God and World Leaders
By Elizabeth Peltola
11th March 2026
The modern mind finds it easy to sling mud at opposing ideas. We’ve long lost the art of Christian medieval disputations –those are evident in the discussions Church Leaders enjoyed as Christian theology developed nutshell terms (like ‘Trinity’) and quick-quotables, [made up word, but makes the point].
Mud often gets flung at the feet of the Old Testament. For some reason people deem it ‘difficult’ or ‘violent’ and more bizarrely, a ‘different’ God to the New Testament. Yet, its Lord –Yahweh– is the same as the Saviour of the New. God is named very clearly in the New Testament. Check out the fabulous commissioning from Jesus of all who trust in Him to, “go and make disciples in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit…”
What is that name?
It is God’s personal name –Yahweh. More often referred to as the LORD in English Bibles. Mentioned almost 7000 times. It’s the name Jesus gave when challenged, recorded in John’s gospel chapter 8. It’s the great ‘I Am’ that many a theological treatise has worked through.
That Lord was both Saviour and judge through the Bible’s Old and New Testaments, and that Lord still works today. Hence, it seems weird when modern minds fling mud at Old Testament records of violent actions of kings, maybe even prophets, pagan worlds, and God’s people. It’s even more surprising when people take exception to God bringing destruction and death on deserving peoples. Receiving our ‘just-deserves’ is long-forgotten in many a modern mind. Though, dare confront a modern mind with differing opinion, and you are cast into a “dangerous” categorisation.
It’s strange how the ancients are not allowed to act like us today –normal human beings. Unfortunately, that means wars, cruelty, sacrifice of innocents in all sorts of ways, and corruption, none of which are birthed out of informed and measured minds. But humanity struggles to learn from the past, and repeats the sins of its fathers.
It is even more strange that modern minds think the Lord almighty should never use the sword to bring justice. Compare that to the world today where half the world currently supports a war in Eastern Europe, and the other half of the world supports the ‘other’ side. Western Christians primarily stand on one side, and Eastern usually support what we consider ’the enemy’… It all depends on the propaganda thrown our way, and our preconceived opinions, informed from the context we live in. Only the Lord knows where true fault lies, as only the Lord –Yahweh Almighty– can read the hearts and minds of everyone involved. Our current world rulers and their intentions are not hidden from ‘The LORD.’ Thankfully. That surely means only the Lord is able to know how to respond, what true justice looks like, and what is deserved. Such an informed being would also know when to grant mercy, and when true repentance has taken place.
Unlike human beings Yahweh grants mercy. We, on the other hand, tend towards retribution, and even some religious texts today encourage it. Secular minds demand it. Pagan practices sacrifice a victim for it.
That means, next time a ‘difficult’ passage of scripture is read from the Old Testament, and God’s justice leads him to wage war on a debauched people, the informed recognise the Judge is well-informed. It makes a whole lot more sense when we grasp that God’s actions –often enacted after he has come down to take a look and to speak directly with a prophet about the situation– arise from the mind of an all-powerful, informed, wise mind.
This Lord is not a Western politician. Definitely not. Even my chosen leader cannot do, nor know, what the Lord knows. Though if he/she dares acknowledge the Lord as someone who is far greater than their small political office –and they are tiny compared to the cosmos of God’s rule– then my chosen leader might glean some of the intergalactic wisdom sourced only in God.
Yahweh is not the Qur’anic Allah, who is is a very different entity. Muhammad, if he existed, and that too is now being questioned by many historians, does not represent Yahweh. His allegiance is to a god Christians do not recognise. He demands obedience alongside Allah, as many a warlord would. Muhammad, or whoever he represents, is very typical of today’s leaders, his way is nothing new. Lots of edicts, and curbing of freedoms. Unlike the Ruler of 1st Samuel before chapter 8.
Secular Lords, who adore science, only describe what Yahweh has done, to say it disqualifies or erases its creator, is most bizarre. Thankfully co-religionists, even those who belong to Allah, agree with this. And that makes up most of the world’s population. We are a religious world, as most of us recognise how the stones cry out to a greater power, a magnificent creator. Yet, too many of our leaders decide Yahweh is not for them. God to them is irrelevant. How on earth can a being who has access to all knowledge, and can see every intention of the human heart be irrelevant? The arrogance of us, when all we own is a tiny portion of a tiny planet in an expanding universe! Such leaders then wonder why their societies crumble into disarray with extremes that wound its citizens, where families breakdown, and rumours of wars increase.
Yet, the all-see-er of human hearts already laid out what happens to us when we think we know best. Our world leaders promise taxes and a need for bigger armies (1 Samuel 8). Put the Lord as leader and He protects, guides, builds, heals, forgives, redeems, makes new… Why we reject this mighty way is inexplicable, but we do.
So, when a new leader comes into power, another world ruler makes a threat, a raging wind tears the ground, floods threaten, famine grows, city centers fill with broken bodies and corrupt officials, add all those worries to your list and it will be true of somewhere in the world. Maybe your home-town. You might then do well to heed those ‘difficult’ old Testament passages that speak of the same.
The wise old mind of God –and it is very old, and very wise– might just have a clever thing or two to say. He knows the consequences of human activities, and he knows the solutions too. He knows the path through. For those who choose His way for their lives and their families, communities and societies, He rebuilds their broken streets and broken lives. He can turn utter devastation into gold-strewn streets basking in the light of His very presence. One day it will be an absolute reality. He will live with us in just such a garden-city, where we will have free access to enter heavenly gates, and walk into his throne room of humility, beauty and goodness. We can’t do that with earthly kings, prime-ministers or presidents, yet we can with the King of kings.
The path to this life, is all laid out through the whole of the scripture, seen in the man of vision in the Bible’s last book, Revelation 19, and promised in its last few verses Revelation 21-22.
So, when the modern mind next flings mud at ancient opposing ideas. The Bible’s art of wise disputations gift us all with its nutshell terms and quick-quotables needed to navigate the complexities modern standards pitch at us.
Here’s a few to ponder,
To His people: “Seek me and live”
Seek good and not evil, That you may live; So the Lord God of hosts will be with you, As you have spoken. Hate evil, love good; Establish justice in the gate. It may be that the Lord God of hosts will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph. Amos 5:14-15
Who is this Lord of Hosts, the Lord of the armies of heaven. It is Jesus (Revelation 19:1-11). It all starts with seeking Him.
This Lord met with Amos who addressed the nations in his lament of human behaviour. God’s people are not excused, when they follow the ways of ‘gods’ other than Yahweh. There is no difference when their hearts grow cold and they join depraved abusers of fellow earth-dwellers. Destruction and abuse is always the end result of appeasing other ‘gods’ whose hearts are not good, nor called love. God acted back then, and He does today. Nothing has changed. The world is still in the state it was in the days of Amos. For one reason alone… Still the peoples of the world choose human kings over the only One who remains good.
The solution?
Seek Yahweh and find life.
Seek the Lord of hosts and He will dwell with you.
Seek Him, and be at peace.