The Ruler of Thy People

Ex 22:28 says, “Thou shalt not revile the gods, nor curse the ruler of thy people”.  This is Old Testament.  But it is still applicable today.  Paul quoted it during his own trial in Acts 23:5, “… for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people”.

We are in an election year.  And one of the most common political tactics during a campaign is to sling mud at an opponent.  Candidates don’t often run on what they can do but rather on what their opponents can’t do.  It’s more about the opponent’s lack of character than it is about the candidate’s good character.

And so we hear all of these negative things and often repeat them to persuade people against a candidate we don’t like.  We simply repeat what we hear as if it’s true and appropriate for us to be even saying this stuff.  Solomon warned, “Curse not the king, no not in thy thought”, Ecc 10:20.

As Bible-believing Christians, we must be very careful to follow God’s commands when it comes to our opinions and statements about people who are in offices of authority.  They may be public servants, in fact.  But in reality they make rules and decisions which we must obey and by which we are governed.  Peter said, “Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake”, 1 Pet 2:13, and “Honour the king”, 1 Pet 2:17.

We must be careful not to “despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities”, Jude 8.  You may be talking directly against someone the Lord is using and something the Lord is doing with the people he raises up, Rom 9:17; Prov 16:4; Ps 75:7.  Men like Joseph, Daniel, and Obadiah never railed on the kings under whom they served.  So, let’s not speak evil of the ruler of thy people, either.  Instead, pray for them, 1 Tim 2:1-3.