“You must not blaspheme God or curse a ruler of your people.” Exodus 22:28
As violent protests and hatred for police spillover from the USA to the Western world, many hidden agitators are seeking to violently overthrow governments.
They claim that destruction of property, and many lives taken, are necessary to awaken the world to ‘systemic racism’ that supposedly disregards that “blacks lives matter”.
It appears that several officers have been charged in connection to George Floyd’s alleged murder in police custody. Since his death, over 4000 Americans have been arrested, hundreds are injured and dozens killed or murdered.
Peaceful protests in Australia openly flouted COVID-19 fines that shut down businesses and churches, citing deaths in custody.
According to the Australian Institute of Criminology, indigenous people represent 28% of 43,000 prisoners, and yet 18.5% of the 1829 deaths in custody (from 1979-2018) were indigenous people, which indicates that police are more watchful of indigenous prisoners.
Few Americans are reflecting on the consequences of 60% of African-American children growing up without a father. This cultural shift to majority fatherless homes starting in the 1960s led to generational disadvantage, according to African-American talk radio host Larry Elder.
It is ironic that socialist agitators want to tear apart the legal and political structures of the very countries that millions of ethnically-diverse immigrants have flocked to, searching for a life free from corruption and conflict.
Celebrities and the Western press, including ABC Australia, have encouraged donations to ‘The Bail Project’ that bails out violent protestors, and have published uncritical ‘analysis’ of violent rhetoric from terrorist group ANTIFA.
Sadly, those behind these riots seek to sweep aside the Western world’s Christian-based self-sacrificial love, generosity, honesty, and impartiality — only to replace it with a fictional utopian society based on non-Christian principles.
What makes us human and enables us to live at peace is how much we reflect the nature of our Heavenly Father who made us.
God showers love and blessing on our world and has paid for the reconciliation of all people to Himself through Jesus. He offers His life and forgiveness as a free gift to all, including evil kings.
Our striving as Christians is to reveal “God’s image” by the Holy Spirit — His nature to “love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who cure you, pray for those who mistreat you”. In doing so, we are being “sons of your Father in heaven” (see Matthew 5).
Regardless of the moral fibre of the Queen, the Prime Minister’s Cabinet, the President, state governors or premiers, God’s word asks us to present prayer and thanks on behalf of kings and all in authority (1 Timothy 2:2).
As Australia approaches the Queen’s birthday on June 8, it is perhaps timely to thank God for the Christian Christmas proclamations that Queen Elizabeth has made to Commonwealth nations.
In regard to your parents, your teachers, your boss, and your Prime Minister, God asks us to respect and honour their God-delegated authority.
“Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honour the king” and we should “commend those who do right “ (see 1 Peter 2 & Romans 13).
In democratic societies, God asks us to respect our leaders, while keeping them accountable through constructive rebuke.
Let us take up Paul’s challenge to Timothy to “pray on behalf of all people”, including all political leaders “since God wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4).
Let us work tirelessly to strengthen our institutions through prayer and action, to punish evildoers and praise those who do right.
We must not forget that the Enemy wants to steal, kill and destroy and remake society in his image.