| A Boss After God’s Own Heart 3 / ABAGOH >>> |
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A Boss After
God’s Own Heart (ABAGOH)– Part 3 Power and oppression |
Jeremiah 22:17–KJV– But your eyes and your heart
Are intent only upon your own dishonest gain, and on shedding innocent
blood and on practicing oppression and extortion.
Ezekiel 22:29 The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised
robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yea, they have oppressed
the stranger wrongfully.
Proverbs 29:2 When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice:
but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.
The above
scripture verses give us an insight in God’s mind concerning oppressive
rulers. God hates it when rulers use their position to oppress those
that are weaker. The brothers of Joseph and the disciples of Jesus both
had the common human understanding or view about rulership. When Jesus
visited His people in Israel, they were under the Roman rulership and
were oppressed. One example of oppression under Pilate is that he killed
certain Galileans and had their blood mixed with their sacrifices (Luke
13:2). The Roman’s dominion was rude, harsh and pitiless. The children
of Israel know what oppression is because they have suffered a lot at
the hands of cruel and despotic rulers and kings. They were enslaved
by Pharaoh in Egypt for 400 years before God used His servant Moses
to lead them out of Egypt. Every time God’s people would indulge in
idolatry and forsake God’s commandments, God would raise an enemy to
oppress them and turn their hearts back to God. From the slavery in
Egypt to the Holocaust, the people of Israel have experienced a lot
of oppression. And throughout history, there are so many accounts of
oppressive and cruel dominion that some rulers have exercised over their
subjects around the world, and this sad reality is still very much alive
today. Countless of people have died and are still dying daily under
the oppression of a minority of leaders who, rather than using their
position of power and authority to protect life, are using it as a means
to gain more riches, glory, power and security for themselves.
In the area of medicine for instance, there are many laws that are being made, which purpose, as it is claimed, is to protect lives. But looking at it closely, you will find out that a lot of regulations are being made by a certain minority of powerful people who are after their own personal interest and are not really concerned about the health of the rest of the world. Their purpose is the total control over the lives of the people and the ultimate destruction of mankind. A lot has been said about the corruption and greediness of the pharmaceutical industry. Its bad reputation has been widely spread out and discussed on the media. There is no denying that the pharmaceutical industry has created some fantastic products that have helped us fight off diseases, infections, reduce pain and help us manage symptoms. But it has also become obvious that the pharmaceutical industry is highly corrupt. This is just an example that illustrates the abuse of power that is exercised by certain leaders, authorities and institutions at the expense of those who do not have the power of decision. The only true security that we can find is in Jesus because He is the Almighty God. He is able to protect us from the schemes of evil and scrupulous men. The Bible says that the whole world lies under the power of the evil one (1 John 5:19). We are exposed to the arrows of Satan when Jesus is not the leader and the Master of our lives. But with Jesus, we can escape the snares of the devil and live as overcomers.
According to history, the following rulers are the most common or known despots and tyrants that have ever existed: Tamerlane, Ivan the Terrible, Robespierre, Joseph Stalin, Adolph Hitler, Mao Zedong, Francois Duvalier, Nicolae Ceausescu, Idi Amin and Pol Pot. And the list goes on. These are just a few of them and some of these men are very well known. You can read about their stories on Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, if you want to know more about their exploits. But the worse of despots are those who hide behind the veil of religion and pretend to be the mouthpiece of God, even using the holy name of God to achieve their evil purposes. They are using their position, power and influence to send millions of naive souls to eternal damnation in hell. They have a form of godliness but deny the power thereof (2 Timothy 3:5). They pretend to be the leaders of the blind but are blind themselves. And if the blind lead the blind, both can only fall into the ditch (Matthew 15:14). Such people will not escape the wrath of God if they don’t repent. God’s grace is still available today for everyone of us, for it is not the will of God that any man should perish, but that all will come to the knowledge of the truth and be saved (1 Timothy 2:4). Jesus paid the price for our salvation. He is the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for us. Today is the day of salvation. So if you hear the Master’s call, do not harden your heart but open the door to Jesus. Then He will come in and dine with you. mt