S) "28 'You shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler of your people.'"
Exodus 22:28 (NASB)
O) It isn't at all that this concept is new. There are several NT verses that talk about praying for leadership, and how leadership is established by God. What I really ponder, here, is the pairing of these two concepts, so closely. Do not revile God + Do not curse a ruler of your people. By pairing these together, it really seems to me that God is putting them on an equal level, of sorts. So now, for example, I can imagine a lot of people who might say something disparaging about our president but then quickly jumping to say, "Well, I wasn't actually cursing him, though." Then, that's where I think about this pairing. Would I dare to do anything that could even remotely be considered, even misconstrued, as reviling God? If not, and if The LORD indeed puts these two things on anything resembling an equal ground, then should I dare to do anything that could even remotely be considered, even misconstrued, as cursing a ruler of my people?
A) I've been aware of the NT instruction to obey and respect our nation's leader (and indeed, any authority placed over us), but I've never considered that the offense of it, the disobedience of it, would be considered something akin to reviling God. If ever I needed additional motivation to obey and respect the president (and other authorities), this verse gives me a strong reminder.
P) Father, continue to humble me, LORD. You have done a great work in softening my heart and changing my respect for authority and rules, and through grace I will continue in that submission to authority. Let this verse remind me how serious this concept is. May I bless the ruler of my people, and keep pride far from me, in Jesus's name I pray. Amen.
A) I've been aware of the NT instruction to obey and respect our nation's leader (and indeed, any authority placed over us), but I've never considered that the offense of it, the disobedience of it, would be considered something akin to reviling God. If ever I needed additional motivation to obey and respect the president (and other authorities), this verse gives me a strong reminder.
P) Father, continue to humble me, LORD. You have done a great work in softening my heart and changing my respect for authority and rules, and through grace I will continue in that submission to authority. Let this verse remind me how serious this concept is. May I bless the ruler of my people, and keep pride far from me, in Jesus's name I pray. Amen.
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