Unholy Alliances - Man as Instructor
But Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord? Because of this, wrath has gone out against you from the LORD.” - 2 Chronicles 19:2
Alliances can be tricky, even problematic. After 9/11, I spent four years serving as the U.S. Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence under President George W. Bush. That tour of duty gave me a front-row seat to the War on Terror. In that position, I witnessed first-hand our partnership in working with allies in the prosecution of that war. Sometimes those partnerships were head-scratchers at best, unwise at worst, and sometimes downright counterproductive.
Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, unwisely allied himself with Ahab, the King of Israel, for a joint military operation against a common enemy in Syria. The problem, as we read in 1 Kings 17-22, is that King Ahab and his pagan wife Jezebel not only promoted idolatry but tried to kill God’s prophets. They were evil to the core, and even today, their names are remembered for their wickedness. So, for all the good that King Jehoshaphat did in advancing the worship of the one true God in Judah, he stumbled by making an unholy alliance. Unsurprisingly, Jehu, a true prophet of God, called Jehoshaphat out because of it. And that joint military operation? It was a failure.
Men, we can do a lot of good, even advance God’s kingdom through a number of means, but then stumble at the point of alliances. That is true when it comes to voting. Now, it almost goes without saying that a follower of Jesus who takes his values from the Word of God should vote for candidates who best line up with those biblical values. The trouble is, many Bible-believing Christians don’t do that. Instead, they vote for candidates who actually oppose their values.
Here’s the question: Have you considered that voting for a candidate is like making an alliance with that person? That, if elected, they will represent you with their decision-making and actions in office? That your vote effectively makes that politician your “ally”?
Founding Father John Jay was our nation’s first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, chosen by President George Washington. Jay had this to say about our voting: “Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation … to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.” Jay went on to say: “Whether our Religion permits Christians to vote for infidel rulers is a question which merits more consideration. … It appears to me that what the prophet said to Jehoshaphat about his attachments to Ahab: ‘Shouldest thou help the ungodly and love them that hate the Lord?’ (2 Chron. 19:2) offers a salutary lesson.”[1]
In other words, a believer doesn’t have any business in an alliance with ungodly politicians. Obviously, there are times when there is not much choice on the ballot. Sometimes it’s a choice between the lesser of two evils, but usually, there is a choice between someone who has the potential to do more good than harm and someone who has the potential to do more harm than good. And the consequences are enormous when we vote people into places of leadership. Proverbs 29:2 says: “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice. When the wicked rule, the people groan.”
So for the sake of America, we need to vote for the candidates who best align with biblical values. Do your best to determine where the candidates stand on issues and how their values align with yours. In our role as Instructors, what a teachable moment for our family and friends to see us vote like that. Thankfully, voter guides are a big help in discerning where candidates stand on issues of concern. Please visit FRC.org/pledge, click on Voter Guides, enter your address, download, and print to take them with you. In your role as Instructor, share voter guides with your family and friends. Ask permission to hand them out at your church. That way, Christians can look past the slick commercials, proud promises, and flowery rhetoric and see the record of how these people voted and where they stand on the values we care about. Then we can pray, seek the Lord’s wisdom, and vote, making our “alliance” with the candidate who best matches up with our biblical values.
Take a look back on the politicians you have voted for in the past. How did their policies line up with biblical values? Have you made some “unholy alliances”? How can you change that going forward as you vote?
How can you use voting as a teachable moment for your family and friends? Have you considered handing out voter guides that take into account your values as a believer?
Ask God for wisdom and discernment when it comes to making alliances, especially with candidates for office when voting.
[1] Henry P. Johnston, ed., The Correspondence and Public Papers of John Jay, 4 vols., (New York: G.P Putnam & Sons, 1893) 4:393.
But Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord? Because of this, wrath has gone out against you from the LORD.” - 2 Chronicles 19:2
Alliances can be tricky, even problematic. After 9/11, I spent four years serving as the U.S. Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence under President George W. Bush. That tour of duty gave me a front-row seat to the War on Terror. In that position, I witnessed first-hand our partnership in working with allies in the prosecution of that war. Sometimes those partnerships were head-scratchers at best, unwise at worst, and sometimes downright counterproductive.
Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, unwisely allied himself with Ahab, the King of Israel, for a joint military operation against a common enemy in Syria. The problem, as we read in 1 Kings 17-22, is that King Ahab and his pagan wife Jezebel not only promoted idolatry but tried to kill God’s prophets. They were evil to the core, and even today, their names are remembered for their wickedness. So, for all the good that King Jehoshaphat did in advancing the worship of the one true God in Judah, he stumbled by making an unholy alliance. Unsurprisingly, Jehu, a true prophet of God, called Jehoshaphat out because of it. And that joint military operation? It was a failure.
Men, we can do a lot of good, even advance God’s kingdom through a number of means, but then stumble at the point of alliances. That is true when it comes to voting. Now, it almost goes without saying that a follower of Jesus who takes his values from the Word of God should vote for candidates who best line up with those biblical values. The trouble is, many Bible-believing Christians don’t do that. Instead, they vote for candidates who actually oppose their values.
Here’s the question: Have you considered that voting for a candidate is like making an alliance with that person? That, if elected, they will represent you with their decision-making and actions in office? That your vote effectively makes that politician your “ally”?
Founding Father John Jay was our nation’s first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, chosen by President George Washington. Jay had this to say about our voting: “Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation … to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.” Jay went on to say: “Whether our Religion permits Christians to vote for infidel rulers is a question which merits more consideration. … It appears to me that what the prophet said to Jehoshaphat about his attachments to Ahab: ‘Shouldest thou help the ungodly and love them that hate the Lord?’ (2 Chron. 19:2) offers a salutary lesson.”[1]
In other words, a believer doesn’t have any business in an alliance with ungodly politicians. Obviously, there are times when there is not much choice on the ballot. Sometimes it’s a choice between the lesser of two evils, but usually, there is a choice between someone who has the potential to do more good than harm and someone who has the potential to do more harm than good. And the consequences are enormous when we vote people into places of leadership. Proverbs 29:2 says: “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice. When the wicked rule, the people groan.”
So for the sake of America, we need to vote for the candidates who best align with biblical values. Do your best to determine where the candidates stand on issues and how their values align with yours. In our role as Instructors, what a teachable moment for our family and friends to see us vote like that. Thankfully, voter guides are a big help in discerning where candidates stand on issues of concern. Please visit FRC.org/pledge, click on Voter Guides, enter your address, download, and print to take them with you. In your role as Instructor, share voter guides with your family and friends. Ask permission to hand them out at your church. That way, Christians can look past the slick commercials, proud promises, and flowery rhetoric and see the record of how these people voted and where they stand on the values we care about. Then we can pray, seek the Lord’s wisdom, and vote, making our “alliance” with the candidate who best matches up with our biblical values.
Take a look back on the politicians you have voted for in the past. How did their policies line up with biblical values? Have you made some “unholy alliances”? How can you change that going forward as you vote?
How can you use voting as a teachable moment for your family and friends? Have you considered handing out voter guides that take into account your values as a believer?
Ask God for wisdom and discernment when it comes to making alliances, especially with candidates for office when voting.
[1] Henry P. Johnston, ed., The Correspondence and Public Papers of John Jay, 4 vols., (New York: G.P Putnam & Sons, 1893) 4:393.