the best, the cream of leadership, do not finish well. Even the best leaders fall prey to corruption, scandal, staying in leadership too long, nepotism, and dozens of other sad negative results.
But what is interesting is this, the best leaders have the fear of the Lord. They have the Spirit of God in them. To contrast, Putin of Russia and Xi Jinping of China just held a summit. They were caught on a hot mike talking about extending human life by harvesting healthy body parts for themselves. Rumors are swirling that there are regions in China where body parts are being harvested from healthy humans for transplants for the members of the ruling party. This is all part of the modern movement of transhumanism.
Transhumanism is a philosophical movement that advocates using technology to improve human capabilities and overcome biological limitations. This is a fancy definition for trying to live longer by unnatural means. This is an evil and demonic enterprise. Simply put, Putin and Xi are afraid of dying. Jesus came so that the world would not have to fear death. It should be no surprise that evil is lurking in the leadership of Communist societies. But the evil behind transhumanism is popular all over the world in the intellectual elite. As with all forms of sin, transhumanism will lead to death.
Throughout history, the most successful leaders have been guided by godly principles and the Holy Spirit of God, or even God himself. Samuel, over a thousand years before Pentecost, was led by God. Not God’s Spirit, but by God. It was Samuel’s hand that would anoint the first king of God’s nation, Saul. Samuel would also anoint David as king. Let’s begin with 1 Samuel 7:13b-17,
“Throughout Samuel’s lifetime, the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines. The towns from Ekron to Gath that the Philistines had captured from Israel were restored to her, and Israel delivered the neighboring territory from the power of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.”
“Samuel continued as judge over Israel all the days of his life. From year to year he went on a circuit from Bethel to Gilgal to Mitzpah, judging Israel in all those places. But he always went back to Ramah, where his home was, and there he also judged Israel. And he built an altar there to the Lord.”
Samuel was an effective and dedicated leader to the Lord. But even the best leaders have this one problem. That problem is time, not as in time management, but as in age. Time is relentless in its passage. It does not stop. It cannot stop. Samuel grew old, at age 65 he did what many leaders throughout world history have done, he in effect, turned the company over to his sons. 1 Samuel 8:1-3,
“When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges for Israel. The name of his first born was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah, and they served at Beersheba. But his sons did not walk in his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.”
This is like so many of our modern day successful business, church and political leaders. The children of successful leaders live good lives, maybe really good lives, and the work ethic of their fathers is not always passed on to the following generations. The same could be said for the morality and spirituality of the children.
In the Bible, the sin nature’s temptation of mankind as a constant thorn in the flesh of man is understood. Our sin nature ultimately must be overwhelmed by our growing spiritual nature. Leaders are people, subject to the very same temptations as all the rest of us. Evil is always lurking, and when the book of Ephesians mentions our struggle it is not against our fellow man. Ephesians 6:12,
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
Satan and his minions have been around since the beginning. It should be of no surprise that evil has concentrated in the leadership of mankind. Think about this. The strongholds of evil are going to be concentrated, just like Ephesians 6:12 tells us: in the rulers, the authorities, coupled with the dark powers of this world and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Evil hangs out with power. This makes a strong toxic cocktail mix of temptation that is difficult for men and women to resist. Our government today is shining a light on dark power within the United States bureaucracies that has existed for over 50 years.
But it is not just in the U.S. this dark power is virtually in every country on the globe. The history of the oldest countries on earth is littered with blood, deceit, war, and corruption. But it will not be like this forever, Zechariah 14:1-3, & 6-9, listen as the Lord speaks through Zechariah.
“A day of the Lord is coming when your plunder will be divided among you. I will gather all nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city. Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights in the day of battle.”
“On that day there will be no light, no cold or frost. It will be a unique day, without daytime or nighttime–a day known to the Lord. When evening comes, there will be light. On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half to the Dead Sea and half to the Mediterranean Sea, in summer and in winter. The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name.”
This passage is describing a different perspective of the Return of Jesus. The entire world will be arrayed against Jesus, all the nations. Yet those of us in the body of Christ will be expectantly awaiting this return.
Half of Jerusalem will be conquered, then the Lord will take up the fight. Jesus will return to the Mount of Olives. Living water will flow out from where Jesus stands on the Mount of Olives, in Jerusalem, half heading east over the Dead Sea, and half heading west over the Mediterranean Sea, each wrapping completely around the world with this living water. This is the Holy Spirit of God encircling the globe, confirming the seal on the believer’s hearts and that their names are correctly in the Lamb’s Book of Life. The final census for those in the body of Christ.
I have read all of this to make the point that for us to believe that our leaders are not corrupt is folly. I pray our current leaders are not corrupt. This can all change quickly. For though we are the children of God, we are all strangers in this land. Satan and his minions are in control of this world, but their control will not last forever. Also, evil does not control those who have given their hearts to Jesus Christ. The only power that Satan has over any of us as believers is the power we give him through our poor decision making, ie., our choosing to sin.
People have been longing for deliverance from evil throughout history.
There is a Psalm written by David about this longing. It was originally a longing from Israel’s enemies. But all of us have this longing for peace.
All of us have this desire to be free from the evil and the corrupt. Unless of course, we are in league with the evil and in cahoots with the corrupt. Psalm 14, of David,
“The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.”
“Will evildoers never learn–those who devour my people as men eat bread and who do not call on the Lord? There they are, overwhelmed with dread, for God is present in the company of the righteous. You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor, but the Lord is their refuge. Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion. When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad.”
God will redeem those made righteous by the blood of Christ.
One more example from the book of Psalms, then back to Samuel. Psalm 10:16-18,
“The Lord is King for ever and ever; the nations will perish from his land. You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,
defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.”
The Lord is King with a capital K. The nations will perish from his land on that day. He waits, because God has not released him to this righteous purpose yet. There are still those to be saved, those to receive the Spirit of God and the faith in Christ into their hearts and souls.
But until then, God hears the pleas of the fatherless and the oppressed, the afflicted cries of his people.
When he comes, on that day, when the Lord comes, all the men of the earth will terrify no more. Because it will be their judgment day. You and I are not men and women of the earth, we are eternal, destined for God’s kingdom. We are the children of God, the body of Christ. Those who are unlike us, and have thrown in their lot with the evil and corrupt will head to the Great White Throne, on that day.
Evil is having its day on earth. But it will not last. Evil has had its day in the United States, I pray. Light is illuminating darkness, and my prayer is for revelation that will reveal the evil of the last few generations in the U.S. This will hopefully bring at least a temporary revival for our children and grandchildren. But alas, there is no nation that stands with the Lord, just those of us within the body of Christ, scattered throughout the nations.
Let us return to the aging Samuel, who has just allowed his sons to become judges, yet they turned aside from the Lord. 1 Samuel 8:4-6,
“So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. They said to him, ‘You are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.’ But when they said, ‘Give us a king to lead us,’ this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord.”
Samuel was a great judge, a true man of God. The call of the Lord was upon him. When he was displeased by this request, did he argue, did he chastise, did he point a finger at the people and lecture? No, he prayed to God, and God answered and spoke to him. 1 Samuel 8:7-10,
“And the Lord told him; ‘Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do.”
Then, the next ten verses are the Lord telling Samuel all the sinful bad things that a king will do.
Taking sons and daughters for servants and soldiers. He will take your best property for himself, fields, vineyards, and olive groves, and distribute them as he wishes. The king will take a tenth of all you produce, cattle, donkeys, and flocks and herds. He will ultimately make you his slaves.
This is not good. Samuel recited this list to the people. The stiff-necked people of Israel, just as they would a thousand or so years later when they shouted to Pilate, ‘We have no king but Caesar,’ only now, to Samuel they shout (verse 20), ‘We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”
1 Samuel 8:21-22,
“When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it to the Lord. The Lord answered, ‘Listen to them and give them a king.’ Then Samuel said to the men of Israel, ‘Every one go back to his town.’”
So, it is official, no longer will Israel be a theocracy. No longer will judges, like Samuel, rule in the name of the God Most High. Instead, they will have a monarchy.
Today, we live in a representative republic, guided by a constitution. While I am proud to be an American,
as I pray you are, we must not forget we belong to God. God the Father, Christ our Savior, King, and Lord of All.
For all of us, one day, and by all of us I mean those not destined to spend eternity in hell, all of us, as children of God, will one day live in eternity with God, and his Son Jesus, and it will once again be a theocracy. Revelation 22:3-5,
“No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.”
Please agree with me. Let us pray,
Father, I thank you for your word and the truth contained in your word.
As I live expectantly awaiting your Son’s glorious return, please help me to live a Spirit led life.
Guide me and direct me with your Spirit to avoid sin and false teachers and false idols.
May your Holy Spirit guide me away from the dark forces of this world and enable me to recognize the gathering of dark and evil power in the world.
Encourage my heart to stand and resist the evil in this world.
In the name of Jesus of Nazareth I pray.
Amen.
Do no harm, do good, and stay in love with God.
Blessings,
Thad Brown
Opportunity House
and Harmony Church
Concord