Warnings From Thomas Jefferson

It’s ironic to me that the man some like to quote as saying that the church and government must be separate is the man that prophesied what is happening now about the turn that the courts would take—Thomas Jefferson. I don’t think he realized he was prophesying when he said, “The germ of dissolution of our federal government is in the federal judiciary—an irresponsible body working like gravity by night and by day, gaining a little today and a little tomorrow and advancing its noiseless step like a thief over the field of jurisdiction until all shall be usurped from the states.” He went on to say, “The Constitution is a mere thing of wax in the hands of the judiciary, which they may twist and shape into any form they please.” In 1820, a few years later, he said to a man he was debating this with, “You seem to consider the judges as the ultimate arbiters of constitutional questions—a very dangerous doctrine, indeed—and one that would place us under the disposition of an oligarchy. Our judges are as honest as other men and not more so. Their power is the more dangerous, as they are at office for life and not responsible as the other functionaries are to the elective control. The Constitution has erected no such single tribunal, knowing as to whatever hands confide the corruptions of time and party its members would become despots.”

“This is so because the corrupt nature has a hostile attitude toward God. It refuses to place itself under the authority of God’s standards because it can’t.” (Romans 8:7; GWT)

Give Him 15 minutes in prayer:

• Interesting, isn’t it, that so soon after the Constitution’s establishment, Thomas Jefferson could already see where the judicial branch could end up? Ask God to stop the humanistic slide.
• Man without God is not able to keep his own earthly persuasions out of his decisions, according to Romans 8:7. Ask the Lord for more judges that know Him and have been transformed by the renewing of their minds.
• Declare that our Constitution is not as moldable wax, but as set in stone for the protection of all those who would judge and be judged by it.
• Call forth honest, God-fearing judges to all levels of the judiciary, but especially to the Supreme Court.

A prayer you can pray:

God, please stop the slide of the courts into the God-less abyss they are moving our nation. We really need people who know You to serve as our judges. Those without a relationship with You will act according to what they think is right, but Your Word says that their refusal to place themselves under Your authority will create a hostile attitude toward You. Forgive them, Jesus, because they do not understand what they are doing. Our society is suffering from their humanistic decisions. Our Constitution is indeed being molded like wax by their lack of a mindset directed by You. Raise up judges from among those that know You. Make a way for more to go to law school and make themselves ready for the bench—all the way to the Supreme Court. Amen.

Today’s decree:

Give us judges that honor the Lord!