The Cost of Bad Leadership

When the king is evil the whole kingdom suffers.

After twelve trips to the former USSR one would think I would be immune to the chaos and confusion of that rich but plundered area of the world. Why are they so impoverished?

Russia is a huge land mass with seven time zones. (The USA has four and thge USSR had nine!) There is no part of the world with greater natural wealth. They have oil, gas, diamonds, gold, and other resources along with rich soil and wonderful growing seasons. The people are smart and historically have been well educated.

Despite these blessings Russia is poor; very poor. Medical care is sub par. buildings are poorly constructed. Human rights do not exist. Crime is rampant. Why? How can it be true?

The reasons are simple. The leaders have been evil and the people have bever demanded freedom. There is a long tradition of servile adherence to authority and a brutal disregard of human needs by the leaders. Peter The Great was not so great. He deliberately forced the Russian people to drink to excess as a way to make them more "Eurpoean". Noe alcoholism is rampant. Since that time, many leaders have used vodka to keep the males drunk and passive.

When I first heard about Russia's alcohol statistics I was numb and disbelieving. I prayed for an answer and the Lord said, "Read Is 28 and you will understand." I read that chapter and was amazed. I never, ever remembered reading it before but here was an entire chapter on drunkenness. It begins...

1 Woe to Ephraim! Woe to that wreath, the pride of Ephraim's drunkards, to the fading flower, his glorious beauty, set on the head of a fertile valley- to that city, the pride of those laid low by wine! See, the Lord has one who is powerful and strong. Like a hailstorm and a destructive wind, like a driving rain and a flooding downpour, he will throw it forcefully to the ground. That wreath, the pride of Ephraim's drunkards, will be trampled underfoot.

7 And these also stagger from wine and reel from beer: Priests and prophets stagger from beer and are befuddled with wine; they reel from beer, they stagger when seeing visions, they stumble when rendering decisions. 8 All the tables are covered with vomit and there is not a spot without filth. Isaiah 28

I was stunned. The answer was right here in this chapter. Read it an pray for Russia. The only answer for this great land is healing the curse left over from past evil leaders.