A
CHRISTIAN’S RESPOND TO OBNOXIOUS LAWS
“But
Peter and John answered them, ’You yourselves judge which is right in God’s
sight – to obey you or obey God. For we cannot stop speaking of what we
ourselves have seen and heard’” – Acts 4:19-20 (Good News Bible).
The choice between either obeying or
disobeying human laws that contradict God’s instructions or laws can be a
complex and difficult one for many Christians, especially in the face of
persecutions. Peter, John, Daniel and the Hebrew boys (Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego) once faced similar choices and chose to do what is right in God’s
sight; baring all consequences. We can draw lessons from their positive attitude.
They
sought to do what is right in God’s sight: In Daniel 6, a
law was passed in the Persian kingdom prohibiting people from praying, within
30 days, to any deity or human object except to King Darius, the reigning king.
Daniel, who was third in power in the kingdom, was the target of this evil and
obnoxious law. It sought to prevent him from praying to the God Almighty. The
punishment for flouting this law was being cast into a pit filled with lions.
Nevertheless, Daniel chose to pray three times daily as had been his custom. Consequently,
he was cast into the lions’ den but God delivered him from the lions.
They
were also mindful of God’s unchanging character and sovereignty:
God is always faithful to His promises but He is also sovereign and does what
is right and just. Thus, God does not just answer a prayer because one has
prayed according to His promise. He always acts justly and rightly in
fulfilling His promises. Therefore, not receiving a desirable answer to one’s
prayer does not make God unfaithful. The three Hebrew boys were mindful of
God’s character and sovereignty when they said: ‘...O Nebuchadnezzar, we are
not careful to answer you in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is
able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace...But if not, be it known
unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden
image which thou has set up’ – Daniel 3:16-18 (KJV).
Always choose to obey God and dare the
consequences of disobeying evil and obnoxious laws.
Richard
Obeng Mensah, author of Persecutions are Promotions
Blog:
www.richard-obeng-mensah.blogspot.com Email:
richardobengmensah@gmail.com
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