Today’s
Scripture Reading (December 13, 2018): Deuteronomy 20
As we remembered George H. W. Bush’s life earlier this month (December
2018), one thing that shone through was that he taught us right things. Stories are told of his note writing to people, the value that he placed on
tradition, his humility, and his desire to get things right – even if that
meant doing things the hard way. He was a leader who reached beyond his
following to others who may not have held the same values. And maybe one of the
most important things about the former President was that George H. W. Bush had
an uncanny ability to make anybody that he met, his friend.
While George H. W. Bush may be best
remembered for what some considered a lie (“read my lips, no new taxes),
the reality is that Bush 41 probably taught us more about the truth than many
other leaders who preceded or followed him. Just as an aside, it is interesting
that the two political leaders that I think have had the greatest connection to
the truth, George H. W. Bush and Jimmy Carter, were unable to win a second term
as President. Maybe that tells us something about our own regard for the truth. We would rather have someone lie to us
and tell us pretty stories than to have someone tell us the hard truth.
Whether we want it or not, the reality is that we need leaders like
George H. W. Bush who will teach us, through their words and their actions,
right things. And it was this concern that led Moses to instruct Israel to
destroy the inhabitants of Canaan. He feared
that if that didn’t happen, if Israel just became an inhabitant with the others
already inhabiting the land, then they would fall under their leadership and be
taught wrong or, as Moses says, detestable things. Our reality is that we tend
to follow the behavior of our leaders. If it is okay for the (King, President,
Prime Minister, Governor, Pastor, etc.),
then the behavior must be okay for me. Deep down we want to be able to hold up
the behavior of our leaders as an example for our children to follow. We need
leaders like George H. W. Bush who will lead us into right things.
Moses was right. History would reveal that Israel tended to follow the religions and choices of those who lived in
the land. And what made this tendency even worse, was that they developed a
practice of learning wrong and calling it right, and proclaiming detestable
behavior as something that a God-fearing
person would do. Maybe the best example of this is found during the reign of
Jeroboam just after the nation split into Israel and Judah. Jeroboam was made the
king over Israel. And “after
seeking advice, the king made two golden calves. He said to the people, ‘It is
too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, Israel, who brought
you up out of Egypt’” (1 Kings 12:28). Jeroboam led his people into wrong and
detestable things and called them good
and godly.
Tomorrow’s Scripture
Reading: Deuteronomy 21
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