Has the Nigerian government gone bad? According to a news report, officials in the Nigerian government have been arrested and are being questioned in relation to the killing of Christians in Kogi state, Nigeria.
I am reminded of 1 Samuel 22 and the story of Saul turning against Ahimelech and the priests because they had offered bread and a sword to David. You might remember the traitor Doeg the Edomite, who on Saul’s command killed 85 priests.
That story details how sin had torn apart Saul’s kingdom and ended up making the king himself turn against God. The king was supposed to uphold God’s laws for all. Instead, he was the one ordering others to break the law and kill the priests of God.
Sadly, not everything has changed over the last 3,000 years. Like Saul, many governments are infected with sin and have turned against God. Is this the case in Nigeria?
Questions are being raised in Nigeria because of the recent arrest of 5 government officials, including the arrest of
Muhammad Katsina, a special advisor to the governor in Kogi State.
On August 6, gunmen cut the electricity to Deeper Life Church, then opened fire on those worshiping. In all, 19 Christians were murdered, including the pastor of the church.
The killings in Kogi state remind us that we cannot afford to trust in earthly powers.
Though government is designed by God to restrain evil, often, governments defy God. It is too early to tell whether or not officials in the Nigerian government are responsible for killing Christians in Nigeria, but it is clear that Christians must ultimately rely on Christ alone.
Gregory C. Cochran 