They set up kings without my consent; they choose princes without my approval. With their silver and gold they make idols for themselves to their own destruction. I wrote for them the many things of my law, but they regarded them as something alien.

Hosea 8:4,12

As I was reading through Hosea recently, I came upon the verses above.  To say that they gave me food for thought is an understatement indeed.  The traditional way of thinking in our nation is that if we have a governor, president, congressman, senator or other public figure that it’s  “God’s fault”.  After all, He is the One Who sets up kings and rulers, is He not? Interestingly enough, at the time the words above were written, kings normally received their kingship by inheritance – there was little chance for public opinion to be expressed under normal circumstances.  And yet, although there was no “democratic process” such as we enjoy in modern times, they DID choose men to rule over them – and men who were not according to God’s plan or design. Today we are ruled by a constitution.  Within that constitution the means of selecting rulers is spelled out clearly and the responsibility and power of government is both spelled out and limited.  How much more responsible are we today for the rulers we choose than those who lived thousands of years ago!

The normal “christian” response to the installation of a godless, unholy person as president is say “It was God’s will.” or perhaps “It is God’s judgment for (fill in the blank).” But is this necessarily true? God accused the children of Israel of “setting up kings without My consent”. In other words, those kings were not “God’s judgment” – nor were they according to God’s will. They came about by direct disobedience by God’s people, by a refusal to live according to God’s dictates. Let’s say that you have before you a small child and you say “Don’t touch the stove, it is hot and you will burn yourself.” If that child disobeys and is burned – was that burn a result of your punishment? Of course not! The burn was a direct result of the child’s own choice and disobedience. The child was warned and the child suffered the consequences. And that is what happens in today’s world as well. God has told us to live a life that is pleasing to Him. And when we, as a nation, turn our backs on His instructions it is no wonder that we have godless men leading us down paths of destruction.

It is time for us to quit blaming God for the evils that are befalling us as a nation.  In the words of the prophet Joel, “12 Even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning. 13 Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God,for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. 14 Who knows? He may turn and have pity and leave behind a blessing— grain offerings and drink offerings for the LORD your God. 15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly. 16 Gather the people, consecrate the assembly; bring together the elders, gather the children, those nursing at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her chamber. 17 Let the priests, who minister before the LORD, weep between the temple porch and the altar. Let them say, “Spare your people, O LORD. Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’ “ (Joel 2:12-17) Yes, it is time for us to turn back to God with a whole heart.  It is time for us to fall before His throne and allow Him to guide us.  It is time to implore Him to choose for us our leaders, for us to reject all those who do not exemplify a life dedicated to His Ways. No, it’s not time for us to seek a leader who trumpets his faith, it is time for us to seek leaders for our nation who show that they know not only our own constitution but also know The Way that leads to God.

No more should we be duped into choosing “the lesser evil”.  It is time for our voice to be heard loud and clear – “No more leaders chosen without God’s consent!!!”

The article above was first published on my blog on December 9, 2009. It was lost in a site defacement and I now present it for your consideration once more.