From The Pastor’s Heart OP-ED BY DR. ROBERT KENNEDY
Maybe so much has been going on otherwise, that speaks to the lust for power, that some of the most egregious things are taking place around us that we have not been taking notice. And very likely, we are not alone.
Many seem to be so confounded that they turn off the news because they do not wish to be challenged at this time. I am thinking, for example, of the release of a letter to the News Media that was written by Jeffry Clark, the head of the Justice Department’s civil division. During the last days of the Trump Administration, the letter was intended to secure the election for Mr. Trump. It was addressed to Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) and state legislative leaders.
The draft, dated December 28, 2020, claimed that the Department of Justice was “investigating various irregularities” in the presidential contest and that it had “identified significant concerns that may have impacted the outcome of the election.” It offered the recommendation that the Georgia legislature “convene in a special session so that its legislators are in a position to take additional testimony, receive new evidence, and deliberate on the matter.”
The letter also describes as “consistent with its duties under the U.S. Constitution” as it pertains to the selection of presidential electors. It went on to suggest that an alternative slate of electors – that is, electors for Mr. Trump – might be accepted on January 6, should the legislature demand that happens. Understanding that Kemp had already risen to the defense of the results in the state, Clark claimed in the letter that the legislature could simply call itself into session to make that determination.
Since the intentions of the letter were not carried out, what happened on January 6, 2021, in the insurrection in the Capital was the last-ditch effort to secure the presidency for Mr. Trump. For the four years of his administration and even before, Mr. Trump had been stating that the election system was rigged and that votes were being stolen and that he would do all that he could to secure the electoral system. Unfortunately, the most gullible did not understand what he was projecting, and they believed him. Until now, some will not let go of what is called “The Big Lie,” that the election was stolen from Mr. Trump and thus the presidency.
Why the mention of the above? I am not just reciting the news, but I wish to draw your attention to the fact that many individuals throughout history have allowed “the lust for power” to draw them to do some of the most despicable things to have their way. They have committed any and every kind of violence to achieve power and stay in power. Do I need to mention the catalog of the contemporary officials worldwide who are in power and whose people are suffering starvation and other kinds of abuses because the lust for power is driving them?
In order not to burden you with the names of contemporaries, let me offer a short note on two of the most unsavory characters recorded in the Bible, namely the two sons of priest Eli (1 Samuel 2:12-25), Hophni and Phinehas, who are called “scoundrels” or “wicked” sons, depending on which Bible translation you read. What is said about them is that they “had no regard for the LORD.”
In the performance of their duties, while the people came to offer sacrifices, and while the sacrifices were being boiled in the caldrons, the sons of Eli would take long forks and take out the best pieces of the meat and claim it as their right to eat. They also would have sexual intercourse with many of the women who came to offer their sacrifices.
When their father, Eli, heard about their activities, he spoke to them but did not remove them from their offices. So, the Lord sent a prophet to rebuke Eli and let him know that his sons would be rejected as priests and that they would be killed. As predicted by the prophet, the day came when war broke out between Israel and the Philistines and the ark of God was taken away, and the two sons of Eli were killed in the battle.
When the news was reported to Eli, he fell backward from the wall on which he was sitting at the gate, broke his neck, and died. His daughter in law, the wife of Phinehas, went into labor, and while delivering her baby, she heard of the news of her husband’s death and was only able to utter some last words in the naming of the child, Ichabod, meaning “the glory has departed from Israel.”
The final phrase above is an appropriate description of the history of people and nations ruled by the lust for power. That is, many who have lusted for power and have been in their position do not care what happens to them, their nation or the people around them. To satisfy their lusts, they will hurt anyone who stands in their way. To hold on to power, they will subject themselves to any kind of moral pollution, lying, cheating, disposal of friendships, sexual abuse, and any kind of evil behavior.
Concerning the sexual sin that has brought to an end, what is perceived to be the successful career of most powerful characters, I take note of one commentator who reflects on the sons of Eli thus:
“Some who make a high profession do not understand the sin of self-abuse and its sure results. Long-established habit has blinded their understanding. They do not realize the exceeding sinfulness of this degrading sin, which is enervating the system and destroying their brain nerve power.
“Those who have become fully established in this soul-and-body-destroying vice can seldom rest until their burden of secret evil is imparted to those with whom they associate. Curiosity is at once aroused, and the knowledge of vice is passed from youth to youth, from child to child, until there is scarcely one to be found ignorant of the practice of this degrading sin.
“The practice of secret habits surely destroys the vital forces of the system. All unnecessary vital action will be followed by corresponding depression. Among the young, the vital capital, the brain, is so severely taxed at an early age that there is a deficiency and great exhaustion, which leaves the system exposed to diseases of various kinds.”
The point of emphasis in the above paragraphs is that certain kinds of practices (lusts) have become so planted through the years of habitual practices that even when people are in high offices, they will still engage in such habits until the habits bring them down into “the pit.”
You who read this reflection might not think of yourself in a high office in the land, but how is your character? Can you be trusted with power? Remember that there remains a character test for all of us when we are offered power, and it might not be sexual lusts, but it might be lusts after material things or popularity or power itself. You might just like a high position and will do all, anything evil, to get it and stay in it. Remember these two things: INTEGRITY AND HUMILITY. They are not to be traded.
