Are Some Leaders Beyond Accountability?
King Solomon made the observation:
Since a king’s word is supreme, who can say to him, “What are you doing?”
In other words, when someone is at the top of the proverbial Totem Pole, they have the authority to make decisions and carry them out, regardless of what those under them think or say.
Does this mean that certain leaders are beyond accountability, whether political leaders, business leaders or ministerial leaders? To a point, yes, but only in regards to human accountability since we are all ultimately accountable to our Sovereign Creator and therefore will stand before the LORD at either the Judgment Seat (2 Corinthians 5:10-11) or at the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11-15). This is true whether a person believes in God or not.
The Almighty is the ultimate authority and the Bible acknowledges this often in several ways (Job 9:12, Psalm 50:10-12, 103:19, 93:1, 89:11, Isaiah 37:16, Daniel 4:35 & Matthew 11:25). Such passages shows that God is Sovereign, which means “reigns supreme” and this explains why God is called the Most High (Psalm 47:2). Despite this, our Creator allows freewill with the understanding that every person is ultimately accountable to the LORD. Even archangels and satan have to give account to the Almighty (Job 1:6 & 2:1). Reflect on it: If the LORD didn’t reign supreme we wouldn’t have to answer to our Creator.
As far as political leaders go — kings, queens, dictators, prime ministers, presidents, governors, mayors, etc. — God permits them to rule for a season for one reason or another (Psalm 75:6-7, Daniel 2:21, 4:25 & Romans 13:1). For instance, Ahaz reigned in Jerusalem for sixteen years and he was one of the worst kings of Judah or Israel (2 Chronicles 28:1-5), but he was preceded by righteous Jotham, who reigned for 25 years, and succeeded by godly Hezekiah, who reigned 29 years.
While’s it’s frustrating and challenging to function under a corrupt authority, whether in your nation, city/town, occupation or even ministry, we’re not helpless. You can conduct spiritual warfare through intercession or confronting & correcting, assuming it’s viable to do the latter. You can also remove yourself from the situation and plant your life elsewhere, like move to a new country/region or get a different job, including starting your own business. No matter what you do, though, you’ll likely still have to deal with corrupt authorities in one way or another. It’s a fact of living in a fallen world.
Consider these contrasting examples from the Bible of dealing with corrupt leaders in Israel: After King David’s adultery with Bathsheba and his failed attempts to get valiant Uriah to sleep with Bathsheba to cover up his sin, David contacted Israel’s military commander, Joab, and instructed him to put Uriah in the front line where the fighting was fiercest and then have the other soldiers withdraw so Uriah would die in battle. This is murder in an indirect form, but murder nevertheless. Joab should have rejected this wicked order since Uriah was a noble, brave warrior, but he instead chose to be a pathetic “yes man” (2 Samuel 11:14-21). Shortly later, the prophet Nathan refused to be like this. He boldly confronted David’s corruption and spoke the truth, come what may (2 Samuel 12:1-14).
Joab failed to hold the King accountable whereas Nathan did. When you see corruption in the leadership of the body of Christ you can either weakly go along with it, like Joab, or hold the person accountable whatever the cost, like Nathan. If you choose the former you’ll have to answer for it at the Judgment Seat because the Lord will hold you accountable.
When you think about it, though, we’re all “kings” or “queens” in a sense. Even if you’re a subordinate at work, you run the show in your own abode, which recalls the saying “A man’s home is his castle.” (Keep in mind that ‘man’ in the biblical sense can refer to male and/or female depending on context; see Genesis 1:27 for proof).
Even if you are subordinate in the place you live, you are the ruler of your mind, actions, body and tongue. You choose what to think about or not think about every minute of every day. You choose what you do or don’t do, how you react or don’t react, what you wear or don’t wear, what you eat and how much you eat. You choose what you say and don’t say, including if you unjustly lie, negatively spin something or slander someone with premature judgments and half-truths. While it’s true that your choices are limited in some cases, such as what you eat or wear, you nevertheless have freewill to choose.
Your thought life is your personal domain. Even if you’re imprisoned in a small room, you choose what to meditate on. This isn’t some small thing when you consider how your thoughts run your life (Proverbs 4:23 NCV).
We began this article with a quote from Solomon from the book of Ecclesiastes. Let’s end with another one, which relates to all these things which you have authority over:
13Now all has been heard;
here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the duty of all mankind.
14For God will bring every deed into judgment,
including every hidden thing,
whether it is good or evil.
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
Related Topics:
Human Freewill and God’s Sovereignty
Accountability — the Good, the Bad and the Eye-Rolling
What is the “Age of Accountability”?
Should You “Obey” Your Pastor?
Legalism — Understanding its Many Forms
How to Confront & Correct (and How NOT to)
Ministerial Pitfalls and Abuses
Does the Bible support a “Justifiable Lie”?
God’s Name — YHWH (Yahweh), the Tetragrammaton
comments powered by Disqus