At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask what I should give you.” And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant my father David, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you; and you have kept for him this great and steadfast love, and have given him a son to sit on his throne today. And now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David, although I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. And your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great people, so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted. Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this your great people?” 1 Kings 3:5-9
Yesterday the attention of the world turned to the events playing out in Washington, DC. Peacefully, majestically, liturgically, George Bush returned to life as a private citizen and Barak Obama stepped into a new stage of his life as a public servant. Sealed with a promise made with his hand upon a Bible, the United States got a brand new president.
In yesterday’s devotion I noted that it is difficult to make easy transitions between governmental leadership as found in the Bible and governmental leadership as practiced in a modern democracy. Certainly the selection process is different – God, through Samuel, picked Saul and then David. Solomon assumed the throne upon David’s death. While there are plenty of voices today telling us which candidate God picks today…we don’t come at it from that direction.
“Governing” people is also practiced quite differently today. But similarities remain. Solomon’s first act as the new king of Israel was to make a diplomatic pact with Egypt by taking one of Pharoah’s daughters as one of Solomon’s wife. (I’m thinking Michelle wouldn’t put up with that even though the paparazzi would have a field day.) But we can all trust that President Obama will be making some key telephone calls to key international leaders today and in the days to come. For the President of the United States, the world is indeed a neighborhood in a way that Solomon couldn’t have imagined.
Similar as well is the inherent difficulty of the actual work of government – brokering competing interests, finding a path through the morass of options, constantly selling and spinning and politicking toward a shared vision for the future. This isn’t easy given the human penchant for wanting our cake and eating it too.
In President Obama’s masterful inaugural address yesterday, he spoke about what it is that truly makes a people great and what it is that truly sees a people through the hard times of life – it wasn’t power, prestige or prosperity but a shared set of values like hard work, courage, integrity, compassion and honesty. In that he demonstrated the link that still remains between leadership in the Bible and leadership in the world today.
Under God, leaders still are called to lead. But leaders cannot lead those who refuse to follow. And no leader can do for the people what only the people can do for themselves. Any leader that promises to do for the people what only they can do for themselves is no leader at all but a crass manipulator seeking only personal gain.
Such leadership requires certain values and skills as well and certainly Solomon’s prayer for wisdom tops the list. Give me, he prayed, a “wise and discerning mind.” Thus we pray as well for our new President.
Let us pray: Dear Lord, bless and keep us as a nation today, those who lead and those who are led. Help us to see, in our common daily work, both meaning and purpose. Help us see beyond our own narrow interests to the good of the whole. Give each of us wisdom befitting our station and role in life. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Daily Devotions 
January 22, 2009 at 12:40 pm |
You’ve swallowed the Kool-aid. Obama will lead this country down a disasterous road of global proportions, and I think you already know it, if you’ve read the book of Revelation.
However, as much as I am praying for his soul and for him to turn to God for his answers, it is very hard to change a zebra’s stripes unless they have encountered a spiritual awakening. This, I hope, will happen. However, as a country, we have now been thrust into a global melting pot that will cater to every whim of the world, including making friends with the devil. Once being the strongest and most Godly country in the world, is over. Obama, if you hadn’t noticed, is a friend to all kinds of sin, including lying, homosexuality (as Christians, we are not supposed to embrace this and he accepts it – WRONG – the cock will crow 3 times syndrome).
I am very disappointed in your sudden acceptance of our new President, someone who will lead this country into Sodom and Gomorrah, which has already started. When will Christians stand up to the world and say NO! NO MORE SIN. NO MORE LIES. NO MORE ANTI-GOD RHETORIC? I have
not heard you say as much in the past year that I have read your commentary, so I am assuming your stripes are the same color as Obama’s.
I will continue to pray that the Holy Spirit opens your eyes to the truth instead of this ‘touchy feely’ “give Obama a chance”, “give peace a chance” wish-washy words. Let’s call a spade a spade: the man is in sin and anyone who agrees with the policies he sets forth, such as homosexuals in the Military, having cabinet members who have no regard for the law of the land, a man who accepts and embraces abortion, is also in sin. You are and should get down on your knees before God and repent, if you have indeed ignored these and are asking people to give him a chance. A chance at what. Ask them to pray for him, yes. To accept what he has done thus far – NO, NO, NO. Obama is in sin. And, right now, I doubt you are favored in God’s eyes. Do you really think that Jesus came to be sweet and kind – well, maybe a little, BUT, HE CAME TO DIVIDE WITH THE SWORD. I ask you, on what side will you stand? If you were to meet the president today, would you tell him good luck, or would
you tell him he needs to get right with God? Only you know that – and God knows. Jesus came to tell us and show us the truth and if we are to follow Him, why aren’t you telling the truth???????
God help us all and the United States of America. It is NO LONGER the land of the free, but I hope it is still the home of the brave – Christians who will stand up against sin, even it means being persecuted for their beliefs.