The Lust For Power: How Politics And Personal Relations Become One Essa

The Lust For Power How Politics and Personal Relations sour OneThe stories of the Bible reveal a pattern of ups and downs for thenation of Israel. A period of prosperity, faithfulness and fearing God wouldalmost always be followed by a period of destitution, lawlessness and idolatry.This recurring cycle can be linked to political authority, and the level ofseparation of political authority from other influences. The successful clamber for liberation under the leadership of Moses and the glorious conquestof Canaan under Joshua instilled a fresh breeze of hope and a renewed faith inGod in the nation of Israel. Guided by God, the nation of Israel met withunprecedented success as they journeyed to the promised land. During this time,political authority among the Israelites rested in the hands of patriarchs, orprominent members within the tribes. These men were righteous figures ofauthority, chosen by God, to lead His people and to teach His ways. The successthat swept over the Israelit es was short-lived, however, and for the next two blow years the people of Israel struggled against neighboring tribes. Thenew generation of Israelites knew neither the Lord nor what he did for Israel(Judges 210). They began to do evil in the eyes of the Lord by worshippingother gods and engaging in various sexual activities. To save His people fromtheir enemies and from their evil ways, God raised up strains to rescue them(Judges 216). These so-called judges had the political authority vested inthem to lead the people of Israel and to save them from their sins. Theymobilized the people of Israel against invasions of the tribes all around them.At this time, the nation of Israel was nothing more than a loose confederationof twelve tribes. Israel had no key authority, which meant no unity, noorganization and no power. During the period of the judges, there was no needfor a central government, because the people of Israel were able to defend theirtribal territories effectively agai nst adjoining peoples. Whenever there was athreat from a neighboring tribe, God sent a judge to lead the Israelites againsttheir enemies. As this era came to an end, however, the Israelites were facedwith a much larger problem - the Philistines military threat. As theIsraelites were elimina... ... fighting for it. The judges were sent to lead the Israelites intimes of need and emergency. Their leadership was only ephemeral, and thus notone of them were able to gain an exorbitant amount of political power. Whenthe period of the monarchy was firmly in place, however, there was a system ofsuccession of power. Even before the king muttered his last words, there werepeopleeagerly waiting in line to take his place. And if that wasnt enough,people were plotting against the king in hopes of succeeding the throne, evenhis own sons. This feature of the period of the monarchy allowed for the mixingand intertwining of politics and personal relations. The use of women assymbols of power and do minance became abundant as kings challenged theprospective successors, and as prospective successors challenged the kings.Events took place that can be compared to episodes of TV soap operas or MelrosePlace. Politics and personal relations became interrelated, and above all else,the underlying reason was power. As people began to lust for power, for wealth,and for recognition, the association of the two became imminent, and theseparation of the two became impossible.