I guess in every age the body of people have had many reasons to speak evil of their rulers. Yet God says in His Law
“You shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler of your people. Exo 22:28 NKJV
According to Strong revile is the word qâlal which means: to be (causatively make) light, literally (swift, small, sharp, etc.) or figuratively (easy, trifling, vile, etc.): – abate, make bright, bring into contempt, (ac-) curse, despise, (be) ease (-y, -ier), (be a, make, make somewhat, move, seem a, set) light (-en, -er, ly, -ly afflict, -ly esteem, thing), X slight [-ly], be swift (-er), (be, be more, make, re-) vile, whet.
When reading that list of synonyms in regard to how we speak about God we may be astonished that anyone would do it. But to revile rulers in that way is accepted by many. Yet rulers or authorities are appointed or ordained by God Himself therefore to revile rulers is the same as if one were reviling God!
Let’s look at a few synonyms and see if the Lord would grant us conviction and repentance?
Make light of a Ruler
Rulers are appointed by God and deserve honour. To make light of them is to insult God.
| synonyms: | play down, downplay, understate, underrate, rate too low, not do justice to, do an injustice to, underplay, de-emphasize, underemphasize, trivialize, minimize, diminish, downgrade, reduce, lessen, brush aside, gloss over, shrug off; |
Whenever we engage in talk about leaders or God or even His Word in a way that makes light of them we are reviling them and diminishing them. We are downgrading them and doing them an injury. Even though those who write in the Media say such things we are not to.
Bring into contempt or despise Rulers
Again to cast aspersions upon a Ruler treating them as dirt is to despise them. We may not agree with what they do, but to despise someone is to hate them.
Moses also wrote that we are not to curse a ruler of your people.
Curse here is from ‘ârar and means to execrate: -bitterly curse.
| synonyms: | revile, denounce, decry, condemn, vilify;
|
The Media are well practised at writing and saying terrible things about Politicians in our day. And in fact the Politicians themselves speak in the same way about their peers when debating. This leads to a downfall for everyone when leaders speak evil of leaders with no respect for the office that they stand in….an office given them from God.
Thus they disrespect God and each other. We are not to join in with them even though they themselves do it.
Jude says that Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries. Jud 1:8
These men who speak evil of dignitaries Jude says are “… men(who) have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. Jude 1:4
Jude goes on to describe them and their end..
Jud 1:10 But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves.
Jud 1:11 Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.
Jud 1:12 These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots;
Jud 1:13 raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.
Jud 1:14 Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints,
Jud 1:15 to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”
Jud 1:16 These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage.
I myself am one of these grumblers! I myself am one of these wandering stars! I cannot deny or escape the clear fact that this passage directly describes me! 🙁
So be it Holy Lord, SO be it! What can I say in my own defence?
Nothing can be said except, “It is a true judgement of me Lord Jesus–I repent, I am sorry, please grant me mercy and grace to change to be delivered from this spirit of contempt and pride!”
The way of Cain who hated his brother, being envious of his sacrifice and also angry at God. Who refused to be his brothers keeper preferring to look out only for himself. A life of prayer spent on self and self’s own interests, while your neighbours and friends and family go un-prayed for.
Samuel the prophet said 1Sa 12:23 Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you; but I will teach you the good and the right way.
The error of Balaam–a prophet of God who went after personal gain instead of the heart of God. A man who wanted above all to be famous and to have a ministry as a prophet of God. To have people say–wow a prophet of God!! Who for money used his gift to glorify himself.
The rebellion of Korah who rose up against Moses and spoke evil of him…and thus spoke evil of God for God had appointed Moses. A man who took his whole family with him to destruction because of this witchcraft and rebellion.
Is there any repentance for people like this…for me?
Jud 1:19 These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit.
These ones would hold doctrine above love and thus their doctrines would be the cause of divisions.
