Kakampi Mo Ang Batas
Atty. Batas Mauricio
“…Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all…” –Mark 10:43-44
The recent appointments made by President Rodrigo Duterte, Menardo Guevarra to head the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Oscar Albayalde as director of the Philippine National Police (PNP), are truly admirable. There is nothing derogatory that can be said against either one, leaving the country to revel in their new positions.
What I would like to see now (hoping it is brought to the attention of the two newly-minted officials, along with anybody else appointed by the president) is better compliance and obedience with the standards set by the Bible for officials and leaders.
The first requires having the spirit of God, which is found in Genesis 41:1-40. The verse tells the story of the seven-year famine that struck Egypt. This famine was prophesied in a series of dreams that came to the king (or pharaoh) of Egypt, which, initially, were not understood by anyone except Joseph, one of the 12 sons of Jacob.
After Joseph, the dreamer, clarified what the dreams were about, he explained to the king what must be done by the people to overcome the famine. Joseph said the king must choose someone to manage the country; someone gifted with discernment and “in whom the Spirit of God dwells.”
The king took a hard look at Joseph and saw there was discernment in him – precisely because the Spirit of God was in him.
Then and there, the king appointed Joseph as Egypt’s second ruler, with the primary duty of preparing for the famine. With Joseph at the helm, second only to the king and under the guidance of God, Egyptians prevailed against the hunger.
The second standard of a good leader is shown in Exodus 18:13-23, with the promise made to Moses by his father-in-law, Jethro. He saw Moses was alone in settling disputes among the Israelites and in running the affairs of his countrymen, so he gave his son-in-law, what he believed to be, qualities of a good leader.
The first quality Exodus 18 mentions is to possess a fear of God. The second is a distaste or disdain for wrongful financial gain or benefit.
In my readings of the Bible, I saw what is meant by “fear of God” and distaste for wrongful financial gain. In Ecclesiastes 12:13, King Solomon, or the king who had no equal in intellect among preceding and succeeding monarchs, clarified, the duty of mankind is to fear God and obey all His commands.
This means it is necessary for men and women to know the commandments (through reading the Bible), and to obey everything written in them.
Jesus prohibited, on the other hand, the accumulation of riches, or wealth of the world, by any man because it brought destruction and doomed the wealthy to hell (Matthew 16:26).
1 Timothy 6:10 also clarified, the love of money is the root of all evil, which brings nothing but misfortune.
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If anyone would like to ask me questions about the burning issues of the day, what we have discussed here, or to consult on a problem, please call 0917-984-2468, email at batasmauricio@yahoo.com, or post your concerns at facebook.com/attybatas. Promise, I will answer right away. Thank God in the Name of Jesus, Amen!/WDJ