Posted March 31, 2016 under Blog

Pastor, who are you voting for?

This is a question I'm asked every time the elections come. A similar question people ask is, "Pastor, who should I vote for?"

In light of the coming Philippine elections and the world's anxious eyes on the United States upcoming polls, I am writing this post to help disciples of Christ be guided on how to make the best of their right to vote.

Warning: this is a long article, but deserves your attention if you are serious in answering these two questions.

There are two extreme kinds of people that pop up during the election season. On the one end, there are those who have given up on the electoral process altogether, and have resigned to tell themselves, "What's the use in voting, when nothing ever changes?" On the other end are those who carry too high of an expectation that the elections will bring about substantial changes, if not Utopia. But somewhere in there is the middle-ground of reality and our role as citizens to the nations we live in.

There's an important story in the Bible that will help you have the right perspective of the electoral process. The nation of Israel did not have a human ruler, but had God as their King. What they also had was a prophet and judge in the person of Samuel.

Now Samuel was old at this time, and the sons whom he appointed were not as great of a leader as he was. In effect, the people were discouraged, and wanted a human king instead of just having a prophet or judge. But while the people were saying one thing, their hearts said another. The real issue was that the people did not completely trust God to rule over them. They rejected Him as king, and wanted to conform to what the nations around them were doing; they wanted to elect a human ruler. So, at the end of the day, it became the voters who were ultimately responsible for the kind of leaders they got, and not God.

They said to him, You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have. But when they said, Give us a king to lead us, this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD.1Samuel 8:5-6

Samuel did not like the people's clamor. Maybe he did not like the idea that they wanted a man for a king, when God was their King. It's also possible that he felt rejected that they did not want him to lead them anymore; because even the greatest of prophets are only human.

And the LORD told him: Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. 1Samuel 8:7

God told Samuel to listen to the people. For He knew their real target wasn't Samuel, but God Himself.

Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights.1Samuel 8:9

The prerogative that all earthly rulers have is the claiming of their rights once they are in power. Don't be naive. The rationale is simple: all this hard work deserves certain rights and privileges. The only difference is the type and amount of rights they feel they deserve. This is true in Moscow, Washington, London, Tokyo and Manila.

Don't be naive, because its a fact that all men are also self-centred sinners. Romans 3:23

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.1Samuel 8:11

God lists a sample of the rights (potential abuses) that kings or rulers make once they are in position. They will literally take your children, and use them to gain more power.

' . . He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants.1Samuel 8:13-14

They may even tell themselves, With all this pressure as a leader, I deserve the best produce of the land, best cuisine, best people to serve me, best clothes (yes perfumes), cars, and let's not forget real estate.

'. . . He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants.1Samuel 8:15

To keep themselves in power they will need to feed their own circle of supporters. And guess where they will get all that they need - from you.

'. . .Your male and female servants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. 1Samuel 8:16-17

In the long run, without adequate checks and balances of power, rulers will go from bad to worse. If this story sounds dim, it's because this is the reality of human nature - to enslave his fellow man for his selfish ends and distorted gains.

That's why we preach the Gospel. Changed hearts are the only thing that can bring about lasting change. The more disciples there are, the more chances we have of getting righteous leaders into office. KEEP MAKING DISCIPLES and PRAY for your leaders.

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 2Timothy 2:1-2

In the meantime, back to the elections. Given what the Bible teaches, who should I vote for?

First of all, if you live in a democracy, thank God that you do. While it is an imperfect form of government, given the alternatives, it is probably the best there is. Absolute power corrupts absolutely, and a democratic government allows for freedom of speech, choice, plus systems for checks and balances that guard against government abuses at some level.

As you vote, consider that whoever you put into office will be prone to this reality of power and the demand for these rights. In many cases, he or she wont have a choice. To get into office, he or she will have to please as many people as possible and you know that's impossible. Once in office, they will have to please even more people just to stay there. To please people, they will need to do them certain favors. Compromise is inevitable; it's just a question of magnitude. This should give you enough caution before you put anyone into office.

So who should you vote for? The one who has track a record of delivering, albeit imperfectly, the following:

JUSTICE. This is the primary role of a leader in civil government. One who will not tolerate nepotism, and favor family and friends when they are guilty of wrongdoing. Instead, look for a leader who will ensure fair play. Look for a leader who will not take matters into his or her own hands, or will by-pass the due process of justice.

When God delivered the Jews from Egypt, he appointed Moses not as a president, or a general, he appointed him as a judge, hence the succession of judges after him, all the way to Samuel. God was laying the foundation of good governance, justice, not prosperity or peace and order. As you think through your candidates, think who would be the best one who will represent justice. You can't have prosperity, peace nor order without first laying the foundation of justice.

CONVICTIONS. More than just knowing your candidates convictions, pay attention to your own. As a disciple of Christ, our convictions should be that of the Bible's. Look for a leader who possesses a track record of effective leadership towards the direction of your convictions.

This means that we are all individually responsible to study, pray, and figure out for ourselves what our political convictions are. For instance, it would be good for you to know and be clear about your personal stand on issues like reproductive health, taxation, and others. The process of democracy relies on educated people to be of use to the nation's advantage, and not simply bask in the presence of viable candidates.

POLITICAL WILL. I don't like the idea that I need to make deals just to get the right thing done. But we, as citizens, should know that there are different interests out there. To some, spending money on education is the right thing, to others peace and order is the priority then there's women's rights, infrastructure, and these are but the tip of the iceberg of government. What is it that your candidate values enough to invest in him/her for the next six years in?

While all of these points are valid and important, our leaders will have to decide on their priorities. They will have to debate and deal with each other on which interests need to come first. They will need to compromise. Just like how we need to give and take with the people around us to live, leaders need to learn how to give and take prudently in order to lead a nation.

How do leaders do this? By first having the right motive of truly loving the country more than themselves, in other words, having a track record of putting their constituency's gain before personal and family benefits. Bayan o sarili?

Moreover, its not enough to have the right motive. We also need leaders who are intelligent, competent, hardworking and can provide the balance of prioritizing issues. What we're looking for are leaders who have the closest thing to having all of these, and the political will to see these priorities through. Enough to say they need our prayers.

God will not hold us accountable for voting leaders who make it into office. He will hold us accountable for voting based on a conscience that is guided by His Word. Vote wisely. Ideally, vote one whom you know is a disciple of Christ.

In answer to the question, Pastor who are you voting for? I respect your sound judgment and the Holy Spirit in You to let you do your own due diligence and praying in order to decide who to vote for rather than just influence you with my choices. At the end of the day it is your decision and your responsibility.

We can only do what is humanly possible, and that is to vote. The rest is in God's sovereign hands because nations need God's intervention. Bottom line, pray.

Thankfully, what is impossible to us is possible with God. May God lead and guide you as you vote.