GOOD POWER & BAD
1 Samuel 8:1-9
Acts 1:1-8
"Listen to the
voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected
you, but they have rejected me from being king over them."
"You
will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you."
The history of humanity can be described as the story of the
struggle for power, a struggle waged by individuals and nations who sought to
be powerful, became powerful, and what power did to them. It is the story of kings, princes, presidents
and empires; it is also the story of business magnates, prelates, and media
moguls. As we read that history we soon
discover that there is good power and bad power, just as we have learnt that there
is good cholesterol and bad coexisting in our bodies. Good power changes the world for the better,
it enables life, seeks justice, builds community. Bad power is corrupt, self-serving and
destructive. The story of the conflict
between good and bad power is central to the biblical narrative whether we read
about kings and prophets, or about the followers of Jesus who received the power of
the Spirit at Pentecost and began to change the world by witnessing to God's
kingdom. The story that threads through
the Bible is all about the contest between the powers of this world and the power
of the king who became the suffering servant in order to redeem the world and
empower with his Spirit those who work for the common good.
Let me remind you that Israel did not have a king before King
Saul and King David,. It had judges,
like Samuel, who exercised authority on behalf of God and the people. The judges did not have absolute power like
the kings of the nations surrounding Israel, something perceived as a weakness
by the Israelites and other nations.
When things went wrong, when war broke out, when foreigners and aliens
got out of hand, when the economy slumped, the people wanted a strong leader
who could make Israel great again, protect its borders, and stand up to its enemies. Samuel exercised good and wise leadership but
when he grew old, and when his sons failed to follow in his footsteps as good
judges, the elders of Israel came to Samuel and demanded a king to govern them
like those of other nations. Samuel was
bothered by this demand because he knew how easy it was for power to become
corrupt, and how easy it would be for Israel to forsake God if they elected a
king who ruled like other kings. So
Samuel asked God for his guidance.
Remarkably, God told Samuel to listen to the voice of the people. Let them have a king if they want one, but
warn them about the dangers involved, tell them that their king should reign according
to God's justice and mercy.
The story of what happened is told in the books of the Kings
in the OT. Time and again a king would
be enthroned, and while he might rule wisely and well to begin with, the time
invariably came when power began to corrupt. That is why prophets arose in Israel to warn
the kings and the people that the path they were on would lead to disaster. There were some good kings, but most thought
they could do as they pleased using all the resources of the land for their own
enrichment. The story is universal, it
is written into the history of the nations, and continues to play itself out in
our own day and our own country. The
attempt by present-day presidents to grasp hold of power is not different from
that of kings in previous times, and the rise of dictatorships is the same as
the rise of absolute monarchies in the past.
And people want strong leadership in times of uncertainty and
change. Give us a king they shout to
rule over us. A nation is then fortunate
if it still has wise judges and courageous prophets who have not been captured by the
state, judges and prophets who insist that no one can have all the power without
becoming corrupt and without the nation suffering. This is the story of the book of Judges and
the two books of Kings in the OT. But it
is also a story that has been written again and again, and is being written
even now as I speak.
But notice this: power is not the problem. Power is necessary. A country cannot function well if there is no
power invested in its leaders. The
problem is not power, but power-hungry and greedy rulers. So what is true or
good power? The message of the prophets
is that God does not exercise power like a dictator. God is a God of justice and his power is
exercised in mercy and compassion. This
is the power of the Holy Spirit who speaks through the prophets and is at work
in Jesus who came to proclaim good news to the poor and liberty to
captives. This is the power given to the disciples at Pentecost to
continue Jesus' ministry. It is a power
motivated by love and service, compassion and justice.
The power of God's Spirit is not, as many people assume, some
kind of religious power that has to do solely with the church and human piety,
the Spirit whose gifts are confined to speaking in tongues and performing miracles.
The power of God's Spirit is at work in the world enabling rulers to rule
wisely, enabling prophets to speak truth to power; enabling people to work for
justice and serve their communities with compassion. The power of the Spirit is given to the
disciples of Jesus not just for their own spiritual benefit but for the common
good, for the sake of God's ministry of reconciliation and peace. The power of the Spirit is the power that
enables people to live according to the values of God's kingdom in the life of
the world. This power, the power of the
Spirit of Jesus, is the power without which we as Christians cannot fulfil our
calling to seek first God's kingdom in order that the world might be saved.
John de Gruchy
Volmoed 1 September
2016
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