Daniel 6:10
Those jealous of Daniel could not find any fault in him, to charge him or accuse him, so they had to find a way to get him. So they convinced Darius to sign this decree that for 30 days, no one could pray or petition any god but Darius the king; or be thrown into the Lion’s den, a sure death sentence.
Daniel hears about the decree (which is irrevocable under Persian law once signed by the king), and IMMEDIATELY goes home, opens his windows so all can see, turns to JERUSALEM and prays to the Lord.
This is willful disobedience. Knowing the law and the consequences, Daniel openly brok the king’s law and prayed to the Lord.
His facing towards Jerusalem is key, because in that he made a statement that he knew who he belonged to, what nation he was truly a citizen of despite his current circumstances, and he had to obey THAT law, regardless of the laws of men.
If you can bear to hear it, let me share something. Under the next president of American and congressional majority, the amount of rules and regulations will exponentially increase. While I might concede some good motivations, the increasingly socialistic mentality necessitates more rule and regulation.
The heart of man is basically selfish, which requires being “born again,” made into a new creation by the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Therefore the Church can be expected to give out of extreme compassion.
Without the Holy Spirit and the eternal collective perspective and organic anointing of the Church, man must be forced to share, at least long term. Therefore, the need for rules and regulation. (If you don’t believe me, read Marx. While he saw this time of control and dictatorship as a transition, no nation has ever moved past it. None ever will.)
And as the rules and regulations increase, the likelihood that God will lead you to break man’s law will increase.
Wait a minute, you might say, doesn’t the scripture tell us that we are to obey earthly masters? Yes, it does; but we also have examples from Jesus (healing on the Sabbath) and the twelve (picking and eating grain on the Sabbath; and preaching the gospel) where, by the leading of the Holy Spirit, they broke man’s sacred rules and traditions, willing to suffer whatever consequences the world deemed to dish out.
Who should we obey, God or man?
They are not the same and may come into conflict. I’m telling you the time is coming, perhaps is already here, where it will. Obey God. Realize your true hope of redemption is the New Jerusalem and your citizenship is in Heaven, not safety and security in this life.
Daniel wasn’t looking to break laws or be rebellious. He was interested in keeping God’s law.
In my historical studies, I’m amazed and inspired by MLK and Gandhi, men who felt it was their duty to disobey unjust laws. They did it for largely political reasons (although they truly acknowledged the spiritual). Will we do it for the eternal alone?
Thoughts?
Peace.
I was thinking about this one lately, especially with reading A Thousand Splendid Suns where characters taught girls academics even when it was against the law. It’s my hope and prayer that the Church does more like this, with purpose.
And thus the whole reason why I have particularly distanced myself from politics in general.
Perhaps I’m going a little too far…
But as far as I can see right now…God has brought me to a place of disconnect with American culture, and more pointedly, the American political system.
He has certainly mellowed me on my anger towards America, and shown me some areas of pride and anger that I need to deal with.
But overall, I see this as merely one of many nations that are pursuing earthly goals. My calling in all of this is to live the love and truth of Christ to those that He has placed me with.
The world is spiraling into destruction. I know this. In a way, I take hope in this, because it brings us closer to our Lord on many levels.
Since this is truth, then the decisions that America makes as a whole are not going to change whether or not I am listening to the voice of God and following the Spirit.
Do I vote? Yeah. I want to uphold righteousness whenever possible.
But I’m also not blind to the fact that my vote will play very little part in the direction that we are headed.
My prayers and the prayers of all of the saints will play a pivotal role in the direction that things are going.
That’s where I play my cards.
Admittedly, I sometimes lean towards anger in my flesh towards the political system. I think it stems back to my particular background of Republicans and Christians being mutual terms.
All I can say is that Christ has set me free from the bondage of religion, and I rejoice with no turning back.
I have contemplated willful disobedience a bit as I tend to have a stubborn personality who feels that a little willful disobedience is sometimes necessary. For me, when I am contemplating willful disobedience, I ask myself and the Lord… Am I willfully disobeying out of love for my Father? Or is it for myself?