How to Pastor Your Church through an Election Season

The Story of Ahaz and Today’s Pastor

In Isaiah 7, King Ahaz is still a young dude. Many place him in his early twenties at this point. He is leading the nation of Judah during a tumultuous time. The global politics around him are contentious. Assyria is the major world power at this point. Egypt still holds some sway over the world scene, but Assyria is the new kid on the block, and they are expanding their empire. And they are going westward.

This move by the Assyrian army causes Judah’s neighbors to the north, like Israel and Syria, to grow uncomfortable. And fear often makes us do things we wouldn’t in saner moments. Israel and Syria decide to move their troops to the border, flex their muscles, and say to young Ahaz, “join us, or you’re going to have problems.”

Let’s connect the dots here. The world is frightening and unstable. It’s not hard to make that connection with our day. And in all of this anxiety, other leaders rise up and attempt to draw us into their anxiety. Ever hear, “This is the most important election we will have in our lifetime. You must…”? Those “other leaders” are flexing on talk radio, social media, and YouTube content. “Join us or else…”

We read in Isaiah 7:3, “The heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind.” Your congregation has been drawn into the anxiety; they demand your attention. Just as with Ahaz, in a contentious election season the pastor is being told by frantic parishioners that something must be done.

Enter Isaiah. The prophet comes to Ahaz with a quieting word from the Lord. “Be careful, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint because of these two smoldering stumps of firebrands.” What God is saying to him is, “Trust me. Don’t join in this anxious moment. Follow me.”

Do you realize how difficult this counsel is for Ahaz? He’s afraid for his life. He’s worried that his legacy will be tarnished. He doesn’t want to be known as the guy who was defeated by Syria and Israel. He likely wants to be loved, accepted, respected, safe, comfortable, and not suffering. In other words, all of those overwhelming thoughts pressed in on him as he weighed Isaiah’s words.

Ahaz did not heed the counsel of Isaiah. Instead, he ran to Assyria for help. He paid hefty tributes to them and in ended up restricting the temple. Ahaz paid homage to the Assyrian gods and even ended up sacrificing children to the gods of the Assyrians. In his desire to preserve Judah (and his own legacy) his fear led him to abandon his post.

Pastors can follow the path of Ahaz in turbulent election seasons. Thankfully, there are a few lessons we can learn from Ahaz to help us respond better than he did.

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Don’t Forgot Which Kingdom Is Vital

Ahaz became laser-focused on protecting his kingdom. Protecting his people from Syria and Israel consumed him. This fear drove his actions. In fact, it drove him straight into the waiting arms of Assyria. Because his loyalty had shifted, Ahaz saw this as a great way to serve his idol of self-protection. But God saw it as apostasy.

Ahaz’s personal temptations to self-protection only grew when the people he was leading were also afraid. Their increasing anxiety increased his. Now, he not only had to worry about Syria and Israel but he also had to worry about how the people were worried about Syria and Israel. His anxiety doubled. The same can be true for pastors in a political season.

Our rhetoric these days is wildly dehumanizing. Consider some of the words that are used of political enemies. Even the word “enemies” betrays our adherence to a worldly system instead of a biblical one. Scripture says that our enemy is not flesh and blood. But if we forget this, we can convince ourselves that we must win at all cost. When this happens our loyalties shift.

What would have happened if the foundational principle in Ahaz’s life was honoring God? In Israel, kings were not the ones who invented the laws. At least, that is not who they were supposed to be. They were to be the ones who led the people in living out the Law that God had already established for them. But this was not at the heart of Ahaz, which is why he ran to Assyria.

If pastors forget which kingdom is vital, we will be drawn away in these political seasons. We can be drawn into the political wrangling and hand-wringing ourselves. We can also be overwhelmed with our own anxiety and attempt to straddle fences or speak in terms of party in order to appease the masses. We must remember that our loyalty is to Christ and His kingdom.

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Don’t Abdicate Your Role

The chief role for Ahaz was to be a man after God’s own heart. The charge which David gave to Solomon in 2 Kings 2:1-4 certainly fits Ahaz as well. That charge centers upon the king being faithful to God’s way of life. The way for him to “be strong, and show yourself a man” was not to whoop up on those smoldering firebrands at the border. No, his way of strength was in dependence upon God.

Likewise, as pastors we have a role to fulfill. We are to feed God’s flock with God’s Word. We are to disciple people into the way of King Jesus. As such, this means that part of our responsibility is to teach people how to think even more than what to think. Yes, we speak truth. But we invite people into living out this truth. We nourish disciples not create sycophants.

To put this simply, if I lead our people to “vote well” but do not teach them how to “live well,” I have abdicated my role as a pastor. How our people engage in this political process may say more about how we’ve fulfilled our ministry than who our people vote for. Pastor, do not abandon the gospel for a pot of political stew.

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Rest In God’s Sovereignty

God graciously brought Isaiah the prophet to an anxious Ahaz. He was inviting him to rest in God. But Ahaz couldn’t do it. Instead, he sought his own solution through an alliance with Assyria, a decision that led to disastrous consequences for Judah. Ahaz sacrificed their future for temporary political expedience. Reliance on human strategies rather than on God’s sovereign plan will often lead to even greater distress.

Pastors, much like Ahaz, may feel the weight of political decisions or cultural pressures bearing down on their ministries and congregations. However, Isaiah’s message to Ahaz is just as relevant today: "If you do not stand firm in your faith, then you will not stand at all" (Isaiah 7:9, CSB). Instead of being driven by anxiety or aligning too closely with political powers, pastors are called to rest in God’s sovereignty.

His kingdom will come, and His gospel will spread. Resting in God’s sovereignty means engaging in God’s mission instead of the patterns of the fallen kingdom. As pastors, we are called to lead our people in resting and trusting. This can be tough to do, but being a non-anxious presence can have a far-reaching influence on our people.

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