Be it in the home, office, a community or nation, the leadership carries the burden of responsibility of life outcomes in his domain.

With good men in authority, the people rejoice; but with the wicked in power, they groan…A just king gives stability to his nation, but one who demands bribes destroys it…The good man knows the poor man’s rights; the godless don’t care. Proverbs 29:2,4,7 TLB

Three things are expected to characterise good community life. The presence of:

• Joy
• Stability coming from justice; and
• Intentional care of the poor

Micah 6:8 TLB puts these directly for any man sitting in the role so described above

• Acting justly is treating everyone fairly, standing up for their rights
• Trusting God, putting Him first, like walking hand in hand with a wise parent, allowing Him to guide your steps; and
• Being forgiving, kind and intentionally helpful to others particularly the poor

The absence of these things reflect in the quality of life of any community. In fact, where the leadership deliberately lives in reversal of these basic principles the society is in pain, chaos and in obvious visitation of judgment.

2 Chronicles 33:1-10 and 2 Chronicles 36:1-14 detail the story of two kings, offsprings of kings who did right before the Lord bringing peace in the nation, who opted not to follow the qualities of their predecessor.

But Manasseh encouraged the people of Judah and Jerusalem to do even more evil than the nations the Lord destroyed when Israel entered the land. Warnings from the Lord were ignored by both Manasseh and his people. So God sent the Assyrian armies, and they seized him with hooks and bound him with bronze chains and carted him away to Babylon. 2 Chronicles 33:9-11 TLB

Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His reign, too, was evil so far as the Lord was concerned, for he refused to take the counsel of Jeremiah the prophet, who gave him messages from the Lord…Zedekiah was a hard and stubborn man so far as obeying the Lord God of Israel was concerned, for he refused to follow him. All the important people of the nation, including the High Priests, worshiped the heathen idols of the surrounding nations, thus polluting the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem. Jehovah the God of their fathers sent his prophets again and again to warn them, for he had compassion on his people and on his Temple. But the people mocked these messengers of God and despised their words, scoffing at the prophets until the anger of the Lord could no longer be restrained, and there was no longer any remedy. Then the Lord brought the king of Babylon against them and killed their young men, even going after them right into the Temple, and had no pity upon them, killing even young girls and old men. The Lord used the king of Babylon to destroy them completely.
2 Chronicles 33:11-17 TLB

The power of influence of leadership is so obvious and sadly the retinue of evil kings described were all in their youth, caught in the allure of idolatry and the pleasures of sin. Their lives were cut short and the people following also did not escape the judgment. Is this what we want, for we are well on the tragic road!

For the nation of Nigeria, we as believers know what to pray for; and it doesn’t come by elections, but by God’s intervention, responding to the cry of the righteous. Beloved:

• Let us be mindful of the caution and consequence of abdicating our role as aptly described in James 4:17;
• Let us persevere every day in interceding for a seemingly “undeserving” nation; and
• Let thanksgiving be multiplied before and to our God.

Let the word of God be multiplied so also will grace, peace, mercy and blessings be granted us. Selah.



Pastor Afolabi Oladele