Ben, you did an excellent job explaining your position in this article. In harmony with what you have shared, but perhaps more explicitly, the Bible teaches us in Exodus 18:21 to accept Jethro’s allegedly “irrelevant” and “legalistic” “Old Testament” wisdom, and employ it for the common good of our nation.
Those who despise this counsel must reverse it and defend their own untenable position. So in order to help our detractors clarify their own position as honestly as possible for the public, (particularly those who patronize Scripture when it feels inconvenient )I will list what it means to reject the immutable command of Exodus 18:21 during any election cycle for any office, at any level of power:
1) We should choose men who are incompetent.
2) We should choose men who do not reverently fear God.
3) We should choose men who are known for lying.
4) We should choose men who are motivated by dirty money.
In contrast with their implicit and sometimes explicit suggestion(s) that truth is relative, and any who say it is not relative are “legalistic pharisees”…here is God’s unambiguous command for choosing leaders at ALL levels of government (from dog catcher to president) which remains as true at this moment as it was 3,500 years ago when it was first recorded. It is 180 degrees from their position:
“Furthermore, you shall select from all the people competent men who [reverently] fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain; you shall place these over the people as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens.” Exodus 18:21
I will faithfully vote this year as I always have. I will support anyone on my ballot who meets this reasonable standard of Exodus 18:21. So neither Hillary Clinton nor Donald Trump will get my support. I will vote for another alternative that honors God, and I will not allow other citizen majorities’ sins during the primary season to pressure me into finally disobeying God at the END of that same primary season. It was wrong 9 months ago and it’s still wrong right now, to ignore Exodus 18:21. I hope many Americans will learn to be free from the bondage of situational ethics. For more assistance I have an illustrated sermon here:
