A Wicked Leader
“When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.” (Proverbs 29:2)
The Bible talks of wicked leaders. The Pharaoh of the Exodus was wicked. When he heard God’s command to free Israel, he said, “Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go.” (Exodus 5:2) He didn’t fear God.
A wicked leader also abuses power and people. After Pharaoh dismissed Moses and Aaron, he refused to provide the Hebrews with straw to make bricks, yet they had to keep up the daily quota. They couldn’t keep up, so they were beaten. When they protested this cruel treatment, he said, “…ye are idle: therefore ye say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the LORD.” (Exodus 5:17) As far as Pharaoh was concerned, they were there to serve him, not God.
A wicked leader will lie to get what he wants. When frogs came, Pharaoh asked Moses to take them away and he’d let the people go. Moses prayed. God killed the frogs. Pharaoh went back on his word. Later God sent flies. Pharaoh again said he’d let the people go. Moses warned him not to “…deal deceitfully any more in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.” (Exodus 8:29) Moses prayed again. God removed the flies. Pharaoh went back on his word again.
A wicked leader cares more about himself than his people. When the waters turned to blood, Egypt’s fishing industry and water supply suffered. Frogs, flies, and lice spread filth and disease. The murrain that killed the cattle hurt their beef supply. Hail ruined their crops. Next would come locusts that would eat what the hail left. Pharaoh’s servants pleaded, “…let the men go, that they may serve the LORD their God: knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed?” (Exodus 10:7)
The servants were pleading for Egypt’s sake, not Israel’s! Egypt had now become weak and was more vulnerable to attack from other nations, but Pharaoh didn’t want to listen.
This story is in the Bible partly to help people, especially leaders, not to do wickedly. If you are a leader, what kind of leader are you? First, do you fear God? Proverbs 14:2 says, “He that walketh in his uprightness feareth the LORD: but he that is perverse in his ways despiseth him.” What you do as a leader shows you either fear God or despise Him. Do you realize that “…power belongeth unto God.” (Psalm 62:11) and that power is about serving God, not you?
Do you do as Pharaoh did? Do you support policies that make life harder for decent citizens and weaken the nation? Are you willing to lie to get what you want? Do you strive to serve people or yourself? Do you need God’s guidance and help to rethink how you exercise power?
Most importantly, are you sure by God’s Word that you’ll be in heaven when you die? If not, please go to www.clevelandbaptist.org, click “Helpful Links,” then “How Do I Go to Heaven?”
Brian Miller 11/24/2021
Cleveland Baptist Church 4431 Tiedeman Road, Brooklyn, Ohio 44144 216/671-2822