God lets things go bad. According to the ancient Hebrew story of reality, the Creator is, for the sake of freedom for His creations, willing to allow things to go contrary to his will and design. God allows human error. This is hard for us all to bear, to say nothing of his regard.

This theological tenet applies specially to nationhood, and the human communities populating the earth. When God separated humanity into multiple ethnicity (Genesis 11:1-8), he participated personally in the phenomenon, creating for himself the Hebrew people, beginning with Abram. Four hundred years later (Genesis 15:13), the child Israel was born out of Egypt (Exodus 13:17).

The Lord intended Israel to be an example before all the other nations. Israel was to demonstrate the meaning of nationhood, in God’s terms. The law of God was king. There was no human authority. Human leadership was such only as it performed the law. It was essentially a constitutional commonwealth, successful if the people and priesthood observed the law.

“Moses,” a bit more than a community organizer. From
Michelangelo’s famous sculpture in the Vatican.

But there in lies the potential error. Humanity isn’t very good at keeping the law of God. A few centuries later, Israel demanded a central government–a king. Israel was without spiritual vision at that time, and lacked belief in God. As a result, an oppressive monarchy was established, and many ecclesiastical as well as temporal lessons were engendered for the world.

But the chief concern for us today is this: What does a people do when the leader is bad? How do the people respond to poor, even evil leadership?

Agonizing at is seems to us, “the Lord’s anointed” was not to be touched (1 Samuel 24:6). There was no voting system, but the monarch was anointed, and the throne was inherited. That was the ancient worldly way which Israel chose to follow. Thus, if the king was a monster, the people suffered. A thousand years passed, and ‘Christ’ (anointed) Jesus formed a brotherhood of believers, not a nation, not a military or legal establishment. That social phenomenon didn’t last long, but, some 1600 years later, it seemed to re-manifest itself in European history in an unprecedented way: America evolved. It was a commonwealth, with a minimal government. A tacit brotherhood of people who believed in God–and in themselves. The people were responsible. People trusted in God, in the beginning. There was no monarchy.

But then came the vote. In the early church, there was no political identity, and little participation of any, in the society. No one could vote. But in America, you could. If I learned one thing worthwhile at Yale Divinity it was about vote. Prof. William Muehl taught that, with the power to vote, the Christian has a responsibility to be involved in politics, or, at least social issues. Politics for Christians (New York: Association Press, 1956).

In the 2008 election of the current president, the majority of Americans did not value their Christianity enough to manifest it politically.

Yet, I would never advocate that the Christian should seek to impose his religious values on the nation–but only that he should secure the freedom to practice his (–which might mean voting against a foreign religion!).

So, if the country goes bad, what does the individual voter do? Leaders have been removed in various ways in the past: coup d’etat, assassination, impeachment, or in America, just voting differently in four years. But, even within the voting society, we still must ask the same questions about what to do if the leader is bad.

“Power belongeth unto God,” said King David (Psalm 62:11).

For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south.

But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another (Psalm 75: 6,7).

Does this mean God set up Genghis Khan? Adolf Hitler? Barry Soetoro (often referred to as “Barack Hussein Obama”)? There have been times in history when God has most definitely used tyrants as a means of readjusting his own ‘people program.’ He used Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians to remove Israel from her land, then Cyrus the Persia to bring Israel back; (I must point out that both Nebuchadnezzar and Cyrus were greatly affected by their relations with the Jewish people. They learned superior policy and management. Cyrus was particularly blessed, as were Xerxes and Darius.)

Then the Lord prophecies equally against those who have abused Israel! He used Babylon to punish Israel, then punished Babylon for abusing Israel. The prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel are replete with such examples. The message is, clearly, God is in control of the nations, but not in a dictatorial way. Even at the national level, he allows freedom to err–with consequence. This is so terribly agonizing, yet, true.

There is this statement from a 19th century spiritual writer:

In the annals of human history the growth of nations, the rise and fall of empires, appear as dependent on the will and prowess of man. The shaping of events seems, to a great degree. to be determined by his power, ambition, or caprice. But in the word of God the curtain is drawn aside, and we behold, behind, above, and through all the play and counterplay of human interests and power and passions, the agencies of the all-merciful One, silently, patiently working out the counsels of His own will.

Ellen G. White, Education (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press, 1903), p.173.

But, even in the Bible, with the curtain pulled aside, it takes profound trust to comprehend what is revealed. This is why, in a moment of transcendent comfort, the Lord said to Jeremiah (9:23,24):

Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.

If you want to brag about something, brag about the fact you can perceive the hand of God at work in the world. In fires, storms, volcanoes, earthquakes, plagues, famine, disease, and even terrorism, talk big about how you can find the good will of God in it all. Otherwise, better not to brag at all. It’s unbecoming to one so ignorant of essentials.

So, we can do our individual part. We can vote. We can do everything in our power to encourage moral, spiritual values. But we have to live with bad leaders sometimes. In the home, in the church, in the school, in the city, and in the nation. That’s just the way it is.

God lets things go bad. To become angry at this is futile, and bad for the health. Parents sometimes have to let children make wrong decisions, in order to teach them certain things. Children can be terribly disappointing to parents, as well as parents children. Maybe we can start to see the lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness of God there, in the home. We have to start somewhere.