Successful Elections Based on Popularity
of Plans of Man, Not Purpose of God
If nothing else is learned from the current presidential election campaign, Americans should learn that saying something is true, does NOT make it true! Both of the major candidates put forth plans pandering to their particular power bases.
These plans of men have all been tried in the past, especially concerning economics, and have been wildly unsuccessful. What I have yet to hear from anyone is a detailed understanding of the realities of the subject being discussed. It goes without saying that no one is seeking to determine God’s purpose even though He has clearly outlined His purpose in the Bible.
There is a certain set of rules, we commonly refer to this as reality, to every major aspect of life. For example, you may believe that matter is irrelevant but when you cross the road you make sure the matter of the cars does not disrupt the matter of your body. One’s belief of matter is immaterial to the reality of what occurs when two different matters (bodies) collide (it is not pretty and certainly not abstract).
Keynesian economics has been the preferred economic philosophy since the 1930s precisely because it gives power to the government at the expense of the people. When the Communist countries implemented Keynesian economics they did so at gunpoint, murdering vast numbers of their citizens. When America implemented Keynesian economics they did so by persuading the people who the plans that got them into the Depression could be used to get them out of the Depression. The fact that Keynesian economics prolonged the Depression was ignored because people believed the President and not the facts. They willingly transferred responsibility for sound economics in exchange for supposed security. Responsibility cannot be transferred and security from economic downturns proved to be elusive.
Austrian economics, commonly associated with Hayeck, keeps responsibility for economics with the people which takes power from the government. Notice the major difference between these two competing philosophies: power and government. Government does not give up power, it only takes more power. Hamilton understood this as few others did and inserted into the Constitution two clauses that have been repeatedly used to expand the powers of the Federal government over the people, with their consent! The first is the, “necessary and proper clause” and the second is the “general welfare” clause. The States, as sovereign independent powers, held the Federal government in check since they formed the Federal government for limited purposes. However, Lincoln in his Gettysburg address redefined the power of the Federal government as beginning before the Constitution with the ratification of the Declaration of Independence. The Civil War decided that the only truly sovereign power was the Federal government and states were subservient to this government. The Federal government has enjoyed expansive powers, over time, until it is the behemoth of today.
The candidates of both major parties have Keynesian economic plans which differ only in details but not in results that will only erode the economic security of the people in order to redistribute wealth to acquire votes needed to gain more power. Each candidate has their power base of true believers that are oblivious to the facts and care little for clear discussion. Each candidate pushes their agenda for expanding the powers of the Federal government over its citizens with the consent of the citizens. The control of immigration is nothing more than a smoke screen for control over the nation’s population with their consent! If you can control who comes in, you have gained control over who can leave. One candidate wants to constrict immigration, pandering to those who already live here, has never worked successfully in the past. The other candidate wants fairly liberal immigration in order to enlarge the Federal government’s power base for future elections. Guess who will win? In the long-term it will be the candidate who can enlarge the powers of the Federal government.
This verse from Proverbs (19:21) is set in typical Hebrew poetic fashion to contrast one thought in light of the other thought. The verse should read, “Many are the contrivances in the mind of man…” We may call them plans but they are merely contrivances or shields to steal from the populace the power they think they can wield to make the world safe from God; er, evil. All governments belong to Satan (Mt 4:8-10). This includes America. I am not anti-America but I do understand America and its influence on world events since the beginning of the 20th century. Some of its people have been very much for the purpose of God; however, the contrivances of men have prevailed and many Christians have been hoodwinked into believing that the government is on their side so they will support it. But what is the “Plan of God”?
God’s plan from the beginning has been the Gospel. Genesis to Revelation has been the development of the Gospel of Christ, the redemption of His people for eternity future. Each phase of history has demonstrated the failure of man to submit to the will of God which is only for good for man (Je 29:11). But man in his sin rejects the goodness of God to follow his own plan which is not really his own – it is the plan of Satan. Rather than worship God, man seeks to be god and worship him or her self. Thus, man develops his contrivances and God allows this to show His long-suffering and the ultimate foolishness of man (Ro 1:18-32).
I believe that we must be as Paul. The Roman Empire was little different from today’s America. While we do not have the same institutions, we pander to the very same influences. We simply add a “modern” twist to make the sinful influences more palatable. Paul did not speak for or against the Empire. He knew that God does not condone rebellion so he wrote that believers should obey the laws that are in accordance with the Scripture (Ro 13:1-7). Yet, there is a higher law that we must obey (Ac 4:18-20). We must speak the truth of God even if it reveals the falsity of the contrivances of man. This was the role of the Old Testament prophets and many of them were murdered because governments cannot condone the truth that reveals their rebellion against God. Christians cannot fall prey to pragmatism, voting for the candidate that appears less evil (few people define what they mean when they make this statement). Christians must understand the Purpose of God and promote His Gospel despite living in evil and dangerous times. The time is coming and is even now when people refuse to hear sound doctrine but gather to themselves those who teach what they want to follow; these myths or contrivances run counter to the Purpose of God and will fail (2Ti 4:3-4). Remember, we are to be in the world as salt and light but not to be of the world participating in its evil, sinful, rebellious plans that will appear sound for a time but must eventually fail revealing its true sinful nature (Jo 17:14-18). Use discernment to avoid the contrivances of man while following the Purpose of God.