“It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.” – Psalm 118:8-9
Every four years in America, many people tend to look to a Presidential candidate as being a savior who is going to resolve all of our problems. But this isn’t unique to the U.S. Throughout history, people have looked to a person to solve all of life’s problems. Even Ancient Israel turned to political leaders in hopes of salvation.
In their early history, God had been ancient Israel’s leader, but the people were getting restless. So, in 1 Samuel 8, the people asked for a King– so they would be like other nations (1 Sam. 8: 20). Why is this significant? Well, Israel was supposed to be different. They had been set apart from the nations around them. God was supposed to be their king. At the time, Samuel was called by God to be the people’s spiritual leader. He was old, and his sons were downright sorry. The people of Israel were concerned about what they would do after Samuel died. Who would lead them?
Out of worry for the future, the elders of Israel asked Samuel to appoint a king to lead the people. After all, every other major nation had a king as ruler. Samuel warned them that there were consequences to living like everyone else, but the people persisted. Their reasoning? “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” (vs. 20).
Even though it was GOD who led them, GOD who went out before them, and GOD who fought their battles, the people decided to place their trust in a man they could see versus a God they couldn’t. Israel chose to reject God as King in favor of a man.
Now, let’s jump back to present day. As the U.S. approaches another election cycle, let’s all take a lesson from the Biblical story of the people of Israel and evaluate our heart’s motivation as we prepare to vote. No matter your political party or candidate preference, make sure you’re not placing more faith, hope, and trust in a person than you are in the One, true God.
As we approach the election– don’t just pray about how to vote, but be sure to place your heart’s hope in Christ alone. He is the only one who reigns supreme over all; and we can trust Him to lead His people well – no matter the election’s outcome.
