The Need for a Governor

I see a lot of correlation in the era of Tammany Hall as to why people vote the way they do these days. So many people are looking for someone or people to give them the safety and security we ALL long for. We have an inherent need to be governed. We have shunned the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (and this is foretold to us in the Bible in 1 Samuel 8:11-18:  He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. ¹² Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still, others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. ¹³ He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. ¹⁴ He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. ¹⁵ He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. ¹⁶ Your male and female servants and the best of your cattle^[a] and donkeys he will take for his own use. ¹⁷ He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. ¹⁸ When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”

So, today, we live under the reign of “kings” (governmental officials) who have taken from us and given to his own and taken for his personal use.

So why do we still do this in the name of “security” or “public health” or anything for that matter? I think that the underlying reason is that we long for a ruler. We want for a set of rules that governs us in a way that enables us to not only live “just” lives but “secure” lives.

If we enable the government to take care of the needy, we have eased our burden of taking care of the needy ourselves. We can just have that money deducted via our taxes from our paychecks and give it to the government. And if we need help, we can go to that government.  What can go wrong?

Tammany Hall paints a picture that I think is relevant here. Tammany Hall was a New York City benevolent association with mayoral campaigns that played a significant role in not only helped as a political force but was also quite willing to help the city’s poor and immigrant populations. “Frequently, its leadership was identical to the Executive Committee of the local Democratic party, and it was a major or controlling faction in the party in 1821-1872 and 1905-1932.” (https://www.history.com/topics/us-politics/tammany-hall)   Tammany Hall acted as advocates for individuals when they had difficulties with the law, also giving food assistance as well. This, in return, was rewarded at the polls. Tammany Hall was later found to be corrupt with its officials guilty of embezzlement and illegal activity.

Fast forward to today, 53 years later, and it seems that not much has changed in the way people seek refuge in government and political leaders and the way those two forces play out their roles.

By not turning to the one true leader, as we see in 1 Samuel, we are bound to the corruption of the human soul that we see in people. Tim Keller once said something to the effect that the line of good and evil is not ‘out there,’ but within each and every heart. I don’t disagree. 

So, if we need governance, and we need security, and yet we are all flawed and have a tendency toward corrupting positions of power, how do we thrive? I think the first two commandments of the Bible tell us exactly how to do that. Love your God with all your heart and all your soul and love your neighbor as you love yourself. Well, okay, and how do we do that? First of all, being in God’s Word is the first step. How can you love God if you don’t even know Him? And how can you love your neighbor if you don’t understand God’s concept of Love, His concept of selflessness, and His concept of what our relationships should look like?

But so as not to lead you into banging your head and yelling at me saying: I WANT THE CLIFF NOTES VERSION!

I will give you a little insight.   Based on the comparisons I made above, start by getting involved in your community. And I’m not talking about just writing a check to your favorite local charity. We have a gazillion charities, and we still haven’t conquered the problems plagued by our society. Our very wealthy American society. Get involved by getting in a relationship with people. Not just the ones you like. What good is it if we only ever talk to the people we like, that are like us? We need to be in communication and relationship with those we are different from. We need them to see us as individuals with hearts as we need to see them in the same light. We cannot have genuine compassion for others if we aren’t in the trenches with them.