In recent news, the world political scene has been changing. Just recently, we learned of Venezuela’s Chavez’s death. That brings uncertainty to the country and rest of the world hopes that new leadership will benefit the country. On the other hand, North Korea just went through a similar loss of a leader when Kim Jong-Un succeeded Kim Jong-il after his death. With the recent threats of nuclear attacks, I’m not sure that the change made much difference.
Here are just a few of the articles I found:
- Bloomberg: N. Korea Threatens Preemptive Nuclear Strike as UN Meets
- CBS News: Hugo Chavez died of massive heart attack: top general
- Bio: Kim Jong-un biography
So, I thought that I would do a little brainstorming on the events and what the Bible might have to say about them.
Heart of the King
One of the encouraging thoughts is that God is still in control. The leaders may make decisions, but God still controls their choices and desires.
Proverbs 21:1 The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.
It’s not too hard to believe that God influences the king to do good. Just for one example, I found this verse:
Ezra 7:27 Blessed be the LORD God of our fathers, which hath put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to beautify the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem:
On the other hand, it is hard to believe that God would be in control of a king or ruler who is doing bad things. I ran across this verse:
Psalm 105:23-25 Israel also came into Egypt; and Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham. And he increased his people greatly; and made them stronger than their enemies. He turned their heart to hate his people, to deal subtilly with his servants.
The Pharaoh during the Exodus is a perfect example. God allowed the Pharaoh to persecute the Israelites, but in the end, God showed that he was in control, and despite the decisions of the king, God’s will was done.
God Cares
Many times we get tempted into thinking that God is off in heaven doing his own thing. He wound up the world and let it go on it’s own. That’s just not the case. God is actively involved in His creation.
Colossians 1:16-17 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
The key is that last part. It says that God created everything, but at the end, it says that he makes “all things consist”. In other words, Jesus is actively holding it all together.
What’s more is that God cares about each one of us. Jesus taught this during his ministry:
Matthew 10:28-31 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.
If God can care about one of the smallest creatures, we know he cares about us. Not only that, but if he cares about one of the smallest details as the number of hairs on our head, we know that he knows all about us and cares about all of our details. We can trust that God will protect us and take care of us through any bad decision or complication that any ruler might cause.
It’s Not Going to Get Better
We can hope that new leadership might improve things a bit, but that’s not where our hope should be. This world is just not going to get better!
For example, just look at the Second Law of Thermodynamics. Wikipedia says,
The second law of thermodynamics states that the entropy of an isolated system never decreases, because isolated systems spontaneously evolve towards thermodynamic equilibrium—the state of maximum entropy. Equivalently, perpetual motion machines of the second kind are impossible.
The Bible says it this way:
Romans 8:23 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
Psalms says it well that our world isn’t destined to be around forever. God is.
Psalm 102:25-26 Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed:
If we are looking for hope, we shouldn’t be looking at anything in the world: it won’t last. Instead, we can look to the Lord, the eternal one:
Joel 3:16 The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.
Our hope is in heaven and our salvation.
Colossians 1:5 For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;
If you don’t have that hope, please comment or contact me. I’ll explain the salvation plan or point you to a resource on the Internet where you can learn how you can have that hope.
Your Thoughts
Iron is supposed to sharpen iron. Do you have any thoughts to add to it? Please add them by commenting below.
1 Comment
Krista Mercado · January 12, 2014 at 4:31 pm
Even a believer can lose rightful ownership of worldly things in his physical possession through sin and disobedience as in the famous hadith about the traveller about which the Prophet said: “…his food was haraam, his drink was haraam, his mount was haraam…”. Even those things in his possession at the moment were haraam to him because of his sin and forbidden transactions he was involved in.