Psalm 146:3 "Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save. "
Reading through Chronicles brings such a flurry of emotions. Kings start out honoring God, then fall to their pride. Their beginnings are so far from how they end. I began to think of how easy it is to follow a man who displays bravery like Gideon. God used him as His servant, but the people who followed him wanted him to become their king, Judges 8:22-29. Gideon reminded the people, "I won't be your king, and my son won't be king either. Only the LORD is your ruler." But they still fell into idolatry trying to worship after Gideon. They put their trust in a human, forgetting whatever that human was used for is attributed to God alone. He should have been praised, but they kept their eyes on a man.
Even when Israel lived under the rule of God without a human monarch, they demanded a man to lead them. Why is it so difficult for us to follow God alone? Why do we put men in His place? We are continually won over by personality, intelligence, and appearance. God says, "Do not consider ... appearance... For the LORD sees not as man sees: Man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart." This verse tells us God knows we look at outward things, not as He looks at a person. Are we set up to fail? Of course not! As easily as humans are manipulated, it almost seems like we might be set up to fail. But we know God has given us victory in His Son. We need to apply victory through knowledge and application of His Word. That is the exclusive win column.
People are prone to fail. This is true. The only thing we can be sure of is the consistency of The LORD and the gullibility of our human nature. Let's look at one of Judah's kings, Amaziah. His father, King Joash, was murdered on his bed. When Amaziah became king, he killed only those who assassinated his dad. He walked in the integrity of God's law by not killing the children or grandchildren of the men who assassinated his dad. He led Judah to victory in war against Seir. Men like King Amaziah, who are brave, trust God, and stand against their enemies, are easy to follow. Blindly we can become enamored with their resume. Maybe that is actually with eyes wide open; we become groupies.
God's Word warns us how to protect ourselves from trusting in humans to a place where we give up our discernment. So many follow other humans to a place where they lose themselves. When they depend on a man, they can easily be deceived or stumble with them if they fall. Though Amaziah was brave and obedient to God, with honorable traits to respect, this is how his rule ended. After war with the Edomites, he was not careful to keep his eyes on The LORD. "He brought the gods of the men of Seir and set them up as his gods and worshiped them, making offerings to them, 2 Chronicles 25:14." There were consequences. You can go to that chapter and read it all yourself.
When we put our hope in a man that falls, where will that leave us? I've seen so many people hurt or betrayed by someone they valued or sadly idolized, and their entire lives were torn apart. How can you know your trust is in God and not in a human?
You are willing to examine things the person you respect says, and if they are not in line with God's Word, you follow what is true over the person, Acts 17:11.
You are willing to see errors in the person you respect and, if necessary, call them out. Galatians 2:11-21 You don't go looking for errors, but if they are spotted, you act with grace, but you act.
You pray that the person you respect and trust continues to walk with the LORD and that they would be aware of the possibility of pride, Proverbs 16:18.
Remember, men and women can start off so amazing in ministry and then find themselves like Amaziah, moving from dependence on God to idols. That is why we should only trust in God. While we can respect men and women who God uses to give us spiritual victories, we can never put our total weight on those who cannot save. There is no one among those you trust and respect who can save you. Jesus alone brought us salvation and gave us the victory through His resurrection. He alone is worthy of our worship. No human should ever be trusted like we trust God.
God's Word reminds us to be careful not to put our trust in humans no matter how brave, handsome, wise, or great a leader. Everyone is capable of falling. Only God can be fully trusted not to fail. That is where our hope and trust lie and where we will not be disappointed.
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