The image is Jesus…….working through a difficult, ambiguous decision……judging. Should the adultress be stoned?
In a recent post about the death of justice Ginsburg, I suggested a prayer:
“Lord, please bless and comfort the soul of justice Ginsberg and her family. Please guide our leaders as they choose a replacement for her. Give us a replacement justice who will love you, seek you, and follow you……….not me, not the Republican party, and not the Democratic party………but you.”
This prayer can be comforting but it can also be disconcerting.
What if God’s choice is the Trump nominee?
What if God’s choice is a Biden nominee?
First of all let me answer your first thought……and mine. The idea that we know God’s heart. In broad strokes, we do; but, in the details, we get lost. We know our own heart and we often paste our heart onto God. We tend to follow our own heart and attribute what we are doing to God. And, if that doesn’t work…..we just ignore God and do as we please.
I don’t know whom God would choose…..for president and for the supreme court……and neither do you. I know whom I would choose and you know whom you would choose.
Now, let’s return to the prayer…….and a hypothetical question.
If you knew with absolute certainty that God’s choice was the nominee of a politician that you despise, could you still pray for that nominee?
If you despise Trump, but knew that God wanted Ms. Barrett, could you pray that she be confirmed?
If you despise Biden, but knew that God wanted Biden’s choice, could you pray that RBG’s seat be filled by Biden?
Remember, as hard as this is, neither of us knows whom God would choose.
Take a moment and reflect, then answer the question. Understand….. This is a yes or no question. If you try to evade the question or qualify your answer, then your answer is no.
You see, this exercise actually has nothing to do with politics and the supreme court. Rather, it is an exploration of your loyalties.
It is a self-assessment of whom you actually worship….whom you actually follow…….whom you actually trust.
Do you trust yourself and your political party……..or do you trust God?
Whom do you follow? Whom do you worship?
I propose that in the hypothetical situation where you like candidate A and God likes candidate B………if you stumble over setting your desires aside and following God, then you trust, follow, and worship somebody other than God.
This is intellectually consistent…….if you are an atheist.
But, if you identify as a Christian, then you are in trouble.
If you are a Christian, but you cannot put God’s desires above your own, then you are putting yourself…… your desires……..above God.
Don’t feel bad……you are in good company. Probably half of Christians take their set of beliefs, attribute them to God, and then do exactly what they wanted to do in the first place.
To avoid this pitfall, if you are a Christian, you need to study God, follow him, and put these decisions in his hand……. especially when you discover that, on a specific issue, the “other” political party is correct.
Here is some bad news, no matter which party you support…….on some of these issues, the “other” side is correct.
On some of these issues, God is on the “other” side.
On some of these issues……… God is not on “your” side.
You must honestly ask:
Does God want more abortion…….or less?
Does God want more guns…..or less?
Does God want more social programs for the poor?
Does God want smaller federal government?
Does God want more or less taxes?
Does God want more or less regulation?
As you can see, your choice of political party, your decision as you vote, is far more complex than either party wants you to believe. You may have to decide which of these issues takes precedence. You may have to vote for the party that is closest to God on most of the most important issues.
What I can tell you is this. If you allow your interpretation of these problems to cause you to fail to follow God’s first two rules…… Love God…… Love your neighbor…….. If you allow anger and hate into your life over these issues, then you have failed as a Christian.
I would even go one step further. If you allow anger and hate into your life over these issues, then you have failed as a human being.
“Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”
A conversation between a religious scholar and Jesus about judgement, NIV
“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”
Jesus, subordinating his desires to God the father, NIV