On Tuesday, August 6, I will join many others in heading for my local precinct voting site (yes, in person, ID in hand) to vote in primary elections. I’ve tried to do my research, made more difficult by an overwhelming number of negative ads, I’ve also been thinking about my Bible study of the book of Daniel. (Funny how that timing worked out.)
In Daniel chapter 3, we see King Nebuchadnezzar commissioning a huge gold statue and commanding that on a certain day, upon hearing music played, everyone must bow and worship that statue. Everyone, no exceptions. This included Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who held key positions thanks to Daniel’s miraculous interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. We don’t know where Daniel was that day; some scholars suggest since his position was different from that of his friends, he was simply attending to other duties, but I’m pretty sure he would have stood firmly with the others if faced with the same choice.
So, how does this tie in with the elections? Take a look at the previous chapter, when Daniel interprets Nebuchadnezzar’s dream about a different statue, with a head of gold and successively less expensive/durable materials down to the feet. Daniel explains that Nebuchadnezzar, as ruler of the Babylonian empire, is symbolized by the head of gold.
Here’s where I start wondering. Nebuchadnezzar seemed genuinely impressed by God’s power shown through Daniel in the dream incident, but did he truly understand? Maybe he let that “head of gold” business cause him to think “how cool am I” rather than “wow, I’d better respect that God and do what He says.” The world hadn’t yet heard Uncle Ben’s admonition to Spiderman that “with great power comes great responsibility.”
Whatever the reason, chapter 3 is a huge promotion of Nebuchadnezzar’s own power. Yes, the Babylonian empire was powerful and, with things like the Hanging Gardens, beautiful. What ol’ Neb didn’t get, though, was that God wasn’t just on hand to interpret dreams; He was the one who allowed the Babylonian conquest and placed Neb in his position.
When we look at the candidates for the various state and local positions, including those we send to Washington, D.C., this Old Testament story seems quite relevant. The Old Testament makes it clear God allowed rulers to be involved in accomplishing His will, and the New Testament book of Romans also states it is God who allows leaders to be in place. As I read or watch ads, or listen to local or online forums, I want to discern which candidates truly have a servant heart and are committed to accomplishing God’s purposes in their positions if elected, rather than letting power go to their head, like Neb did, or caving to financial or social pressure. Since all of us are vulnerable to temptation and leaders are no exception; I want to heed Paul’s admonition to pray for them.
On August 6 and again in November, get out and vote! And as we do, let’s ask the Holy Spirit for discernment to sort through the rhetoric. Once leaders are elected, let’s pray they remember that with power, whether at the local, county, state, or national level, comes great responsibility.
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