Counsel

Proverbs 25:4-5

Take away the dross from the silver, and the smith has material for a vessel;

Take away the wicked from the presence of the king, and his throne will be established in righteousness.

The Covid response from the leaders of the world was bad. From China were they withheld information to allow themselves time to get resources to the President Trump who fast tracked a vaccine with questionable results to the current administration that forced vaccination on as many as it could. The latest pandemic was a failure by people to hold some things more valuable than their future. Freedom of Speech was less valuable than government propaganda for your safety. The right to make choices about your healthcare was revoked to any number of government or corporate organizations. The response to Covid was a failure and all parties know it and attempt to spin their minor failures as significant successes. The World Health Organization is not immune from failure in this endeavor as they highlighted and encouraged draconian Chinese measures as the gold standard for response. Now those who implemented those measures are left seeking “pandemic amnesty” for their crimes against their neighbors.

Seeing the plethora of failures and wanting to learn the lessons needed The World Health Organization (WHO), is seeking to double down. They have formulated a draft that would seek to give them more sway in any future pandemic. Helping them to coordinate response more effectively and thereby avert future pandemics from growing to such proportions. They are basically saying the issue was not our corruption or our totalitarian response, the issue was we were not given enough control. To do our job effectively we need more power. As the latest in “impartial” journalism comes to the plate to defend this direction it must be noted what defense is being made. First alleviating fears by saying it is “only a draft”, no sovereignty will be lost, they are only seeking to be a guide, and any who contradict this are “conservative outlets misleading” the public. The Associated Press then sites a leading “scientist” that has worked for the WHO before.

I think it false to accept all of what they say at face value, but for a thought experiment let's assume it is “just a guide” that is really at issue. Ahithophel was just a guide for Absalom. He gave him wise and discerning counsel that would have won the kingdom. Hushai was also merely a counselor and his counsel thwarted Absalom and preserved David as King. WHO your counselors are is the direst of decisions. Are they wise and discerning, seeking righteousness, and having a proven track record? Absalom allowed Hushai, his father’s friend, to have sway and it ended in Absalom’s death. Even if your counsel has no direct power, they will control the outcome.

If this nation wishes to long endure it will not be by allowing foreign entities and institutions to guide its policies. The same holds true for our churches. If Churches wish to preserve for themselves a place they must not abandon the counsel that is good for those that have proven themselves adverse to it. The Church must look to scripture and the counsel of Godly men. The answer to a failed grab for power is not to hand over more but diminish what power and influence it had. If the church listened too closely to “church leaders” that detested the assembly and loved the acclaim of the talking heads on TV they need to diminish their influence and seek out better counsel.

If you wish to thrive in the Huxley’s Brave New World, you must take away the dross. If your employer was one who thought it had the right to your body, you should investigate saving accounts and other employers. Do not forget that those who have taken power wish to take more.

A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;

Our helper he, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing.

Cruce, Dum Spiro, Fido