What will be the fate of today’s corrupt leaders?
Throughout the history of the world, there have been too many times to count when corrupt leaders were in charge of companies and institutions, and on a larger scale, entire countries.
When you look at what’s going on in the world today, it’s easy to see who you think the corrupt leaders are, getting away with terrible and immoral actions, without suffering any consequences.
The ironic thing is that someone else might think the leader, whom you consider to be corrupt, to be an outstanding example of what a true leader, standing for principle, should be. And the leader you think is outstanding, they think of as corrupt.
Lately, I’ve been praying for world leaders, whether or not I personally approve of what they say and do. My prayer is for God to open their eyes, guide them to do what is right, and if needed, rebuke them in a way that will bring them into line with the moral and spiritual laws taught by Jesus.
Corrupt leaders in the Bible
We’re going to look at some examples in the Bible where various leaders clearly lived and governed in disobedience to God. We’ll look at the eventual consequences of their actions.
The first example of a corrupt leader in the Bible that comes to mind is Ahab, King of Israel.
This is what the Bible has to say about King Ahab.
In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria over Israel twenty-two years. Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the LORD than any of those before him. He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him. He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria. Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to arouse the anger of the LORD, the God of Israel, than did all the kings of Israel before him. 1 Kings 16:29-33 NIV
Now, there may have been people in King Ahab’s court that thought he was a good king for whatever reason. But the Bible makes it pretty clear Ahab was not living in obedience to God.
And in case you didn’t notice, he was king of Israel for 22 years. That’s a long time. Imagine living during those 22 years when the head of your nation openly breaks God’s commandments and there’s nothing you can do about it.
An honest prayer
You’d probably be asking God the exact question found in
How long, LORD, shall the wicked—
How long shall the wicked triumph? Psalm 94:3 NASB 20
But in the scope of history, 22 years is not a very long period of time. And whatever you’re dealing with because of your country’s corrupt leaders, however long it’s been going on, there will eventually be a shift toward the moral and spiritual standards of honesty, integrity, and love.
The interesting thing to me is that as soon as Ahab, the epitome of disobedience to God, appears on the scene, God sends the perfect antidote to Ahab’s evil ways in the prophet Elijah, who represents the righteousness of obedience to God.
In the very next verse after Ahab is mentioned, Elijah appears on the scene to confront Ahab. That’s in 1 Kings Chapter 17:1.
God’s antidote for corrupt leaders
It may appear to us that Elijah came out of nowhere and is suddenly showing up as a great prophet of the Lord. But God had been preparing Elijah, probably for years, for this very moment.
I find this very encouraging that today, even though there may be corrupt leaders working their evil ways in the world, right this moment and for years, God has been and is still preparing modern day Elijah’s to stand for truth and obedience to the moral and spiritual laws of God.
God is raising up righteous men and women to stand up against the evil of today’s corrupt leaders. If God did this in Bible times, He continues to do the same today, because God’s nature doesn’t change. Is God preparing you in this way?
Corrupt leaders blame others
One of the characteristics of a corrupt leader is to blame others for the problems they created. Ahab is no exception. But Elijah turns it back on him and points out Ahab’s disobedience as the cause of Israel’s problems.
When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is this you, the cause of disaster to Israel?”
He [Elijah] said, “I have not brought disaster to Israel, but you and your father’s house have, because you have abandoned the commandments of the LORD and you have followed the Baals. 1 Kings 18:17, 18 NASB 20
A lot of what happens in the 22 years of Ahab as King isn’t included in the Bible. But closer to the end of his reign we see some of the events which lead to his downfall.
Ahab partners with Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, to go to war against Syria, or some Bible translations call this country Aram. You can read this part of the story in 1 Kings, Chapter 22.
When Ahab consults 400 of his prophets to see if he should fight Syria, they all say that God will give him the victory.
But Jehoshaphat asks if there are any other prophets to consult. The only one left is Micaiah, who eventually explains that the 400 prophets are lying to him and that if he goes to battle he will lose. Ahab doesn’t like this answer and goes to fight Aram, or Syria, anyway.
Ahab’s demise
If Ahab had had a moral and spiritual focus in life, he would have been more equipped to discern which prophet to listen to and which ones to ignore. Instead he acted on his own will and the results were not in his favor.
On the battlefield, even though he is disguised so no one will recognize him as King, an arrow shot randomly by an enemy soldier struck Ahab between a joint in his armor and he died.
It’s a sudden end to a long life of disobedience to God. His life didn’t have to end that way. At any point in his life, he could have repented and changed his ways.
In fact, King Ahab had a brief moment of repentance when Elijah confronted him directly with some of his wicked ways and the fate of his wife. You could say Elijah rubbed Ahab’s nose in his disobedience.
…it came about, when Ahab heard these words, that he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and fasted, and he lay in sackcloth and went about despondently. Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, “Do you see how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the disaster in his days; I will bring the disaster upon his house in his son’s days.” 1 Kings 21:27-29 NASB20
It seems like Ahab’s repentance was based more out of fear than a genuine desire to reform. If this momentary repentance had deepened into a completely changed heart and lifestyle, things might have turned out very differently for Ahab.
Corrupt leaders can repent
But this does show that corrupt leaders can see the error of their ways and take steps toward repentance and reformation.
This genuine repentance is something we see in another Old Testament leader, Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon. He had seen the power of God to deliver Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the fiery furnace. He had seen Daniel’s ability to interpret his dreams, but he still was full of kingly pride in his own personal abilities and power as a supreme ruler and king.
In a second dream Daniel interpreted for the king, he saw Nebuchadnezzar losing his kingdom and living as a wild animal, completely apart from human society. And this is what happened. Separated from all his power and authority, Nebuchadnezzar had plenty of time to contemplate all he had seen God do. He finally was restored to his right mind and reestablished as king in Babylon.
But he had changed. He now gave God the glory he had once assumed for himself. He was able to proclaim:
“Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt, and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are true and His ways just; and He is able to humble those who walk in pride.” Daniel 4:37 NASB20
This is a beautiful example of a leader living in pride of position and power who repented, changed his ways, and gave God the honor due to Him.
What if King Ahab had repented and reformed to the degree Nebuchadnezzar did? His fate would have been very different.
There are so many other examples in the Old Testament of corrupt leaders and kings who refused to turn from their evil ways of disobedience to God and eventually faced the consequences.
Corrupt leaders in the New Testament
But there are also some examples in the New Testament, one in particular, of a king who was far from living in obedience to God.
I’m thinking specifically of Herod Agrippa I, who ruled in Judea from about AD 41 to 44. And just so you know, this is not Herod the Great who killed all the baby boys in Bethlehem in an attempt to kill baby Jesus. Nor is it Herod Antipas, who reigned during Jesus’s ministry and had John the Baptist beheaded.
Herod Agrippa I is mentioned in the book of Acts as persecuting the early Christian church.
Now about that time Herod the king laid hands on some who belonged to the church, to do them harm. And he had James the brother of John executed with a sword. When he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter as well. Acts 12:1-3 NASB20
Herod’s fate is recorded in the book of Acts and is confirmed by Josephus, an early church historian.
Now he [Herod Agrippa] was very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon; and with one mind they came to him, and having won over Blastus the king’s chamberlain, they were asking for peace, because their country was supported with grain from the king’s country.
On an appointed day, after putting on his royal apparel, Herod took his seat on the rostrum and began delivering an address to them. The people repeatedly cried out, “The voice of a god and not of a man!”
And immediately an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and died. Acts 12:20-23 NASB20
What if Herod had repented?
Here again is an example of someone, who has consistently lived in disobedience to God, the culmination of which was persecution of the early Christians. Then when the people who heard his speech referred to him as a god, instead of giving the glory to God, he took it for himself.
Unlike Nebuchadnezzar, Herod did not repent and was not restored to his kingdom.
Now just to be clear, I am not advocating in any way the demise of any leaders today who are living in disobedience to God. I pray for them to repent and turn from their lives of disobedience to God. I pray God will open their eyes and hearts to live the life Jesus calls them to.
I honestly believe that no one, not even the most corrupt leaders, is beyond redemption. But it requires the spirit of humility, seeing the error of their ways, and changing how they live their lives.
How did Jesus deal with corrupt leaders?
Jesus encountered corrupt leaders. Most of them did not respond to his call for moral and spiritual reformation, but one in particular did.
Zacchaeus was one of the head tax collectors, who were notorious for charging more money than was due, and getting rich off the difference. He was despised for this, along with all the other tax collectors.
But Zacchaeus had a very unique encounter with Jesus, which changed the course of his life.
Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:1-10 NIV
I absolutely love this story because of the way Jesus ministers to Zacchaeus. Here’s one of the many corrupt leaders of Jesus’s day, and after talking with Jesus, completely repents and leaves behind his dishonest ways.
Why other corrupt leaders didn’t repent
Why didn’t other corrupt leaders in society at the time follow suit? The difference appears to be that they wanted to hold onto power. In the case of the religious leaders, they were afraid Jesus would cause so much trouble that Rome would take away what little power and authority they had.
Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin. “What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man [Jesus] performing many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.” John 11:47, 48 NIV
Many of these religious leaders had seen Jesus heal time and time again. But instead of realizing their need for his message, they felt threatened by it and plotted to do away with him.
The difference with Zacchaeus was that he had become dissatisfied with the hollow victory of getting rich through dishonest business practices. When he heard of Jesus and the amazing things he was doing, instead of getting defensive, he was curious. He wanted to find out more. He may have had a flicker of hope that somehow Jesus could help him find true happiness. We don’t really know for sure, but something impelled him to climb that sycamore tree to get a glimpse of Jesus.
Jesus read that situation as an open invitation to talk to and share his good news of the kingdom of heaven with Zacchaeus.
Jesus’s rebuke of corrupt leaders
Everything Jesus said and did in his ministry was a rebuke to corrupt leaders. He spoke freely and consistently of being meek, being honest, loving everyone as your neighbor, and caring for those in need.
Sometimes he specifically called out corrupt leaders in the religious community for their hypocrisy. He has some choice words for the Scribes, or teachers of the Law, and the Pharisees.
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.” Matthew 23:23-28 NIV
And this is just part of his condemnation of their hypocrisy as corrupt leaders.
Important questions
You’re probably thinking: Hey James, I hear everything you’re saying about corrupt leaders and how they will eventually be removed from their positions of power, but what am I supposed to do in the meantime? How can I pray that the evil influences of corrupt leaders won’t have any power over me? And how can I pray for the world to be delivered from the spirit of disobedience to God so evident in many leaders today?
Wow, those are some great questions, and I don’t know that I have the perfect answers to all of them.
My heartfelt suggestion for you and me both is to take very seriously Jesus’s teachings and to the best of our ability, put them into practice in our own daily lives. Start with the Sermon on the Mount and the two great commandments to love God and love your neighbor as yourself.
It’s easy to criticize and judge corrupt leaders whether in your own or another country. But Jesus tells us to pray for our enemies and those who abuse us. I take that command/request very much to heart. I hope you will too. Pray for the people in power who are not living in obedience to God’s commandments. And by the way, pray for those who are as well. They need all the help they can get.
Your prayers are important
Pray for all leaders to have the spirit of Zacchaeus, which wants to see and know Jesus better, which is willing to embrace and follow Christ in their personal lives as well as their public lives and positions of power.
Pray for God to open the eyes of corrupt leaders and see the error of their ways and not defend their sins, but be open to a more righteous and spiritual approach to governing.
And don’t be too impressed when it seems like corrupt leaders are overly successful and continue to escape the consequences of their actions.
I find the insight in Psalm 37 very comforting:
I have seen wicked and ruthless people
flourishing like a tree in its native soil.
But when I looked again, they were gone!
Though I searched for them, I could not find them!
Look at those who are honest and good,
for a wonderful future awaits those who love peace.Psalm 37:35-37 NLT
Look into your own heart and make sure there are no dishonest or unloving tendencies lurking in the shadows in the way you treat others. Honor and support those who are honest and good.
And never underestimate the power of your prayers to help bring evil and evil doers out of their hiding places to be brought to justice and to establish in the power of God’s law of truth, love, justice, and righteousness to take their rightful place in the world.
The very best antidote to corrupt leaders is for you to shine forth the qualities of good leadership and let righteousness, justice, and love govern every thought and action. The more you lead in this way, the more your light will shine into the world and bless others.
_____________
James Early, the Jesus Mindset Coach, is a Bible teacher, speaker, and church mentor. He conducts Bible workshops online and in person. His focus is on getting back to the original Christianity of Jesus by learning to think, pray, and love like Jesus. Contact him here.
Make a donation to support the show
Listen and leave a review on
_____________
Bible References
1 Kings 16:29-33 NIV
29 In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria over Israel twenty-two years.
30 Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the LORD than any of those before him.
31 He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him.
32 He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria.
33 Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to arouse the anger of the LORD, the God of Israel, than did all the kings of Israel before him.
Psalm 94:3 NASB 20
3 How long, LORD, shall the wicked—
How long shall the wicked triumph?
1 Kings 18:17, 18 NASB 20
17 When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is this you, the cause of disaster to Israel?”
18 He [Elijah] said, “I have not brought disaster to Israel, but you and your father’s house have, because you have abandoned the commandments of the LORD and you have followed the Baals.
1 Kings 21:27-29 NASB20
27 it came about, when Ahab heard these words, that he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and fasted, and he lay in sackcloth and went about despondently.
28 Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
29 “Do you see how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the disaster in his days; I will bring the disaster upon his house in his son’s days.”
Daniel 4:37 NASB20
37 “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt, and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are true and His ways just; and He is able to humble those who walk in pride.”
Acts 12:1-3 NASB20
1 Now about that time Herod the king laid hands on some who belonged to the church, to do them harm.
2 And he had James the brother of John executed with a sword.
3 When he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter as well.
Acts 12:20-23 NASB20
20 Now he [Herod Agrippa] was very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon; and with one mind they came to him, and having won over Blastus the king’s chamberlain, they were asking for peace, because their country was supported with grain from the king’s country.
21 On an appointed day, after putting on his royal apparel, Herod took his seat on the rostrum and began delivering an address to them.
22 The people repeatedly cried out, “The voice of a god and not of a man!”
23 And immediately an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and died.
Luke 19:1-10 NIV
1 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through.
2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy.
3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd.
4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.”
6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.
10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
John 11:47, 48 NIV
47 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin. “What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man [Jesus] performing many signs.
48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.”
Matthew 23:23-28 NIV
23 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.
24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
25 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.
26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.
27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean.
28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
Psalm 37:35-37 NLT
35 I have seen wicked and ruthless people
flourishing like a tree in its native soil.
36 But when I looked again, they were gone!
Though I searched for them, I could not find them!
37 Look at those who are honest and good,
for a wonderful future awaits those who love peace.
