And Absalom would add, “If only I were appointed judge in the land! Then everyone who has a complaint or case could come to me and I would see that he gets justice.” – 2 Samuel 15:4

Today’s Scripture Reading (January 20, 2013): 2 Samuel 15

Back when I was in Junior High School (or Middle School) I remember one election for the school council. What I remember about the election is the day that the speeches were given. The whole school was brought down into the gym for an assembly and those who were running for a position were gathered on the stage - and then the speeches began. We were young, and a lot of the speeches amounted to guys doing stupid things to try to prove that they were the kings – or to attract the girls. And, as in many campaigns, promises were made. That afternoon we heard everything from a promise of different foods and candies that could be offered in the vending machines around the school to a cancelation of exams and shorter school years. As I listened, even as a Junior High student, I realized that all of the promises I was hearing had one thing in common – they were all beyond the scope of the positions we were electing. But in Junior High, that really did not matter. All that mattered was getting elected.

As I have grown older, I have recognized (maybe cynically) that all elections still hold that same premise. Sometimes I have wished that I could be a fly on the wall on the day that the new President or Prime Minister has his or her first meeting with security advisor and finds out all of the reasons why the promises he made during the election campaign were actually impossible. And I sometimes wonder if on that day there is not, just for a fleeting moment, a bit of admiration for the out-going politician and all he was able to complete within the confines of the system. But the goal has not changed since Junior High – the idea remains to simply get elected.

A while back I read an article about all of the promises that President Obama had failed to keep. There was quite a list of promises that remained unfulfilled (in his defense, there was also a list of promises that had either been fulfilled or partially fulfilled.) But in a number of ways the article also misses the point. In a changing world, promises and priorities can often need to change. The real evaluation question is this – how did the politician react to the situation that time placed in front of him (or her) during their time in office. If they did well, then whether or not they were able to keep the promise made during the campaign really does not matter.

The other side of it is this – promises are always easier to make than they are to keep. As Absalom sits on the side of the road, outside of the power structure, it is easy to make promises. Without the responsibility of running the nation, Absalom did not have to worry about how his promises conflicted with the needs of the society at large. He could just make the promises. And without responsibility, it was easy to garner the praise and love of the people.     

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Psalm 3

Note: The VantagePoint Community Church Sermon "Danny's Diet" - the first sermon from the series :Danny Boy" is available on the VantagePoint Website. You can find it here