In the book of 1 Samuel, God summarizes the life of King Ahab and his wife Jezebel.

"Ahab, son of Omri, became king of Israel, and ... did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than anyof those before him. He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jereboam..., but he also married Jezebel ... and began to serve Baal and worship him... he did more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger than did all the kings of Israel before... There was never a man like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, urged on by his wife Jezebel."

God wrote several chapters in the Bible to tell us about King Ahab and his wife Jezebel. Why do you think God went to the trouble to tell us so much about this crooked and corrupt politician - and his equally crooked and corrupt wife? Clearly, God wanted us to learn lessons from their example of evil, that sin has consequences, that you reap what you sow, that we can't defy justice, that the truth eventually comes to light.

Likewise, there are lessons that God is trying to teach us from our current political powers that be and the scandals surrounding them. There are scriptures that He is confirming and to which He pointing us even as you are hearing me speak. Let me read a few of them to you...

• "Thou shall not commit adultery." Exodus 20:14

• "You can buy an hour with a whore for a loaf of bread, but a wanton woman may well eat you alive. Can you build a fire in your lap and not burn your pants? Can you walk barefoot on hot coals and not get blisters? It's the same when you have sex with your neighbor's wife: Touch her and you'll pay for it. No excuses." Proverbs 6:23-29

• "Then, there's this other woman, Madame Whore - brazen, emptyheaded, frivolous. She... calls out... 'I'll show you a good time! No one will ever know -I'll show you the time of your life.' But they don't know about all the skeletons in her closet, that all her guests end up in hell." Pr. 9:13-18

• "There's a way of life that looks harmless enough; look again - it leads straight to hell. Sure, those people appear to having a good time, but all that laughter will end in heartbreak." Pr. 14:12

• "Good leaders abhor wrongdoing of all kinds; sound leadership has a moral foundation. Good leaders cultivate honest speech; they love advisors who tell them the truth." Pr. 16:12-13

• "We don't expect eloquence from fools, nor do we expect lies from our leaders." Pr. 17:7

• "Perjury won't go unpunished. Would you let a liar go free?" Pr. 19:5

• "The person who tells lies gets caught..." Pr. 19:9

• "The Lord will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts." 1 Cor. 4:5

• "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account." Heb. 4:12-13

• "Do not be deceived. God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit will reap eternal life." Gal. 6:7-8

• "But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars - their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfer. This is the second death." Rev. 21:8

The scriptures explain themselves. They stand on their own merit. Experience proves them to be true. I don't need to elaborate. I let you make your own application.

From your friends at the Cherryvale Church of Christ, this is Stan Bryan reminding you that there is a God and his word always comes true!