Ah, another presidential election year in the United States of America. And of course, another election that is “the most important election in our lifetime,” as each one has been called since I can remember. Among Christians, we will hear all kinds of comparisons from within the biblical narrative.
- Some will liken our choices to what life was like for God’s people in the Northern kingdom (Israel) after the nation was divided. There was not one godly king.
- Some will compare our context to life in the Southern kingdom (Judah) and articulate that God is being merciful to us—that we have a person among us, a Hezekiah-type leader perhaps, who will tear down the idols in our land.
- Some will point to the days when God’s people were in Babylonian exile as God chose to use pagan kings to accomplish His purposes and will say “we can get behind what the leader wants to do without thinking the leader is a man of character.”
- Some may even try to say that a leader is David, a man after God’s own heart, who will unite the nation as David united Israel before the days of the dividing and the exile. About “the other candidate,” biblical names like Ahab, (an evil king from among God’s people), Sennacherib (an evil king attacking God’s people), and Herod (a leader who ordered infanticide) will be utilized.
The comparisons a person uses says something about the person’s worldview. Some view America as similar to Israel in the Old Testament—a nation founded on Christian principles in hopes of a godly leader. Others view the Church as similar to Israel in the Old Testament—but during the days of the exile, living in a land that is not our ultimate home.
While the United States is neither Israel or Babylon (it is the…United States), the Apostle Peter does call the early Christians “exiles” (1 Peter 2:11) and compares Rome to Babylon (1 Peter 5:13). Peter was helping his readers see that despite Nero’s power and Rome’s dominance, they belonged to another Kingdom, they were not going to be here forever, and Rome’s dominance would not last. It has not. The Roman empire fell and the Kingdom Jesus began is growing—and it will forever remain. While I appreciate that people look to the Scripture to make sense of the world, we must not forget that the overarching story of Scripture tells us that every earthly kingdom will fall and only His Kingdom will remain. In moments of intensity or frustration around an election, we can remind ourselves that our ultimate home and our ultimate hope is not in this world.
While the world around us seems shaky, the Kingdom Jesus has pulled us into will not be shaken. And for this, let us be thankful. “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful. By it, we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:28-29).
