What do people generally not accept at all but that they are
wishing so much once it has disappeared?
AUTHORITY, yes, the authority that people hate and seek to destroy,
but as soon as they have succeeded, they have only one haste, it is to set up a
new authority to which they will submit also naturally!
We are living in a time during which
people are taught how to have authority; these teachings are delivered during
seminars, conferences or by books. According to these teachings, authority is
easy to access for everybody!
This kind of teachings is very
successful because people often want to dominate and have authority.
On the opposite, let's notice that very
few teachings are given to learn to be a good and faithful service provider!
Despite all these numerous teachings
about how to get authority over others, most observers agree that there is a
serious crisis of authority in the world, both in politics and business. or family. Today, it is very difficult to find these days
leaders like De Gaulle, Churchill or Adenhauer!
Europe desperately is seeking for valuable
leaders, but such authority is not within the reach of everyone.
Europe has most of the time been since
the end of the Second World War sheltered by a master and a policeman in the
person of the United States. The United States have indeed protected Europe from
the rest of the world. Europe, that increasingly resented the authority of the
United States, is now trying to eliminate it, but as we said above, if the
authority of the United States disappears, Europe will feel in danger and Europe
is looking for a new powerful leader in its terrirories.
Europe is still unaware that it will
soon blindly follow a man with galvanizing power. This man will succeed in
blinding his empire and will seduce his people to the point that he will be
even worshipped like a god claiming even that he is God. But when the European
nations will realize what they have done, it will be like coming out of a
nightmare (Revelation 13: 1-9)!
"
1Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of
the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on
his heads a blasphemous name. 2 Now the beast which I saw was like a
leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of
a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. 3
And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly
wound was healed. And all the world marveled and
followed the beast. 4 So they worshiped the dragon who gave
authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the
beast? Who is able to make war with him?”
5 And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies,
and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. 6 Then
he opened his mouth in blasphemy against Elohim, to blaspheme His name, His
tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. 7 It was granted to him
to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him
over every tribe, tongue, and nation. 8 All who dwell on the
earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life
of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
9 IF ANYONE HAS AN EAR, LET HIM HEAR."
Believers should understand in time why
this kind of authority is bad and how to escape from it so as not to be seduced
by it.
All the events described in this part
of the book of Revelation of John will find their origin from the
authority that has been given to the beast! This kind of authority is a
real danger for us if we let ourselves be seduced by a
lack of knowledge. We must not go too far if we remember what happened to a
large majority of Germans during the reign of Hitler.
So if we possess the necessary
knowledge and make use of it, then with the help of Elohim, our Creator, we are
expected to avoid THE SKIPPINGS ON WHICH THIS WORLD WILL IRREMEDIABLY STUMBLE.
What is
authority?
Many names are frequently used to define
authority, it is about POWER, RESPONSIBILITY, FUNCTION
OR EVEN BEHAVIOUR:
Power limits of people, responsibilities
of Heads of States, the exercise of the function and behavior during action
execution are describing forms of authority.
In the word authority exist the notions of an order given by someone (the
authority) and the way in which this order is executed (submission). It is
important to observe from now on that the one who gives the order and the one
who executes it can be possibly the same person: this means SELF-CONTROL.
The Christian is an example of self-control because he freely sets a discipline
of life and he tries to follow it!
Different types
of authority
The world has tried several types of
authority:
• Autocracy or dictatorship
is the system in which one man is in charge and often by threatening his people.
Elohim condemns this last case of dictatorship:
" And you, masters,
do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that your own Master
also is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him."
(Ephesians 6: 9)
• A second form of authority is the
one most of us have the privilege to enjoy to some extent, I mean democracy;
in this system, a group of elected people gets the leadership for a period of
time and should reflect the good or bad ideas of their population.
• Anarchy is an uncommon form
of power where everyone
is his own leader. This kind of authority if it has existed once is expected to
generate chaos.
Whatever the power systems in the worldusually, the goal of leaders in charge is to turn a
subordinate into a fanatically devoted collaborator and to achieve this, people will try to be admired by those who are under
them. An extreme case is to pretend to be a god as was the case for Nimrod,
Nebuchadnezzar, Alexander the Great, Augustus, Louis XIV or Hitler.
A fundamental
difference separates the Christian from the world:
The Christian
does not try to make himself admired by those around him, but on the contrary, he
is seeking to love not only his friends but also all the others without any distinction,
even his enemies!
"43
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your
enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love
your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and
pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that
you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil
and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46
For if you love those who love you, what reward have
you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet
your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax
collectors do so? 48 Therefore YOU SHALL BE PERFECT, JUST AS YOUR
FATHER IN HEAVEN IS PERFECT.” (Matthew 5: 43-48)
We see that LOVE for Elohim and
his neighbor is the corner stone of authority as conceived by our Creator.
Authority
according to Elohim.
Here is how authority can be defined
according to the concept of Elohim:
Authority is a
service of taking responsibility for a project entrusted to us by
Elohim's will; this project should be done till its complete achievement!
Jesus-Christ used the power he had received
during all his life on earth according to the mission given to him by his
Father:
" 17 “Therefore
My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. 18
No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself.
I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I
have received from My Father.” (John 10: 17-18)
And Jesus conducted his mission till
its very end, leaving us an example to follow:
" So when Jesus had
received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head,
He gave up His spirit.” (John 19:30)
• Authority and power, contrary to
what people simply believe, is not only to give orders without being
responsible for them, but also to take the initiative of a mission proposed to
us and accepted by us.
• We do not take power, but we
receive it from Elohim and we become responsible to Elohim.
• Once a mission is accepted, we
must make all the necessary decisions that flow from it, undertake action-plan
by training those who agree to follow us and give them the necessary teachings
we have received from Elohim reveals. This is what the two witnesses mentioned
in the book of Revelation will do when Elohim gives them power (Revelation 11:
3-12):
" 3 And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy
one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.” 4
These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the Elohim
of the earth. 5 And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from
their mouth and devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them, he
must be killed in this manner. 6 These have
power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and
they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with
all plagues, as often as they desire.
7 When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of
the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them. 8
And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which
spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. 9
Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead
bodies to be put into graves. 10 And those who dwell on the earth
will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one another, because
these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.
11 Now after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from Elohim
entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who
saw them. 12 And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them,
“Come up here.” And they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw
them. "
The origin
of the authority.
The two witnesses whose story we
have just read have received their power from Elohim and they have not usurped
it.
Jesus-Christ clearly states that all
power is given by Elohim, our Father and the Elohim of heaven entrusts power to
both Jesus and men (John 19: 7-11):
" 7 The Jews
answered him, “We have a law, and according to our law He ought to die, because
He made Himself the Son of Elohim.” 8 Therefore, when Pilate heard
that saying, he was the more afraid, 9 and went again into the Praetorium, and said to Jesus, “Where are You from?” But Jesus gave him no answer.10 Then
Pilate said to Him, “Are You not speaking to me? Do You
not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?” 11
Jesus answered, “You could have no power at all against Me
unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”
Paul confirms the teaching of Jesus (Romans
13: 1):
" Let every soul be
subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from Elohim,
and the authorities that exist are appointed by Elohim."
This knowledge is crucial because we
must at all times give respect to the will of Elohim
and never despise or criticize His will at risk otherwise to rebel!
Let us also note that Paul does not
say that what the people in power do is in accordance with Elohim's will but
rather that the responsibility entrusted to them comes from our Lord. They are
therefore responsible for what they do.
Nebuchadnezzar learned this lesson
very dramatically (Daniel 4: 9-19):
" 9 “Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that
the Spirit of the Holy Elohim is in you, and no secret troubles you, explain to
me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and its interpretation.
10 “These were the visions of my head while on my bed: I was looking,
and behold,
A tree in the midst of the earth, and
its height was great. 11 The tree grew and became strong; Its height reached to the heavens, and it could be seen to
the ends of all the earth. 12 Its leaves were lovely, its fruit
abundant, and in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under
it, the birds of the heavens dwelt in its branches, and all flesh was fed from
it.
13 “I saw in the visions of my head while on my bed, and there was a
watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven. 14 He cried aloud and
said thus:
‘Chop down the tree and cut off its
branches, strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit.
Let the beasts get out from under
it, and the birds from its branches.
15 Nevertheless leave the stump and roots in the earth, bound with a
band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field. Let it be wet with
the dew of heaven, and let him graze with the beasts on the grass of the earth.
16 Let his heart be changed from that of a man, let him be given the
heart of a beast, and let seven times pass over him.
17 ‘This decision is by the decree of the watchers, and the sentence
by the word of the holy ones, in order that the living may know that the
Most High rules in the kingdom of men, gives it to whomever He will, and sets
over it the lowest of men.’
18 “This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now you, Belteshazzar, declare its interpretation, since all the
wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation; but
you are able, for the Spirit of the Holy Elohim is in you.”
19 Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar,
was astonished for a time, and his thoughts troubled him. So the king spoke,
and said, “Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its
interpretation trouble you.
Belteshazzar answered and said, “My lord, may the
dream concern those who hate you, and its interpretation concern your enemies!"
Now think about the behavior of
Daniel, despite his particularly delicate situation because as he is speaking
to the most eminent and powerful man on earth, he will obey to the king even if
he will displease him and risk his life!
But let's continue the reading and
see what will happen to this supreme leader (Daniel 4: 20-29):
" 20 “The tree that
you saw, which grew and became strong, whose height reached to the heavens and
which could be seen by all the earth, 21 whose leaves were lovely
and its fruit abundant, in which was food for all, under which the beasts of
the field dwelt, and in whose branches the birds of the heaven had their home—
22 it is you, O king, who have grown and become strong; for your
greatness has grown and reaches to the heavens, and your dominion to the end of
the earth.
23 “And inasmuch as the king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down
from heaven and saying, ‘Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave its stump
and roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze in the tender
grass of the field; let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let him graze
with the beasts of the field, till seven [e]times pass over him’; 24
this is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High,
which has come upon my lord the king: 25 They shall drive you from
men, your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make
you eat grass like oxen. They shall wet you with the dew of heaven, and seven
times shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules in the
kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses.
26 “And inasmuch as they gave the command to leave the stump and
roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be assured to you, after you come to know
that Heaven rules. 27
Therefore, O king, let my advice be acceptable to you; break off your sins by
being righteous, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. Perhaps
there may be a lengthening of your prosperity.”
28 All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. 29 At the end
of the twelve months he was walking about the royal palace of Babylon.
How to behave in front of authority?
The believer is facing two simultaneous
positions, in one, he is the leader and in the seond,
he is the servant. Even if he is alone, he has authority over himself!
What are the basic features of the
attitude one must have in both cases? Our best illustration comes from Jesus,
our Lord (Hebrews 5: 7-10):
"7 who, in the days
of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement
cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard
because of His godly fear, 8 though
He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. 9 And having been perfected, He became the author of
eternal salvation to all who obey Him, 10 called by Elohim as High
Priest “according to the order of Melchizedek,”
Jesus Christ first of all learned to
obey, to submit himself to the authorities, both that of man and that of his
Father! So we have also to start
BY SUBMITTING OURSELVES!
And here we have a lot to learn
because we have the unfortunate tendency to always believe that only our way of
thinking is good and certainly better than those of others even when they have
been given responsibilities. This attitude is valid in our professional life or
in our private life. Does that mean we have to submit to anyone and on
anything? Of course not!
When something is apparently imposed
upon us, there is a whole process to be done before making our free choice or
decision. We must ask ourselves a series of questions and provide the answers
that will dictate our conduct, a conduct that conforms to the will of our
Father.
The first question is relative to
our position vis-à-vis the one who orders us: "Have I received authority
to judge or criticize, or even refuse the order given to me? Am I entitled to
act against a superior? "
If the answer is no, then one must
submit in TRUTH, following the examples left by David (I Samuel 24:
1-13):
“ 1Now it happened,
when Saul had returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him,
saying, “Take note! David is in the Wilderness of En Gedi.” 2 Then Saul took three thousand chosen
men from all Israel, and went to seek David and his men on the Rocks of the
Wild Goats. 3 So he came to the sheepfolds by the road, where there
was a cave; and Saul went in to attend to his needs. (David and his men were
staying in the recesses of the cave.) 4 Then the men of David said
to him, “This is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold, I will deliver
your enemy into your hand, that you may do to him as
it seems good to you.’ ” And David arose and secretly cut off a corner of
Saul’s robe. 5 Now it happened afterward that David’s heart troubled
him because he had cut Saul’s robe. 6 And he said to his men, “Yehoah forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the
Yehoah’s anointed, to stretch out my hand against
him, seeing he is the anointed of Yehoah.” 7
So David restrained his servants with these words, and did not allow them to
rise against Saul. And Saul got up from the cave and went on his way.
8 David also arose afterward, went out of the cave, and called out
to Saul, saying, “My lord the king!” And when Saul looked behind him, David
stooped with his face to the earth, and bowed down. 9 And David said
to Saul: “Why do you listen to the words of men who say, ‘Indeed David seeks
your harm’? 10 Look, this day your eyes have seen that Yehoah delivered you today into my hand in the cave, and
someone urged me to kill you. But my eye spared you, and I said, ‘I will not
stretch out my hand against my lord, for he is Yehoah’s
anointed.’ 11 Moreover, my father, see! Yes, see the corner of your
robe in my hand! For in that I cut off the corner of your robe, and did not
kill you, know and see that there is neither evil nor rebellion in my hand, and
I have not sinned against you. Yet you hunt my life to take it. 12
Let Yehoah judge between you and me, and let Yehoah avenge me on you. But my hand shall not be against
you. 13 As the proverb of the ancients says, ‘Wickedness proceeds
from the wicked.’ But my hand shall not be against you."
This is the exemplary conduct that
David had. He respected the man who wanted to kill him many times because David
knows that Yehoah is the only judge in this case. So,
he submitted to Saul, his Kimg.
Reading what follows, we will see
this way of doing is not an isolated case (I Samuel 26: 7-10 and 19-20):
" 7 So David and Abishai came to the people by night; and there Saul lay
sleeping within the camp, with his spear stuck in the ground by his head. And
Abner and the people lay all around him. 8 Then Abishai
said to David, “Elohim has delivered your enemy into your hand this day. Now
therefore, please, let me strike him at once with the spear, right to the
earth; and I will not have to strike him a second time!” 9 But David
said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him; for who can
stretch out his hand against Yehoah’s anointed, and
be guiltless?” 10 David said furthermore, “As Yehoah
lives, Yehoah shall strike him, or his day shall come
to die, or he shall go out to battle and perish.... "
19 For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him get away safely?
Therefore may Yehoah reward you with good for what
you have done to me this day. 20 And now I
know indeed that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall
be established in your hand."
This humble attitude of David has a
profound effect on Saul as can be seen from what is written above.
Saul speaks of success for ALL of
David's businesses.
These events during David's life
show that, even in the extreme case, where an authority set up by Elohim wants
to kill us, the believer must still respect him and have in mind that Elohim ALONE
is judge between both of us!
This attitude was also that of
Daniel with the king of Babylon: he never despised it and did not rebel against
the principle of his kingship.
Similar attitudes are left to us as
examples on the one hand by the Lord Jesus at the time of His execution and on
the other hand by His Jewish people at the time of the Holocaust. The Jewish
people unconsciously associated themselves with their Messiah and Savior by
following his path, already prophesied by Isaiah, in chapter 53, verses 1-10:
" Who has believed
our report? And to whom has the arm of Yehoah been
revealed? 2 For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and
as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him,
There is no beauty that we should desire Him. 3 He is despised and
rejected by men,
A Man of sorrows and acquainted with
grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did
not esteem Him. 4 Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by Elohim, and
afflicted. 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was
bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by
His stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we
have turned, every one, to his own way; and Yehoah
has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed and He
was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the
slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His
mouth. 8 He was taken from prison and from judgment, and who will
declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the
transgressions of My people He was stricken. 9
And they made His grave with the wicked— But with the
rich at His death, because He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His
mouth.
10 Yet it pleased Yehoah to bruise Him; He
has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an
offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the
pleasure of Yehoah shall prosper in His hand. "
Let Jude encourage us forcefully to
have in all circumstances an attitude of respect vis-à-vis all authorities,
verse 8-9:
" 8 Likewise also
these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of
dignitaries. 9 Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the
devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a
reviling accusation, but said, “Yehoah rebuke you!”
Which attitude to
adopt versus the orders of authority?
To have an attitude of respect
towards authorities does not mean that we must blindly fulfill all the desires
and orders from them!
So we come automatically to the
second question to ask about our relationship with an authority:
If
an authority or somebody in charge requires from us something that goes or does
not go against the will of our Creator or His commandments?
Answering this question is vital and
it is here that our carnal nature represents for us a great danger!
Indeed, the question is not to know
if what we are asked is in accordance with our taste and our wishes. What is important
is not to act against Elohim's will. If what we are asked to do does not break
the commandments of Elohim, then without delay and with maximum zeal, we must
take action to accomplish that in the smallest details; it is necessary even as
far as possible to go beyond the demand.
Let's take the extreme example of Jesus
Christ's when he is facing death: Do you believe that Jesus, our Savior, had in
his carnal nature the desire to die?
Let's read how he begs his Father to
avoid this extreme issue in Matthew 26: 39 and 42:
" 39 He went a
little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is
possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless,
not as I will, but as You will.”
40 Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to
Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? 41
Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing,
but the flesh is weak.”
42 Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father,
if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink
it, Your will be done.”
Jesus, having well understood what the
will of his Father is, is going promptly to meet those who are looking after
him to kill him.
By analogy, almost two thousand
years ago, Abraham certainly did not want to kill his son Isaac, and yet he,
too, took the road to sacrifice him and to obey his Lord.
Often, we place too much importance
on the way an order is given to us, we look at the
packaging rather than the content! When those who have power over us act in an
unpleasant and bruising way to tell us what they want us to do, then we often
let our carnal nature make reasoning that drives us to rebellion against
authority.
How would we have responded to
Nehemiah's arrangements to keep the Sabbath in Jerusalem? Let's read how it
happened in Nehemiah 13: 15-22:
"15 In those days I
saw people in Judah treading winepresses on the Sabbath, and bringing in
sheaves, and loading donkeys with wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of burdens,
which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. And I warned them about
the day on which they were selling provisions. 16 Men of Tyre dwelt there also, who brought in fish and all kinds of
goods, and sold them on the Sabbath to the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem.
17 Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said to them, “What
evil thing is this that you do, by which you profane the Sabbath day? 18
Did not your fathers do thus, and did not our God
bring all this disaster on us and on this city? Yet you bring added wrath on
Israel by profaning the Sabbath.”
19 So it was, at the gates of Jerusalem, as it began to be dark
before the Sabbath, that I commanded the gates to be shut, and charged that
they must not be opened till after the Sabbath. Then I posted some of my
servants at the gates, so that no burdens would be brought in on the Sabbath
day. 20 Now the merchants and sellers of all kinds of wares lodged
outside Jerusalem once or twice.
21 Then I warned them, and said to them, “Why do you spend the night
around the wall? If you do so again, I will lay hands on you!” From that time
on they came no more on the Sabbath. 22 And I commanded the Levites
that they should cleanse themselves, and that they should go and guard the
gates, to sanctify the Sabbath day. Remember me, O my Elohim, concerning this
also, and spare me according to the greatness of Your
mercy! "
Nehemiah is shocked to see the
scandalous manner with which people are trying to break the Sabbath of his
Elohim. Nehemiah is governor and therefore has responsibilities toward Elohim.
It is for this reason that he will decide to close the doors before the Sabbath
to put an end to the trading activities of foreigners and the works associated
with it like transportation of heavy goods during the holy day of rest. If you
had lived in Nehemiah's day, would you have opposed his decision claiming for
instance that it is not precisely written in the Bible that the gates of the
city must be closed during the Sabbath? Would you have claimed to want to be
free to come in and out of Jerusalem even on the Sabbath? Or would you have
accepted Nehemiah’s decision taken as a mark of his love for Elohim.
Today, we are faced with many
similar situations where an authority set up by Elohim makes decisions about
the Highway traffic rules, taxes, behavior in public places. Similarly, the
head of a family also makes decisions for everything that happens in the
family. All these decisions may please or not please, but to the extent that
they are not contrary to an instruction of Yehoah, we
must try to submit to them heartily: we show in this that we love and respect
the person who has authority over us and we also show Elohim that we are putting
our carnal nature in second position because we love for Him. We have seen
above that Jesus has also put his love for His Father on top by accepting to be
executed!
Peter shows us as examples women, in
his first letter, in chapter 3, verses 1 and 2:
" 1Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if
some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of
their wives, 2 when they observe your chaste conduct
accompanied by fear. "
Paul is still much more precise and
he warns us in Romans 13: 1-7 against the temptation we could have to refuse submission
to decision of authorities and consequently acts of rebellion against Elohim
that might follow:
" 1Let every soul be
subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from Elohim,
and the authorities that exist are appointed by Elohim. 2 Therefore
whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of Elohim,
and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you
want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise
from the same. 4 For he is Elohim’s minister to you for good. But if
you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is Elohim’s
minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. 5 Therefore you must be subject, not only because of
wrath but also for conscience’ sake. 6 For because of this
you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually to this
very thing. 7 Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes
are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor."
We remind you that what is written
above has value only if all we are asked to do is not in opposition to the law
of Elohim.
So after having thus learned
humility by submitting ourselves to any authorities, we can now begin to learn
how to exercise authority!
But what is the
Authority?
Have you ever thought about
authority, how can you define it? Here is a very simple definition: The
authority consists in the following:
KNOW HOW TO MAKE A DECISION FOR YOURSELF AND FOR THOSE WHO DEPEND
ON US.
Well-applied authority leads to the
success of the enterprise, both for those who exercise authority and for those
who collaborate with it. This was for example often the case of King David.
To exercise authority does not mean make
decisions lightly and upside down because we have the power to do so! To act in
disorder is not according to the taste of Elohim. The decision-making process and
the exercise of power should be done by following a process of counsels
revealed in the Bible.
First of all, we must meditate
and clearly understand all the aspects surrounding a decision we will have to
take to measure all the consequences.
After this stage of meditation, it
is advisable to be humble and make the effort to take advice from those
around us, without any consideration of people: we must be able to consult
equally those with whom we get along well as well as those with whom we have
fewer hooked atoms. Good advice can sometimes come from the mouth of someone we
mistakenly believe to be our enemy. Josiah paid with his life for not listening
to Pharaoh Neko (II Chronicles 35: 20-24).
Read also the book of Proverbs,
chapter 15, verse 22:
" Without counsel, plans
go awry, but in the multitude of counselors they are established."
Let's read again in this same book,
chapter 11, verse 14:
" Where there is no
counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counselors there is safety."
You can see that the exercise of authority
does not mean being blindly authoritarian but acting after taking the advice of
as much as possible advisers. The Bible is full of examples of the application
of this precept.
First of all, the
example of Moses in the Sinai desert.
Let's read this story in Exodus 18, verses 12 to 22:
“12 Then Jethro,
Moses’ father-in-law, took a burnt offering and other sacrifices to offer to Elohim.
And Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses’
father-in-law before Elohim.
13 And so it was, on the next day, that Moses sat to judge the
people; and the people stood before Moses from morning until evening. 14
So when Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he did for the people, he said, “What
is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit, and all
the people stand before you from morning until evening?”
15 And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to
me to inquire of Elohim. 16 When they have a difficulty, they come
to me, and I judge between one and another; and I make known the statutes of Elohim
and His laws.”
17 So Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “The thing that you do is not
good. 18 Both you and these people who are with you will surely wear
yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you; you are not able to perform
it by yourself. 19 Listen now to my voice; I will give you counsel, and Elohim will be with you: Stand before Elohim
for the people, so that you may bring the difficulties to Elohim. 20
And you shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and show them the way in
which they must walk and the work they must do. 21 Moreover you
shall select from all the people able men, such as fear Elohim, men of truth,
hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers
of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. 22 And let them
judge the people at all times. Then it will be that every great matter they
shall bring to you, but every small matter they themselves shall judge. So it
will be easier for you, for they will bear the burden with you."
Hezekiah also took advice into
account before making very important decisions. Let's read his example in II
Chronicles 30, verses 1 to 5 and 26:
“ 1And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and also wrote letters to
Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of Yehoah
at Jerusalem, to keep the Passover to Yehoah Elohim
of Israel. 2 For the king and his leaders and all the assembly in
Jerusalem had agreed to keep the Passover in the second month. 3 For
they could not keep it at the regular time, because a sufficient number of
priests had not consecrated themselves, nor had the people gathered together at
Jerusalem. 4 And the matter pleased the king and all the assembly. 5
So they resolved to make a proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba
to Dan, that they should come to keep the Passover to Yehoah
Elohim of Israel at Jerusalem, since they had not done it for a long time in
the prescribed manner....
26 So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time of Solomon
the son of David, king of Israel, there had been nothing like this in
Jerusalem."
The consequence of this exemplary
attitude of Hezekiah with regard to his way of worshiping and obedience of the
law is summed up a little bit later, in chapter 31, verse 21:
" And in every work
that he began in the service of the house of Elohim, in the law and in the
commandment, to seek his Elohim, he did it with all his heart. So he
prospered."
The New Covenant texts are also a
mine of good advice for believers. Paul has done much to help local church
members to take good decisions. These counsels are reaching us at the end of
the centuries to help us make the right choices if circumstances similar to
those of the cruel persecution of his time are coming again today. Let's read
for example Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, chapter 7, verses 1 and 25
to 28:
"1 Now concerning the things of which you wrote to me: It is good for
a man not to touch a woman....
25 Now concerning virgins: I have no commandment from Yehoah; yet I give judgment as one whom Yehoah
in His mercy has made trustworthy. 26 I suppose therefore that this
is good because of the present distress—that it is good for a man to remain as
he is: 27 Are you bound to a wife? Do not
seek to be loosed. Are you loosed from a wife? Do not seek a wife. 28
But even if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has
not sinned. Nevertheless such will have trouble in the flesh, but I would spare
you. "
The process of decision making and
the exercise of authority is not over yet! After
taking all the advice from those around us, we must still consult our Father
with prayer and ask him to accept to guide us in our decision-making.
David left us a very good example on
this subject in I Samuel, chapter 30, verses 1 to 2 and 5 to 8:
“ 1Now it happened, when David and his men came to Ziklag,
on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the South and Ziklag, attacked Ziklag and
burned it with fire, 2 and had taken captive the women and those who
were there, from small to great; they did not kill anyone, but carried them
away and went their way....
5 And David’s two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the widow of Nabal
the Carmelite, had been taken captive. 6 Now David was greatly
distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the
people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David
strengthened himself in the Yehoah his Elohim.
7 Then David said to Abiathar the priest,
Ahimelech’s son, “Please bring the ephod here to me.” And Abiathar
brought the ephod to David. 8 So David inquired of Yehoah, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I
overtake them?”
And He answered him, “Pursue, for
you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.”.
Now let us have a look at the last step in the process of
decision-making, the action!
Once Elohim's response is received
and there is no longer any doubt, action must be taken. But beware,
Elohim does not tolerate any delay nor more hesitations, it is necessary to
take action quickly, with zeal and to know how to go to the end in all
circumstances. The rest of the story of this episode in David's life
illustrates this particularly well. Let's read the rest of the story in verses
9, 10 and 17:
“ 9 So David went,
he and the six hundred men who were with him, and came to the Brook Besor, where those stayed who were left behind. 10
But David pursued, he and four hundred men; for two hundred stayed behind, who
were so weary that they could not cross the Brook Besor....
17 Then David attacked them from twilight until the evening of the
next day. Not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode on
camels and fled. "
David went to the end of the chase
and was not swayed by discouragement! It was a complete and miraculous success.
After these good examples of David's
attitude, let's have a look at a bad example that is recounted in Elohim's Word
for our teaching. Here David has misapplied his authority,
he has not meditated before acting. He did not take any advice before making
his decision. He did not even consult Elohim as he had done so well in the
passage above!
Let's read this nightmarish event in
II Samuel 11, first verses 2 to 4:
“2 Then it
happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of
the king’s house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was
very beautiful to behold. 3 So David sent and inquired about the
woman. And someone said, “Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” 4 Then
David sent messengers, and took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her,
for she was cleansed from her impurity; and she returned to her house."
Let's continue the story and see
again that David will still give orders without meditation, without calling on
counselors or praying to Elohim:
" 5 And the woman
conceived; so she sent and told David, and said, “I am with child.” 6
Then David sent to Joab, saying, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” And Joab sent
Uriah to David."
Uriah, out of respect for his men
who are in the battlefied, refuses to enjoy his home
contrary to what David wanted and Uriah therefore has no relationship with his
beautiful wife, which could have led to believe that the child to be born is of
him. So David puts an horrible end to his abuse of
power by having his faithful general assassinated in an ignoble manner, as we
read in verses 14 and 15:
“14 In the morning
it happened that David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah.
15 And he wrote in the letter, saying, “Set Uriah in the forefront
of the hottest battle, and retreat from him, that he may be struck down and
die.”
The sad result of this misuse of
authority is not only the death of Uriah but also that of the son resulting
from his rape of Bath-Sheva!
David has misused the power that
Elohim confided to him, and it ended in failure, the consequences of which he
paid heavily later, as we read in chapter 12, verses 9 to 12:
" 9 Why have you despised the commandment of Yehoah,
to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you
have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the
people of Ammon. 10 Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from
your house, because you have despised Me, and have
taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ 11 Thus says Yehoah: ‘Behold, I will raise up
adversity against you from your own house; and I will take your wives before
your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in
the sight of this sun. 12 For you did it
secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, before the sun.’ "
Exercise
authority but in its limits!
We must not flee our authority but
make a wise use of it. But as great as our authority is, we must always know its
limit.
Moses had received from Yehoah the mission to bring the people of Israel out of
Egypt and lead them to the Promised Land. The authority of
Moses was extremely great, but yet, observe how he knew not to go beyong its limits by reading Numbers 20, verses 14, 17 to
18, and finally 21-22:
" 14 Now Moses sent
messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom. “Thus says your brother Israel:
‘You know all the hardship that has befallen us,...
17 Please let us pass through your country. We will not pass through
fields or vineyards, nor will we drink water from wells; we will go along the
King’s Highway; we will not turn aside to the right hand or to the left until
we have passed through your territory.’ ”
18 Then Edom said to him, “You shall not pass through my land, lest I
come out against you with the sword.”...
21 Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his territory; so
Israel turned away from him. 22 Now the children of Israel, the
whole congregation, journeyed from Kadesh and came to Mount Hor."
Yehoah did not allow Israel to enter the territory of Edom. Moses also
knew that only Yehoah has the authority to judge Edom
for this bad attitude at that time. We must always bear in mind that exercising
authority outside the domain entrusted to us by Elohim always ends badly. It is
enough to re-read what happened to Mary and Aaron when they wanted to usurp the
power that Yehoah entrusted to Moses!
But I suggest you read the most
dramatic example in the story of which Isaiah speaks, chapter 14, verses 12-14:
" 12 “How you are
fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the
ground, You who weakened the nations! 13 For
you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne
above the stars of Elohim; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on
the farthest sides of the north; 14 I will
ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.”
And the dramatic consequence of this
rebellion of Satan is described in chapter 20 of the book of Revelation, verse
10:
" The devil, who
deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and
the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and
ever."
A key to not derailing authority is
the use of softness as you can read on this website by reading the article on
Sweetness.
First of all: exercise
his authority on yourself!
To learn how to exercise authority, we
must first learn how to exercise it over ourself.
Then, step by step and according to
the understanding we get from our Lord, we have the duty to exercise our
authority over others. But we must set an example by showing humbleness
by not having others doing what we should do ourselves!
To be humble is to be a servant of
Elohim and our neighbor even if the authority entrusted to us is huge, like the
power entrusted to Joseph when he was in charge to rulle
all Egypt in the name of Pharaoh. Despite all his authority, let us read how
humbly he is asking Pharaoh for permission to leave the land to bury his father
Jacob in the land of Canaan (Genesis 50: 4-7):
" 4 Now when the days of his mourning were past, Joseph spoke to the
household of Pharaoh, saying, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, please
speak in the hearing of Pharaoh, saying, 5 ‘My father made me swear,
saying, “Behold, I am dying; in my grave which I dug for myself in the land of
Canaan, there you shall bury me.” Now therefore, please let me go up and bury
my father, and I will come back.’ ”
6 And Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you
swear.”
7 So Joseph went up to bury his father; and with him went up all the
servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of
Egypt,... "
And finally, let's read in I Peter
2: 9-21 the most important reasons why we need to be very careful about
authority:
" 9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy
nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who
called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 who once
were not a people but are now the people of Elohim, who had not obtained mercy
but now have obtained mercy.
11 Beloved, I beg
you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against
the soul, 12 having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that
when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which
they observe, glorify Elohim in the day of visitation.
13 Therefore
submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for Yehoah’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, 14
or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers
and for the praise of those who do good. 15 For this is the will of Elohim,
that by doing good you may put to silence the
ignorance of foolish men— 16 as free, yet not using liberty as a
cloak for vice, but as bondservants of Elohim. 17 Honor all people.
Love the brotherhood. Fear Elohim. Honor the king.
18 Servants, be
submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but
also to the harsh. 19 For this is
commendable, if because of conscience toward Elohim one endures grief,
suffering wrongfully. 20 For what credit is it if, when you are
beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is
commendable before Elohim. 21 For to this you were called, because
Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His
steps. "