So the king did not listen to the people, for this turn of events was from the Lord.
1Kings 12:15
So the general election is over, but we do not have an answer. The people have spoken but who has heard?
The British Parliament has been through some pretty rough storms over the past year. They have all struggled to cope with the sudden world economic recession which no one can honestly say they saw coming. Also even those who have not been judged to have behaved badly in the expenses scandal have been be tarred with the same brush. This is not just the government but all the elected representatives. Things have been pretty bad all round and no one can truly say they have the answers. The outcome is that the British people have basically said ‘we don’t trust any of you’
There are of course those who say ‘they have brought this on themselves’ and I would have to agree with this. They have lost their moral compass and have gone away from Gods teachings. Throughout our history there are men who have achieved great things such as William Wilberforce and Lord Shaftesbury who brought about the abolition of slavery. They lived by Gods standards. This was not the exception but the norm. As such I believe that God blessed this country.
But it seems that over recent years the leaders of this country, whatever their political colour, have turned their back on God and have moved away from the teachings of the Bible. I am not questioning whether or not they are Christians but their following of the basic moral laws the Bible teaches. Although there are some who still stand out as trustworthy, they are considered a few good apples in a rotten barrel. They should have been above reproach but they have broken the moral laws of our society and are suffering because of it.
The Bible gives an example of this in Solomon. When he came to power it was with all the promise of a righteous king. He asked for Gods help to rule wisely and because God recognised this righteous, selfless request he was blessed and the land of Israel with him. But down the line his government went rotten. He stopped following God and started worshipping false idols. God therefore declared he would do something about it and that their would be consequences.
When Solomon died his son Rehoboam came to power and he was given a choice. The people said to him ‘treat us fairly and we will serve you’. His advisers said ‘ If today you will be a servant to them and give them a favourable answer, they will always serve you’ The people asked for change.
But Rehoboam wanted to play the big king and said ‘if you thought my father was tough, wait and see what I will do’. With this rejection the people rebelled, found a new leader and Rehoboam was left with a divided kingdom in which he controlled only one of the twelve tribes.
All of the party leaders are now faced with this dilemma. The people have spoken. They want something different. If they choose to carry on in the same old ways then they will fail. David Cameron seems in danger of this. He wants the Libdem’s to join him and give him power, but only as long as they don’t get in his way on anything he considers important.
Gordon Brown seems to be offering a little more but in the past has proved himself to be inflexible. Therefore he will probably try to make it business as usual.
Nick Clegg is in a difficult position of choosing between two evils.
Let us pray that they will all show the courage to try something new and to return to God. Otherwise we could be in for a very rough time.
