1 Samuel 24:6 (ESV)
6 He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord’s anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the Lord’s anointed.”
As I read this, i thought of Romans 13:1-2 where Paul informs us that our leaders are appointed by God and as a result should be treated with respect.
Throughout all of Paul’s letters he is curiously a-political, indicating that Paul’s mission was not affected by whoever was in power at the time.
Putting these two passages together, I conclude that I should be very careful in what I say about our political leaders. I believe that we have the responsibility to speak out when given the opportunity to present a Biblical perspective on current issues. In speaking out, we should be very careful in making sure that it does not degenerate into ad hominem attack.
I am to speak the truth in love. It is too easy to say what I think is truth and speak it in the absence of love. I resolve to speak only what I feel God has prompted me to speak (or write) and make sure it passes the love test before hitting the send key.
I’m busted because I’ve said some things about current leadership that do not pass the love test. God has allowed the leaders to occupy the positions that they have. It is my responsibility to be obedient to what God leads me to do and leave the leaders in God’s hands. He is big enough to deal with them in his own way and in his own time.