Choosing the lesser of two evils is not itself in any way an evil act. It is a responsible exercise of the limited options available to people in a world of sin. It is a righteous act, because it brings about the greater good, even though that good, shy of the coming Kingdom of God, is still mixed with sin.
—Dr. Robert A. J. Gagnon—
On August 19, 2024, theologian Robert A. J. Gagnon posted this important piece on X, formerly Twitter:
Robert A. J. Gagnon
@RobertAJGagnon1
A FB friend asked me: Is there a scripture support for choosing the lesser of two evils in the 2024 election?
My response: God anointed Jehu (Heb. Yehu) to be king even knowing that, while extirpating [root out entirely] the Ahab dynasty and Jezebel, and ridding Baal worship from the northern kingdom of Israel, he would not be eliminating the high places of Yahwistic worship at Bethel and Dan, which were countercults to the one at Jerusalem. But Jehu was far and away the lesser of two evils, getting rid of the most evil dynasty in the history of the northern kingdom.
If God could make that choice, so can we. In a world where all people are sinners, elections are always all about choosing the lesser of two evils.
But choosing the lesser of two evils is not itself in any way an evil act. It is a responsible exercise of the limited options available to people in a world of sin. It is a righteous act, because it brings about the greater good, even though that good, shy of the coming Kingdom of God, is still mixed with sin.
While Dr. Gagnon certainly did supply enough information to make it possible for his readers to learn more about the Old Testament situation he cites, I wanted to offer these historical facts so readers can sharpen their focus and see even more clearly how and why Dr. Gagnon’s response is so important.
Background:
After Solomon’s reign in Israel, the nation was spilt into two separate kingdoms — the northern kingdom of Israel and the souther kingdom, which consisted of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.
The “Ahab dynasty” of which Dr. Gagnon speaks occurred in the Israel. It began with King Omri, Ahab’s father. Omri was the sixth monarch to lead the northern kingdom. Ahab succeeded Omri; Ahab’s oldest son, Ahaziah, succeeded Ahab; and Jehoram, Ahab’s youngest son, succeeded Ahaziah. Thus, this dynasty consisted of four kings.
- Omri did evil in the eyes of theLORD, and did worse than all who were before him (1 Kings 16:25).
- Now Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of theLORD, more than all who were before him (1 Kings 16:30).
- Ahaziah the son of Ahab became king over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned two years over Israel. He did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of his father and in the way of his mother and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin; for he served Baal and worshiped him, and provoked the LORD God of Israel to anger, according to all that his father had done (1 Kings 22:51-53).
- Jehoram the son of Ahab became king over Israel at Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years. And he did evil in the sight of theLORD, but not like his father and mother; for he put away the sacred pillar of Baal that his father had made. Nevertheless he persisted in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat [the Northern Kingdom’s first king], who had made Israel sin; he did not depart from them (2 Kings 3:1-3).
Ahab: Wickedness on Parade
Because this dynasty began with Omri, it sometimes is referred to as the Omride dynasty; but Dr. Gagnon appropriately calls it the Ahab dynasty because (although all four kings in it were evil), Ahab and his wife Jezebel were notoriously wicked. In the bulleted list above we cited 1 Kings 16:30 to describe Ahab. Take a moment now to read the more detailed description of this monarch, beginning with 1 Kings 16:30 and ending with verse 33:
1 Kings 16:30 Now Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD, more than all who were before him. 31 And it came to pass, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took as wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians; and he went and served Baal and worshiped him. 32 Then he set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. 33 And Ahab made a wooden image. Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him (emphasis added).
God put an end to this wicked dynasty, and he used Jehu, imperfect though he was, to do it. As Dr. Gagnon notes,
God anointed Jehu (Heb. Yehu) to be king even knowing that, while extirpating [rooting out entirely] the Ahab dynasty and Jezebel, and ridding Baal worship from the northern kingdom of Israel, he would not be eliminating the high places of Yahwistic worship at Bethel and Dan, which were countercults to the one at Jerusalem. But Jehu was far and away the lesser of two evils, getting rid of the most evil dynasty in the history of the northern kingdom.
How does Scripture assess Jehu’s reign? In 2 Kings 10:18-31, we have an account describing how Jehu “destroyed Baal from Israel” (v. 28), followed by an evaluative summary of his reign. The bottom line is that Jehu’s reign was mixed. He thwarted the evil promoted by Ahab’s family but he himself failed promote righteousness in the land. Here is the passage:
2 Kings 10:18 Then Jehu gathered all the people together, and said to them, “Ahab served Baal a little, Jehu will serve him much. 19 Now therefore, call to me all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests. Let no one be missing, for I have a great sacrifice for Baal. Whoever is missing shall not live.” But Jehu acted deceptively, with the intent of destroying the worshipers of Baal. 20 And Jehu said, “Proclaim a solemn assembly for Baal.” So they proclaimed it. 21 Then Jehu sent throughout all Israel; and all the worshipers of Baal came, so that there was not a man left who did not come. So they came into the temple of Baal, and the temple of Baal was full from one end to the other. 22 And he said to the one in charge of the wardrobe, “Bring out vestments for all the worshipers of Baal.” So he brought out vestments for them. 23 Then Jehu and Jehonadab the son of Rechab went into the temple of Baal, and said to the worshipers of Baal, “Search and see that no servants of the LORD are here with you, but only the worshipers of Baal.” 24 So they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had appointed for himself eighty men on the outside, and had said, “If any of the men whom I have brought into your hands escapes, whoever lets him escape, it shall be his life for the life of the other.”
25 Now it happened, as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the guard and to the captains, “Go in and kill them; let no one come out!” And they killed them with the edge of the sword; then the guards and the officers threw them out, and went into the inner room of the temple of Baal. 26 And they brought the sacred pillars out of the temple of Baal and burned them. 27 Then they broke down the sacred pillar of Baal, and tore down the temple of Baal and made it a refuse dump to this day. 28 Thus Jehu destroyed Baal from Israel.29 However Jehu did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin, that is, from the golden calves that were at Bethel and Dan. 30 And the LORD said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in doing what is right in My sight, and have done to the house of Ahab all that was in My heart, your sons shall sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation.” 31 But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the LORD God of Israel with all his heart; for he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, who had made Israel sin.
For a brief summary that includes additional information about Jehu, go here.
The Bottom Line
Read again the concluding paragraphs from Dr. Gagnon’s post, and let the reality of his insights sink in, if they haven’t already. In the first paragraph reproduced below, where approrpiate, I’ve added links to corresponding Scripture passages.
God anointed Jehu (Heb. Yehu) to be king even knowing that, while extirpating [rooting out entirely] the Ahab dynasty and Jezebel, and ridding Baal worship from the northern kingdom of Israel, he would not be eliminating the high places of Yahwistic worship at Bethel and Dan, which were countercults to the one at Jerusalem. But Jehu was far and away the lesser of two evils, getting rid of the most evil dynasty in the history of the northern kingdom.
Dr. Gagnon then applies the Scripture, and the lessons of the Scripture and of history, to our own day. He sheds needed light on the decisions we, as believers in America in 2024, are called upon to make.
If God could make that choice, so can we. In a world where all people are sinners, elections are always all about choosing the lesser of two evils.
But choosing the lesser of two evils is not itself in any way an evil act. It is a responsible exercise of the limited options available to people in a world of sin. It is a righteous act, because it brings about the greater good, even though that good, shy of the coming Kingdom of God, is still mixed with sin.
I pray that Christians will hear and heed these important and godly insights from a Christian leader who has a proven track record of loving God, articulating the truth, and refusing to compromise.
Thank you, Dr. Gagnon!
B. Nathaniel Sullivan
top image credit: Lightstock
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture passages have been taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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