WK 49 CHOOSING OUR NATIONAL LEADERS: WHAT ARE THE ISSUES

CHOOSING OUR NATIONAL LEADERS – WHAT ARE THE ISSUES

KEY VERSE: The God of Israel spoke, the Rock of Israel said to me: ‘When one rules over men in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of God, 4 he is like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning, like the brightness after rain that brings the grass from the earth. 2 Samuel 23:3,4.

SCRIPTURE LESSON: 1KING 15:11-15; 16:23-26
1KING 15:11 Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as his father David had done.
12 He expelled the male shrine prostitutes from the land and got rid of all the idols his fathers had made.
13 He even deposed his grandmother Maacah from her positions as queen mother, because she had made a repulsive Asherah pole. Asa cut the pole down and burned it in the Kidron Valley.
14 Although he did not remove the high places, Asa’s heart was fully committed to the Lord all his life.
15 He brought into the temple of the Lord the silver and gold and the articles that he and his father had dedicated.

1 KINGS 16:23 In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned twelve years, six of them in Tirzah.
24 He bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents 1 of silver and built a city on the hill, calling it Samaria, after Shemer, the name of the former owner of the hill.
25 But Omri did evil in the eyes of the Lord and sinned more than all those before him.

26 He walked in all the ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat and in his sin, which he had caused Israel to commit, so that they provoked the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger by their worthless idols.


INTRODUCTION
Last week, we looked at our Christian responsibility to participate in the forthcoming elections by voting ourselves and being vigilant to ensure free and fair elections.

This week, we examine the issues that should guide us in the choices we make in voting for our presidential and parliamentary candidates.

EXPOSITION
David and Jeroboam compared

The two scriptural passages chosen are commentaries on the reign of two kings – King Asa of Judah and King Omri of Israel.

In assessing the reigns of the kings, the historian always had two standards with which they were compared. The following two phrases are used depending on the performance of the king:
“he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord as his father David had done”
OR
“he did evil in the eyes of the Lord, walking in the ways of Jeroboam and in his sin,
which he had caused Israel to commit.”

The important thing here is that, there was a yardstick with which the performance of the kings was measured.

The David Standard
Why was David the standard for the good kings? In assessing King David, the historian
Wrote,
“For David had done what was right in the eyes of the Lord and had not failed to keep
any of the Lord’s commands all the days of his life – except in the case of Uriah the
Hittite” (1Ks. 15:5)
David’s failings are not covered up, but his overall performance especially in relation to his personal relationship to God and his obedience to God’s commands were worth emulating.

Before he died, David spoke about how we can assess good leadership, as recorded in 2 Samuel 23:3-4, (our key verse) Two issues raised:
i. Did the leader rule in righteousness and in the fear of God
ii. Did the leader help the people to realize their potential?

The Jeroboam Standard
Why was Jeroboam the standard for the bad kings? Jeroboam was a very crafty politician who thought that in order to outwit his competitors or the rulers in Jerusalem, he must set up two golden calves in Bethel and Dan so that the people will no longer have to go down to Jerusalem to worship God there. This move was politically wise, but it became a sin, as the first commandment which says only God must be worshiped was broken (1Ki 12:25-33). Therefore any king who went off from the law of God was compared to king Jeroboam.

Ghana is a secular state, but as Christians we must have standards in assessing the political parties and the candidates. The Church cannot and should not give an endorsement to any political party or candidate. But as individual Christians we can find out if they follow the Davidic or Jeroboam standard.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
7. The David standard shows that there cannot be any politician without some failings, but what must we look for beyond these failings in our parties and candidates.
8. Jeroboam made a very wise move which enabled him to control the people overshadowed all his achievements. How do we identify and avoid the Jeroboam type of leader?
9. Why are democratic elections a better way to change leaders than uprisings or coups d’etat?
10. Some political parties consider certain parts of the country as their “World Bank”. Why is it wrong to vote on the basis of ethnicity?
c. What are the other considerations which guide Ghanaians in their voting patterns? How good and useful are these considerations?
d. Do you think morality should be one of such considerations?
11. Read Proverbs 16:33 – In the light of the passage, why is it wrong and even a sin for a Christian not to vote n democratic elections? In other words, why is apathy towards elections a sin?
12. Rehoboam is said to have failed to prove himself as a leader on the following issues;
 Servant Leadership
 Ability to connect or relate to the concerns of the people
 Being an agent of change
 Being proactive rather than reactive
How relevant are these issues in choosing National Leaders in Ghana?

BIBLE LESSON APPLICATION
c. as the electioneering or campaigning goes on assess the candidates on what they stand for, pray for God’s guidance to give us the right leaders and when the time comes, go out and vote as your Christian responsibility.
d. Discuss the insights of today’s lesson with a non-Methodist Christian and share the results with your group.

DAILY BIBLE READINGS
Monday Joshua 1:10-18 Duty of citizens to new leaders
Tuesday Nehemiah 5:1-13 Rights of citizens
Wednesday Jeremiah 29:1-9 Exiles to subject themselves to government
Thursday 1 Samuel 12:13-15 Citizens’ responsibility
Friday Daniel 3:1-30 Civil disobedience
Saturday Luke 20:21-25 Paying Taxes
Sunday 1 Peter 2:13-17 Christian citizenship