THE RIGHT USE OF AUTHORITY
When one rules over men in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of God, he is like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning, like the brightness after rain that brings the grass from the earth. 2 Sam. 23:3, 4, N.I.V.
"You're just trying to rule me!" pouted the defiant child. His sense of justice was wounded because his mother insisted that he perform a task in which he saw no meaning. When she scolded him for his unwillingness to obey, his countenance fell even further. His self-image was at stake. "I hate you!" he muttered as he left the room.
Before we take sides, let's consider today's scripture. "When one rules over men in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of God''--that is, when one who is in a position of authority is in right relationship with God, and finds His ways worth emulating--"he is like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning, like the brightness after rain that brings the grass from the earth."
The right use of authority is likened to the warm brightness of early-morning sunshine, which makes grass spring up from the earth. If authority, for whatever reason, blights the hearts of those over whom it is exercised, it is wrong. God Himself values the nurturing of our friendship more than He esteems mere correctness.
However, the attitude of altogether too many people who are in a position to order others around is "Get people in line first, then worry about their feelings!" Often the chief motivation is progress, not winning the respect of those who must answer to their demands. The need to avoid chaos is stressed. What they fail to realize is that people achieve far more when they are in an environment of trust. When there is respect for a supervisor because he respects the worth of the workers, camaraderie develops and production soars.
God has far more in mind than the production of good works. He has given us a glimpse of how He uses His infinite authority to warm frozen hearts into throbbing life. Tender as young blades of grass, our affections toward Him are nurtured by His commitment to respect and protect our individuality and freedom of conscience. He uses His power, not to whip us into line, but to enable us to respond to the high and lofty calling of walking as sons and daughters of the King.
When one rules over men in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of God, he is like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning, like the brightness after rain that brings the grass from the earth. 2 Sam. 23:3, 4, N.I.V.
"You're just trying to rule me!" pouted the defiant child. His sense of justice was wounded because his mother insisted that he perform a task in which he saw no meaning. When she scolded him for his unwillingness to obey, his countenance fell even further. His self-image was at stake. "I hate you!" he muttered as he left the room.
Before we take sides, let's consider today's scripture. "When one rules over men in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of God''--that is, when one who is in a position of authority is in right relationship with God, and finds His ways worth emulating--"he is like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning, like the brightness after rain that brings the grass from the earth."
The right use of authority is likened to the warm brightness of early-morning sunshine, which makes grass spring up from the earth. If authority, for whatever reason, blights the hearts of those over whom it is exercised, it is wrong. God Himself values the nurturing of our friendship more than He esteems mere correctness.
However, the attitude of altogether too many people who are in a position to order others around is "Get people in line first, then worry about their feelings!" Often the chief motivation is progress, not winning the respect of those who must answer to their demands. The need to avoid chaos is stressed. What they fail to realize is that people achieve far more when they are in an environment of trust. When there is respect for a supervisor because he respects the worth of the workers, camaraderie develops and production soars.
God has far more in mind than the production of good works. He has given us a glimpse of how He uses His infinite authority to warm frozen hearts into throbbing life. Tender as young blades of grass, our affections toward Him are nurtured by His commitment to respect and protect our individuality and freedom of conscience. He uses His power, not to whip us into line, but to enable us to respond to the high and lofty calling of walking as sons and daughters of the King.
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