A well-known local preacher, Anthony Lusekelo, also referred to as “Mzee wa Upako“, has generated furore about his interpretation of certain verses in the Bible about government powers of abductions and murder.
He cited King Solomon’s actions toward the enemies of the state of Israel but did not cite names or verses to anchor his personal views.
Hearing his assertions, I opted to do my reading and was pleasantly satisfied that there were no such instructions as he had alluded to. This article investigates the instructions commanded by the Holy Bible over government powers on abductions and murders.
Do governments have powers to kidnap and assassinate people they deem a threat stipulated in the Holy Bible? This article digs deep on this controversy.
What Mzee wa Upako articulated was covered in 1 King 2: 1-9, albeit not in the manner he had described. It is true that King David of Israel before he died, had left handing over notes to his beloved son, King Solomon.
In those handing over notes, King David covered four issues. The first was God’s blessing on King Solomon. The second was the curse on an army chief, one Joab.
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The third was a blessing to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite. The fourth was a curse to Shimei, the son of Gera, a Benjamite from Bahurim. The blessings on King Solomon were divine assurances of ruling Israel forever subject to total obedience to God’s commandments.
The curses of top military commander Joab are related to the assassinations of two people who are more righteous than him: Amasa and Abner.
The sin of the killing of Abner is a bit confusing. Abner had murdered the brother of Joab in self-defence. Thrice, Abner had urged Asahel to leave him alone, but the youthful Asahel would not hear. So he struck him with his spear, and Asahel died.
However, Joab was aghast that his brother had been murdered. So, he sought revenge, but the problem was that Abner had run to Hebron, which was a city of refugees.
According to the teaching of the Bible, it was not permitted to commit a revenge killing in cities designated for refugee murderers until they were heard.
Joab, consumed by revenge, lured Abner to his death in the City of refugees. That was unacceptable. Joab had murdered Amasa out of pure envy after hearing King David had sent him on a peace mission.
Joab was insecure and was afraid King David was grooming Amasa to replace him. So, he pursued Amasa and put him off guard before he stabbed him to death. That blood, more than any blood, cried for recompense.
It is important to note God never imputed sin to Joab for the blood of the rebellious son of King David, Absalom. Joab killed Absalom when the leaves of a tree caught his long hair. King David had ordered his son to be spared despite his rebellion.
Joab disobeyed those instructions, but because of the blood Absalom had shed, God did not account for the sin of Joab, who had murdered him. Joab was found guilty of the conspiracy to coronate Adonijah.
Adonijah made a first attempt to anoint himself as King David’s successor, but he was restrained after King David installed King Solomon to succeed him.
Adonijah found another way to overthrow King Solomon after King David’s death: he implored King Solomon’s mother, Queen Bathsheba, to ask for a hand in the marriage of the adorable Tamarah.
King Solomon, the wisest man of his generation and the generations to come, instinctively knew that the kingdom would depart from him if he permitted that indecent request.
Tamarah was deemed a queen because she warmed King David’s bed when he was recuperating from a cold disease. The scripture confirms that King David never knew her.
So, King Solomon ordered his brother Adonijah to be killed. Joab knew he was part of that conspiracy, and once he learnt Adonijah was dead, he ran to the Church and asked to be killed there. King Solomon abided by his wish.
Abiathar was of a generation of another priest called Eli during the days of the prophet Samuel. God had prophesied that all children and relatives of Eli would be killed because of the sins of Eli’s two children, Joel and Abijah, who were corrupt judges and had committed sexual immorality in the House of God.
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Abiathar was found guilty of the conspiracy of the rebellion of Adonijah, and he was relieved of his spiritual duties but spared of death.
Shimei, who had insulted, mocked and thrown stones at King David as he was fleeing the treason of his son Absalom, was pardoned for that sin.
However, King David knew Shimei would never be loyal to his son, King Solomon. Shimei, a Benjamite, was nursing grudges about the way King David had bypassed the house of the first King of Israel, Saul, to become King. Shimei thought that King David had usurped power and was accursed.
King Solomon put Shimei in a quarantine, which he knew Shimei would breach, leading to his death. Shimei lived up to his reputation and was found wanting, and he, too, was killed.
From the above summary of Biblical accounts, it is obvious that nobody was ever kidnapped, as Mzee wa Upako alluded to.
And, not all who were killed were on the government payroll or had taken any oath to serve the government.
So, Mzee wa Upako’s claims to the contrary were misleading, and the condonation of governments have a divine right to abduct and assassinate those who are on their payroll. Well, they don’t.
Perhaps Mzee wa Upako’s biggest ‘mea culpa’ is failing to differentiate the Old Testament from the New Testament, which is regrettable. The main difference between the two Testaments is the blood of the Lord Christ Jesus the Amen.
When the Lord Christ Jesus shouted at the Calvary: IT WAS FINISHED! Most people have failed to grasp what was finished.
Well, the power of sin was crucified on that day and ultimately defeated. What were the implications of the defeat of the power of sin?
That defeat translated into forgiveness, grace, and mercy, supplanting the power of sin, which craved revenge and condemnation.
So, the Old Testament was about the ministry of condemnation, while the New Testament was about the ministry of reconciliation through the shed blood of the slain Lamb.
The implication was that the Old Testament ceased to apply to us after the New Testament was adopted, and the new commandment was anchored on love.
In the New Testament, the disciples of the Lord Christ Jesus the Amen had urged Him to bring the fires of the prophet Elijah and consume those who were not attentive to His teachings, but He would have none of it.
He rebuked them, saying they did not know what kind of spirit they were in. The Son of man did not come to condemn the World, but through Him, the world might be saved. The gospel of the New Testament was about fishing human souls for God’s salvation, not condemning them for sin.
When a woman who was caught in the very act of infidelity was brought before Him, He asked her accusers, who was the first person who was without sin to be the first to throw a stone at her.
All were convicted by their conscience and dropped their stones, and left the woman unharmed.
When the Amen raised the Lord Jesus Christ’s eyes and looked everywhere, he saw that her accusers had disappeared. He told her to go in peace but sin no more.
The New Testament was about boldly approaching the throne of grace so that we may receive mercy and overcome the power of sin, which separates us from God’s everlasting love.
Obviously, Mzee wa Upako was preaching a strange doctrine that was not aligned with the Holy Bible. My experience has been that we have many prosperity preachers who are not conversant with the word of God but teach as if they are.
In most cases, they get away with their strange doctrine by mentioning the Bible, which they hardly read, understand, and meditate on day and night.
Urging authorities to abduct and assassinate those who have sworn to save the country is unbiblical and may embolden kidnappers and assassins that they, too, are doing God a service.
The living God does not need anybody to do him service because he has commanded us revenge is his alone!
