*The Bible has many mentioning of Elders all through the Old and the New Testaments. One of the earliest terms was used in Numbers 11: 16 and Deuteronomy 27:1 when Moses was told by his father In-law to appoint elders. Primarily, elders are trusted worthy people of Israelites appointed for special duties. All of them might not be very old people. Some could be moderately young people but with great wisdom and knowledge of leadership. This is because, the elders at the gate are people who decide and supervise general matters concerning the entire people in the city. By these contents, the elders are not merely old people, but those with impeccable characters loaded with wisdoms of knowledge. In Israel, there are specially built space at the entrance of the city major gates where elders meet for meetings on judicial, social, economic, political and religious matters.
The Elders at the gate are those with leadership acumen, saddled with the responsibilities of judging the people on civil matters, communicate to the people the decisions made concerning them, and administer the law of God on the people. Another responsibility of Elders at the gate is decision making and applying wisdom on the lives of the people in resolving conflicts, giving directions and of course, overseeing the orderly society of God’s people, and of course, the people in the city. In the New Testament, elders are to teach, preach, feed, protect and nature the people under them (1 Tim. 3: 2; 5: 17).
Today’s devotional looks into what elders in the gates ought to be in every community, nation and religious groups. We must all agree that God’s governmental organisations in the Bible are applicable to secular governments of communities, towns and nations. The Bible tells us to pray for people in government, that no one ascends the leadership positions except God makes it possible (Rom. 13:1; 1 Tim. 2: 1- 2). By this postulation, every leader heading any nation, city, community, religious groups, political parties and organizations are elders, and must handle their affairs entrusted to them according to God’s patterns. If this is true, people’s good interests are to be the major focus of leaders ruling over people in any society. Where there are shifts of purposes or dangerous deviations by the elders in governance, God is likely to judge them. The next series of this devotional will attempt touching what elders of any group, society, government, religious group are meant to do.
PRAYER:
Pray that God brings back what He intends elders to do to their various people under them into their memories in the name of Jesus Christ.
POSITIVE DECLARATION:
I am born to rule, I will lead my people according to God’s patterns and not by my own patterns in Jesus name.
bishopubaudenyi@hopealivechurch