Editorial: Only those who do God’s will can expect enduring, peaceful reign

["Taiwan Church News" <enews@pctpress.org>]

3125 Edition

January 16-22, 2012

Editorial

Editorial: Only those who do God’s will can expect enduring, peaceful reign

Translated by Lydia Ma

The results of the 2012 presidential and legislative elections were announced 
on the evening of January 14 in Taiwan. Regardless of the outcome, candidates 
who lost shouldn’t despair and candidates who won shouldn’t let this victory 
turn into arrogance. Our word of advice to candidates who won is to do their 
utmost in fulfilling their duties.

David R. Gergen, a close adviser to various U.S. presidents from Nixon to 
Clinton, is a well-known political analyst and perhaps the best person to 
answer the question on what a person must do to be a good president. As a White 
House insider, Gergen knows U.S. presidents like few people do because he has 
seen them up close and personal and.

After Gergen retired, he penned a book entitled “Eyewitness to Power: The 
Essence of Leadership, Nixon to Clinton”, whereby he outlined 7 lessons for 
leadership that he observed from his experiences, these lessons are based on 
topics such as: Leadership starts from within; central, compelling purpose; 
capacity to persuade; ability to work within the system; sure, quick start; 
strong, prudent advisors; inspiring others to carry on the mission.

The Bible also contains lots of advice on good leadership. Some of them are 
found in King David’s solemn charge to Solomon, his son and Israel’s next king, 
just before he died. Besides exhorting Solomon to be strong and courageous, 
David also commanded his son to obey God’s decrees and commands, laws and 
requirements, so that Solomon would “prosper” in all he did and wherever he 
went (1 Kings 2: 4-5). What David meant by “prosper” was that Solomon would be 
wise in his judgment and would therefore be successful in whatever he 
endeavored.

The reason why King David was so earnest when advising Solomon was because he 
knew that Solomon’s success and Israel’s prosperity were dependent upon obeying 
God’s commands and keeping their covenant with God. David’s admonition wasn’t 
new – the same counsel had already been given by Moses centuries before (see 
Deuteronomy 4:40). In Deuteronomy, God had warned the Israelites that if they 
strayed from his commands, both the nation and its leader would pay a high 
price, as illustrated later in the story and fate of King Saul.

David’s counsel to Solomon is that a national leader who obeys God’s commands 
will not only excel in leading his team of administrators, but will also excel 
in leading his country. Such a leader will in turn enjoy peace during his reign 
and leave a lasting and exemplary legacy. We hereby advise President Ma, who 
said he had been baptized at a Catholic church earlier in his life, to walk in 
God’s path and avoid the errors that plagued King Saul.

 

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