Politics and Responsibility
There is a misconception that plagues Christians today, and it is one that prevents Christian values from being more prevalent in our world today. This misconception is that Christians have no place in politics, but this cannot be further from the truth. In fact, there is a passage of scripture that shows that Christians need to be involved in the day-to-day aspects of not only their individual lives but also as a nation as a whole.
“13 The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. 14 When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, “What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?” 15 Moses answered him, “Because the people come to me to seek God’s will.16 Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God’s decrees and instructions.” 17 Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. 18 You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. 19 Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputes to him. 20 Teach them his decrees and instructions, and show them the way they are to live and how they are to behave. 21 But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 22 Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. 23 If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.” 24 Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said. 25 He chose capable men from all Israel and made them leaders of the people, officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 26 They served as judges for the people at all times. The difficult cases they brought to Moses, but the simple ones they decided themselves.”
Exodus 18:13-26
In this passage, we see that Moses alone had been handling the disputes of a nation. His father-in-law pointed out that this would not only wear Moses out but also those who are waiting for judgments for their disputes. So what is the advice that Moses receives? To be the representative of the people to God, but to select men who are wise (and show the qualities required for a pastor/elder described in the New Testament) who can handle the smaller disputes. In doing so, the burden on Moses would be lighter because others would share in it.
So, how does this relate to Christians being involved in politics? This passage of scripture outlines the roles of God’s chosen people in how a dispute should be handled, and there is nothing causing more disputes than politics. In this scripture, we see that individuals are to bring their disputes to an elected person who would know God’s word and be able to judge accordingly. How many of our issues today would be solved if we had lawmakers standing for what Scripture says? We also see that when a dispute is something outside the realm of what the elected individual is capable of discerning, then it would be brought to Moses, who would represent the people to God and receive the judgment. How many of our issues today would be solved if pastors stood at the pulpit without shying away from the difficult topics? We as believers need to stand up and acknowledge that we have a role to play in politics; we cannot sit idle and allow those who do not follow Jesus Christ to continue to deny what God has given us.
Seek the truth and encourage one another,
Alex