The Lust For Power: How Politics And Personal Relations Become One

The Lust For Power: How Politics and Personal Relations Become One

The stories of the Bible reveal a pattern of “ups and downs” for the

nation of Israel. A period of prosperity, faithfulness and fearing God would

almost always be followed by a period of destitution, lawlessness and idolatry.

This recurring cycle can be linked to political authority, and the level of

separation of political authority from other influences. The successful

struggle for liberation under the leadership of Moses and the glorious conquest

of Canaan under Joshua instilled a fresh breeze of hope and a renewed faith in

God in the nation of Israel. Guided by God, the nation of Israel met with

unprecedented success as they journeyed to the promised land. During this time,

political authority among the Israelites rested in the hands of patriarchs, or

prominent members within the tribes. These men were righteous figures of

authority, chosen by God, to lead His people and to teach His ways. The success

that swept over the Israelites was short-lived, however, and for the next two

hundred years the people of Israel struggled against neighboring tribes. The

new generation of Israelites “knew neither the Lord nor what he did for Israel”

(Judges 2:10). They began to “do evil in the eyes of the Lord” by worshipping

other gods and engaging in various sexual activities. To save His people from

their enemies and from their “evil ways,” God “raised up” judges to rescue them

(Judges 2:16). These so-called judges had the political authority vested in

them to lead the people of Israel and to save them from their sins. They

mobilized the people of Israel against invasions of the tribes all around them.

At this time, the nation of Israel was nothing more than a loose confederation

of twelve tribes. Israel had no central authority, which meant no unity, no

organization and no power. During the period of the judges, there was no need

for a central government, because the people of Israel were able to defend their

tribal territories effectively against adjoining peoples. Whenever there was a

threat from a neighboring tribe, God sent a judge to lead the Israelites against

their enemies. As this era came to an end, however, the Israelites were faced

with a much larger problem - the Philistines' military threat. As the

Israelites were elimina...

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... fighting for it. The judges were sent to lead the Israelites in

times of need and emergency. Their leadership was only ephemeral, and thus not

one of them were able to gain an exorbitant amount of political power. When

the period of the monarchy was firmly in place, however, there was a system of

succession of power. Even before the king muttered his last words, there were

peopleeagerly waiting in line to take his place. And if that wasn't enough,

people were plotting against the king in hopes of succeeding the throne, even

his own sons. This feature of the period of the monarchy allowed for the mixing

and intertwining of politics and personal relations. The use of women as

symbols of power and dominance became abundant as kings challenged the

prospective successors, and as prospective successors challenged the kings.

Events took place that can be compared to episodes of TV soap operas or Melrose

Place. Politics and personal relations became interrelated, and above all else,

the underlying reason was power. As people began to lust for power, for wealth,

and for recognition, the association of the two became imminent, and the

separation of the two became impossible.