When the Righteous Are in Authority, the People Rejoice; But...

On May 3, Donald Trump was victorious in the Indiana primary. The Ted Cruz and John Kasich campaigns each called it quits.

What does this political outcome tell us?

Dr. Michael Brown, on May 4, 2016, published an opinion piece entitled, "Donald Trump the National Enquirer President". His full article appears at the following link: http://barbwire.com/2016/05/04/donald-trump-national-enquirer-president

He begins the article, “It is altogether fitting that Donald Trump became the all-but-certain presidential nominee of the Republican Party on the same day that he cited the ridiculous allegations of the National Enquirer that Ted Cruz’s father, Rafael, had involvement in the assassination of JFK.

“This is not so much an indictment on Trump as it is an indictment on the American people. God could well be giving us exactly what we deserve.”

Dr. Brown then speaks of where we are at as a people, “I have no desire to be right; I do have an intense desire to see America blessed; and I would far rather say, “I was so wrong about Donald Trump,” than say, “I told you so!”

“That being said, it appears today in America that God has given us over to delusion, a phenomenon mentioned several times in the Bible when God takes away a people’s moral and spiritual sensibilities as a judgment on their sin.

“In other words, because people reject Him and His standards, He says, “Go ahead then. Have at it,” further pushing us into our folly.”

Proverbs 29:2 tells us, “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when a wicked man rules, the people groan.” If we look at the conduct of the presidential candidates, it appears there is to be more groaning in our future than rejoicing.

The Apostle Paul spoke of a society’s condition when God is rejected in Romans 1:28 “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting. . . .” Have we been given over to a debased mindset?

Dr. Brown describes our condition, “That seems to be the only way to explain how we are suddenly at the point in America where people are saying there’s nothing wrong with grown men using women’s locker rooms and bathrooms and where states like California have ruled that boys who identify as girls can play on the girls’ sports teams and share their shower stalls and changing areas.

“This is cultural insanity, yet many are too blind to see.

“How else do we explain college students telling a young Caucasian man that if he identifies as a woman, he is; if he identifies as Chinese, he is; if he identifies as a 7-year-old, he is – but if he identifies as 6’ 5” he is not – how else do we explain this unless we have been given over to a spirit of delusion?

“I see the Trump candidacy in the same way.

“Tens of millions of Americans are not put off by his blatant, well-documented lying.

“Tens of millions of Americans are not put off by his consistent practice of vile character assassination for the purpose of political gain.

“Tens of millions of Americans are not put off by his vulgarity and profanity.

“Tens of millions of Americans are not put off by his ignorance of critical issues and his complete flip-flopping of major positions.”

The last four points made are they not warning signs about a presidential candidate? And yet no one heeds! Interestingly, we could do a similar analysis of other presidential candidates.

One final quote, “And he has masterfully appealed to American fears and anger – fears of terrorism, fears of economic collapse, anger with the political system, anger with American weakness – to the point that his supporters are looking to him as a quasi-savior figure. Only he can get the job done!

“But in almost any other time in American history, Trump’s negatives would have so outweighed his positives that he would have quickly disqualified himself as a candidate.

“Not today.”

Noting this current situation in regard to American leadership, should we be surprised by what is on the horizon?

The Apostle John was able to see an evil political figure that will arise at the end of the age, “So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?" And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation.” (Revelation 13:4-7).

As our world unravels, we have the anchor of the Sabbath, which reminds us that the King of kings, and Lord of lords is coming to reign in righteousness (Revelation 19:11).

May God hasten the day.

Gary Smith

Are My Ways Pleasing to God on the Sabbath Day?

In Isaiah 58:13, the prophet begins the verse with, “If you turn your foot away from the Sabbath. . . .” In speaking of “your foot” and “the Sabbath” he is signaling to his hearers that they were in fact trampling upon the Sabbath in the way that they were observing it. While they may have recognized the Sabbath to a degree, they were showing by their actions and words that they did not take delight in the Sabbath.

Isaiah tells us that the Sabbath is a “holy day” a period of time from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday that God has made holy, through His setting apart the time, for man’s benefit. We are to honor God by the way we approach the Sabbath.

God inspired Isaiah to elaborate on how we honor God on the Sabbath. He says, “You shall honor Him.” God’s expectation on the Sabbath is that we would honor Him by certain things we would do and say.

It is easy for us to adhere to the time frame of the Sabbath. The Sabbath begins and ends at sunset so we are usually aware of when the sun goes below the horizon on Friday night and when it goes below the horizon Saturday night. We also know that we are to go to church services each week. However, God is looking for more from us on the Sabbath than the bare minimum.

He goes on to explain how we can truly honor God on the Sabbath day. We honor Him by not doing our own ways. In the context of “not doing our own ways”, we might consider a well-known Proverb, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”

Proverbs 14:12 is a warning to us that our ways can seem right to us from our human perspective. They seem right to us because we are selfish and what we selfishly want to do leads to death because God has been left out of the picture.

As we consider giving honor to God by “not doing our own ways” on the Sabbath, we might consider another passage found in Isaiah 55:8-9,  “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts."

We can only come to understand God’s thoughts and ways as we humble ourselves before God ask a couple of simple questions:

• What are God’s thoughts and God’s ways? They are revealed in the scriptures.
• Are my thoughts and my ways pleasing to God?

As we answer these two questions there is a most positive outcome which is described in the next two verses in Isaiah 55, “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it” (10-11).

God made the Sabbath for man in order that his ways will not only be pleasing to God on the Sabbath, but throughout the rest of the week as well.

Enjoy the upcoming Sabbath day and consider, “Are my ways pleasing to God on the Sabbath day?”

Gary Smith