Manipulated
or Set Apart?
How often in our day are professing Christians
being manipulated and deceived by demagoguery? A "demagogue"
is, "a popular leader who stirs up the people by appealing to their
emotions and prejudices. The chief aim of most demagogues is to get
power and money for themselves alone." 12
When someone observes a conflict in society, the
tendency is to try to figure out which side is the good guys and which
side is the bad guys and then jump on board the bandwagon of the
"good guys".
But if a powerful ruler thinks like Machiavelli,
what is the most powerful means by which to control the outcome of any
conflict in society? Control both sides! If Machiavelli is smart enough
to think of such deceptions then certainly Satan and his demons are even
smarter. And certainly they have inspired worldly leaders in this regard
for centuries. Consider how Joshua was also caught up in such worldly,
fleshly thinking:
"And it came to pass, when Joshua was by
Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there
stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and
Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art
thou for us, or for our adversaries? And he said, Nay; but as
captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his
face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my
lord unto his servant? And the captain of the LORD's host said unto
Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou
standest is holy. And Joshua did so."
Joshua 5:13-6:1
Our Lord Jesus calls us out of these worldly
entanglements and deceptions. We stand on Holy ground, set apart unto
Him, to be used for his purposes. We are called out of the world's
philosophies and battles in order to represent Jesus to the world, to be
an Ambassador from our sovereign Lord to this foreign land, to speak the
Truth in Love.
We should submit to worldly authority according to
Romans 13 and Acts 5:28,
29 without worshipping those in authority and without allowing
ourselves, by the grace of God, to be deceived and manipulated by those
in authority.
Machiavelli
and How Rulers Think
