Psalm 107:40

Psalm 107:40

He pours contempt on nobles

This is a chilling verse! It’s very hard to think of many national and international leaders throughout history who were humble, not ambitious and self-interested, and who cared only for the needs of the poor and downtrodden. It seems to be a prerequisite for any leadership task that candidates must show themselves to be driven, with more than average ability and able to command respect, usually this is demonstrated by their wealth and their self-confidence. In our verse today, these people are referred to as “nobles”. Noble in their own eyes maybe and in the eyes of the sycophants who serve them, but not so in the eyes of the Lord God. We have commented before that if the Satan is the ruler of this world, the higher up the chain of command an individual rises, the closer to him they become! How many leaders think only of those who are below them? How many see themselves as just servants of the people rather than masters? How many lead by example and would never ask anyone to fulfil a task that they would not do themselves? How many share their wealth and privileges with others and treat all individuals and races the same? Too often our leaders have no respect for, or belief in, the Lord God, and instead of venerating Him they create power structures for themselves. Do they not realise that He alone has allowed them to be who and what they are?

Israel is an example to all leaders and nations. If they obey God and serve Him and seek His ways, they will be blessed. If they turn their backs on Him and become obsessed with their own power and ability, they will be cursed. Sometimes this happens very quickly, on other occasions it plays out over decades, but the end result is the same, the Lord withdraws His hand and oppression, calamity and sorrow are the result. Just look at so-called Great Britain today, the greatest empire the world has ever seen is now a shadow of its former self. Let us be humble and obedient before the Lord our God and treat others with the respect and dignity that they deserve. In this way we escape God’s condemnation and will not wander in a trackless waste!

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