“If only I were appointed judge in the land! Then everyone who has a complaint or case could come to

These are the words of Absalom, the son of David, as he busily went about to subvert his father and wrest the kingdom from him. They have a ring of familiarity –especially since we have just had an election in our country, and the public arena is still politically charged. We are used to seeing and hearing person’s intent on gaining office speak passionately of their commitment to justice, and their deserving of trust. As it turned out, Absalom was a ‘lemon’ and so are many of our leaders. But there is a harder truth to swallow: We are all Absaloms; we all think we are better than the rest. “If only I was in charge; things would be different.” Remember Absalom!