There is a verse in the Bible that reads: "In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes." At times it might seem rather attractive to live in a land 'with no king' where you can do whatever seems right to you. Unfortunately, this didn't work out so well for Israel. This was a time of lawlessness and turmoil for the country. Nickie Gumble of Alpha fame, writes about having to take over the referring of a boy's soccer match when the proper referee was delayed. The problem was that he didn't really know the rules, nor did he have a whistle to call the infractions. In little time the game was bedlam with injuries and arguments all over the field. Everyone was miserable. Thankfully the referee arrived, and with restored order and leadership the game progressed properly and the boys had a great time. His point was that proper regulations don't rob us of our fun, they provide the necessary framework to experience peace and enjoyment.
We sometimes chaff with government rules and regulations. Yet we have seen how Wall Street and resource development can quickly go astray when there is a lack of regulation. We are outraged when 800 people die because of poor building regulations in Bangladesh. We wonder if there might need to be further regulations in our own country when we find that the workers making clothes for our large companies, are working for pennies a day. Obviously, we all need accountability. Without it, society quickly falls apart to greed and self-interest. And so, God calls on us to pray for and respect those in government. In turn, those in government are reminded that they too are accountable - to Him, who is the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings.
