Respecting Authority - Exposing Darkness

Hi Everyone,

I am writing today about a vision that speaks of two important topics: respecting authority and exposing darkness. The fear of God is highly connected to authority because God is the highest authority. And the authority of God is made known to us through his Word - the Bible. It is his will expressed in written form. It is the primary authority that we use to determine his will when we are seeking his guidance. And of course we want to communicate with him directly, to receive guidance in prayer. But without the fear of God, and the inner witness of the Holy Spirit, we may not understand the importance of knowing the Word of God. We are to respect all authorities for the Word declares that all authority is God given. Therefore all authorities deserve our respect: teachers, pastors, government leaders and even employers. Whether it is a stop sign or a tax form, they are authorities ordained by God. However, any authority that commands us to go against the expressed will of God, we are not to follow. Jesus taught his disciples saying:

“The scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So practice and observe everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy, burdensome loads and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.” Matthew 23:2-4

We may become offended by those in authority, and refuse to go to church. But it is always best to see things from God’s perspective, and the Word of God does that for us. It is the only book that comes with its own tutor - The Holy Spirit!

So in this post we will see what the Lord says about respecting authority and exposing darkness.

“The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”  Proverbs 9:10

The Vision

The Bald Head

While praying, I received a vision of the top of a man’s head.  It was entirely bald and covered with age spots.  Obviously the man was advanced in years, but what was the Lord showing me?

One of the first things we think of that comes with age is wisdom. Gray hair is usually a sign given to represent wisdom. However, in the vision there was no gray hair, but there were certainly age spots.

This vision reminded me of a neighbor and friend. He is an older man, frail with age, covered in age spots and Jewish. So far he and his wife are not interested in hearing the gospel. They want my prayers, and are thankful when they see God’s provision, but they are not willing to talk or listen. But I continue to trust God for their salvation and acceptance of Jesus as their Messiah.

When contemplating the meaning of the vision, the story of the Prophet Elisha came to mind. If you remember, he was Elijah’s assistant, who asked for a double portion of his anointing, which he received when  he saw Elijah being taken up to heaven in a whirlwind. 

Elisha then picked up Elijah’s cloak that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan.  He took the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and struck the water with it. “Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” he asked.  When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over.

The company of the prophets from Jericho, who were watching, said, “The spirit of Elijah is resting on Elisha.” And they went to meet him and bowed to the ground before him.  2 Kings 2:13-15

Elisha was immediately honored by the company of the prophets from Jericho, because they saw the power of Elijah resting on Elisha.  They showed their respect by bowing down to the ground.  They gave honor to one who deserves honor, as scripture directs:

Pay everyone what you owe him: taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.  Romans 13:7

But this next story concerning Elisha is what I wanted to share with you:

From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some boys came out of the town and jeered at him. “Get out of here, baldy!” they said. “Get out of here, baldy!”  He turned around, looked at them and called down a curse on them in the name of the Lord. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys.  And he went on to Mount Carmel and from there returned to Samaria.  2 Kings 2:23-25

It is hard to imagine a group of more than forty-two “little boys,” (Hebrew - na’arim qatanim means “little boys”- not youths) that taunted and jeered a prophet like Elisha.  They were obviously not taught by their parents to show him and other prophets respect.  Their disrespect may be a manifestation of what I call the “mob mind” at work.  People are willing do things as a group where they feel empowered by agreement, that they would never consider doing on their own.  

Nonetheless, Elisha responded with a correction that they would never forget.  He called down a curse upon them in the name of the Lord.  He had full authority and the full backing of the Lord in this, for by insulting and jeering the prophet of God, they were insulting and jeering God himself.  Elisha honored the name of the Lord, and called down this curse to demonstrate the power of God to defend his name. The Lord’s name and anything pertaining to him is to be honored and praised. This is the same reason David challenge Goliath, for the giant dishonored the armies of the living God, declaring that the God of Israel was powerless against him.

David’s words were strong. He had the confidence and backing of the Lord God behind him.

 David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.  This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.” 1 Samuel 17: 45-47

For this same reason, Jesus overturned the tables of the money changers in the Temple. They were dishonoring God by setting up shop in the courts of His Holy Temple, where his name was to be worshiped, and where people came to to seek him in prayer. Jesus made whip and drove them out.

In the temple courts He found men selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and money changers seated at their tables. So He made a whip out of cords and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle. He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those selling doves He said, “Get these out of here! How dare you turn My Father’s house into a marketplace!”

His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for Your house will consume Me.”

John 2:14-17

Elisha was zealous for God. But the children did not honor the Lord God nor his prophet. There was no fear of God in these children. After this encounter they would never forget that God has the power to defend his own name. God did not allow them to be killed for the scripture said that forty-two of them were mauled.  This brings into question how large was the actual group? If forty two could be attacked and mauled by only two bears, you would think that only a few children would have been mauled and the majority of them would have escaped.  But I believe that the Lord wanted to teach each of them what their parents failed to teach.  

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.”  Hosea 4:6

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”  Proverbs 22:6

After such an experience, they will forever understand what it means to fear God.  Jesus himself taught people to fear God, rather than fear man.

“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”  Matthew 10:28

 This is the seriousness by which the gospel needs to be preached.  Without a fear of God, people continue to go their own way and do their own thing, without concern for any consequences.  Many people have a wrong perception of God. They see him as one who winks at sin, reasoning that if they haven’t been struck by lightning, they must be okay. Unfortunately many people believe that they are automatically forgiven, because they said a quick prayer. But salvation comes to those who have the desire to change their ways and live for God. Repentance means “to change one’s mind.“

Paul in the Book of Acts, understood God’s authority and corrected himself before the Sanhedrin.

Paul looked directly at the Sanhedrin and said, “Brothers, I have conducted myself before God in all good conscience to this day.”

At this, the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth.

Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit here to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that I be struck.”

But those standing nearby said, “How dare you insult the high priest of God!”

“Brothers,” Paul replied, “I was not aware that he was the high priest, for it is written: ‘Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.’”  Acts 23:1-5

Paul knew the Word of God, so he was able to correct himself. We can do things that dishonor God when we do not know his Word.  Some passages of scripture are of great importance.  Here is an example:

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven.  Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’

Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’  Matthew 7:21-23

Attending church, is not synonymous with being saved.  A pastor years ago, was famous for saying, “Just because you are in the garage, doesn’t make you a car.”  So it is reasonable to say that just because we sit in the pews and listen to sermons, doesn’t make us Christians.  Jesus said, those that do the will of the Father will enter the kingdom of God.  There are many false teachings and ideas that we have embraced simply because they were opinions taught as doctrine, rather than the actual teachings of Christ and the anointed words of scripture.

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.  You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?  Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.  Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  Therefore by their fruits you will know them.”  Matthew 7:15-20

What I have shared thus far were my first thoughts after having received the vision of the bald head.  So I continued praying, asking the Lord to show me more about the vision.  I opened the Bible and saw near the top of the page, the heading: “Mordecai Uncovers a Conspiracy.”

Mordecai Uncovers a Conspiracy

This story takes place after the Babylonian empire was overtaken by the Persians, and the Jewish exiles were sent to Susa, Persia. Mordecai a Jew, was Queen Esther’s uncle who had raised her from childhood.  Queen Esther’s ancestral identity was kept a secret from the king. One day Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate when he overheard a plot to assassinate King Xerxes.  

But Mordecai found out about the plot and told Queen Esther, who in turn reported it to the king, giving credit to Mordecai.  And when the report was investigated and found to be true, the two officials were impaled on poles.  All this was recorded in the book of the annals in the presence of the king.  Esther 2:22-23

Through this event Mordecai had proven himself to be a loyal subject and a trustworthy man to the king.  By this Esther was also shown to be loyal and trustworthy to her husband.

Now on the same page in my Bible, there was a second heading entitled: Haman’s Plot to Destroy the Jews.” 

Haman’s Plot to Destroy the Jews

Haman, a man second to the king, was annoyed with Mordecai, a Jew who would not bow down to him.  He decided to present a plan to the king which falsely accused the Jews of undermining his authority. This plan called for the King to authorize a day for all the subjects in his empire to slaughter the Jews living amongst them. 

Haman was successful in his deception, for the king authorization this plan and made it known to all his subjects.  He sent announcements to every province in every language, so that all would participate, and the annihilation of the Jews would be complete.

However, Mordecai and Esther knew they had to expose Haman’s evil plot if they were to save the Jews.  Esther went before the king, without his direct invitation, which could have led to her death, for anyone who approached the throne without invitation was in jeopardy of losing his life.  But God gave her favor with the king and the evil plot was exposed and thwarted.  The Jews were saved by the grace of God and by her willingness to place herself in God’s hands.

Mordecai’s loyalty was brought into the light and he was given Haman’s position as second to the king.  Justice was served: Haman was hung on the gallows that he had built for Mordecai.  Esther was content knowing that God had used her to save her people, and in the process she had captured her husband’s heart.

I believe that the Lord was showing me that the bald head in the vision represents things that need to be uncovered and exposed.  Mordecai exposed the plot to assassinate the king. And Esther exposed her true identity as a Jew, in defense of her people. She exposed Haman’s wicked plan so that the tables were turned from the intended destruction of the Jews, to the destruction of those who plotted to kill them.

The Lord uses visions and other means of communication to speak to us of what is important. So the vision of the bald head, was to point to the story of Mordecai and Esther.

He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God. 1 Corinthians 4:5

The Lord wants everything that is hidden to be brought into the light. People generally hide things that might bring shame, embarrassment, or ruin. Because of the fear of man and the fear of exposure, many things remain in secret.   The bald head was fully exposed. It is God’s intention to expose the very things that we try to hide. The devil uses shame and guilt and the fear of exposure to keep us in bondage. But by bringing these things into the light, we break the devil’s ability to use them against us .

Have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.  For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.  But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for everything that is illuminated becomes a light itself. Ephesians 5:11-13

Everything that is sinful or evil needs to be uncovered and exposed to the light.  Every wicked plan and every scheme of the enemy needs to be thwarted, destroyed and rendered ineffective. We want to see God’s perfect will and his justice to prevail. If we truly want to see corruption and wickedness curtailed, then we need to pray that whatever is hidden in darkness be brought to the light, and every evil plan and deed exposed.

We are told in scripture to pray for the leaders of our government, so that we can live in peace.

First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be offered for everyone— for kings and all those in authority—so that we may lead tranquil and quiet lives in all godliness and dignity. This is good and pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:1-4

We pray that all leaders and people of influence in our government will have the fear of God and that those who oppose God, will have a divine encounter with the Holy Spirit and be forever changed.  We also pray for those who will not change, to no longer be in positions of power and influence.  We pray that all elected positions and appointed positions in government be filled by God fearing men and women who love this country and its people, and who will serve faithfully without compromise.

The Lord wants everyone to come to the saving knowledge of him.  He wants none to be lost.  He is also a just God and wants to show mercy where there is repentance.  We know that without repentance and the precious blood of Jesus, no one can be saved.

Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.  Proverbs 28:13

So it behooves us, to confess our sins and expose the things that are shameful to us, for the devil lurks where there is hidden sin. The devil will use shame and guilt to torment us.  He will use the fear of exposure, the fear of man, (“what will people think?”)  to keep us in bondage.  When an impediment to our relationship with the Lord is brought into the light, we are released from the devil’s grip.  He cannot torment us with something that is already known.  When we are forgiven, the devil no longer has a foothold.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  1 John 1:9

God’s ways are higher than our ways!  He knows the enemy and the traps he sets for us. But God’s plans are greater, he wants us to have an abundant life.

”I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  Jeremiah 29:11

The Lord asks us to trust him, and when we do, he works out everything for our benefit.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.  Romans 8:28

Because we are called according to his purpose, He empowers us with the Holy Spirit to be faithful and to do his will.  

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.  Proverbs 3:5-6 

Let’s submit to God’s authority and commit ourselves to his purpose.  When we need help, he will be there for us for he is forever faithful!

Please share this post with others.  God bless you!