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 friend recently gave me a copy of the Assemblies of Yahweh's September 2024 Sacred Name Broadcaster magazine. The main article is titled "How Would Yahshua Vote For President?" and my friend expressed his agreement with the author's conclusion. His conclusion: A righteous person should not vote. In fact, he considers voting to be a violation of Torah. I'm not kidding, as I will demonstrate later. A week later, we received the Yahweh's Assembly in Messiah's October/November 2024 Beginning Anew newsletter. Its main article is titled "Who Are You Voting For?" The author's conclusion: It's okay to vote, but we should pray for Yahweh's guidance to make the right choice. It should be noted that both publications uphold Torah observance. Clearly, one of the two authors exhibits incorrect reasoning. Which author has the correct view?

     I have always supported participation in the voting process, and nothing in the Assemblies of Yahweh lengthy article persuaded me otherwise. The author's technique includes several insights into the mostly corrupt political process, followed by our yearning for the Messiah's coming Kingdom, which will have Yeshua as King. Our focus, he insists, should be on the Messiah and His Kingdom, and if we focus our time and energy on that, we won't have time to participate in this world's voting process. He attempts to bolster his case by stating that Yeshua never voted, so we should follow His example; he caps his argument by claiming it's actually a violation of Torah to vote.

     So let me make it clear that I agree the United States' political process is mostly corrupt, rife with scandals and mean-spirited attacks unbecoming of righteous individuals. It's very unlikely that a Torah-observant individual will ever run for office, much less get elected. Like the Assemblies of Yahweh author, I eagerly anticipate the advent of the Messiah's Kingdom and His perfect government. I also agree that Yeshua didn't vote, so the author makes several observations that I believe are correct and true. But like many incorrect teachings, his reasoning consists of a mixture of truth and error.

     Let's start with the fact that Yeshua didn't vote. The author writes, "Yahshua did not vote when He was here on this earth, nor did He participate in partisan politics." Of course He didn't, and no one else in Judea did either because they weren't living under a democratic government. They were living under an imperial regime, which means the people had no say in anything at all. Voting wasn't an option! So arguing that Yeshua didn't vote and that we should follow that example is simply irrelevant.

     I read and labored through 11 pages of the dirty mechanics of our nation's political system, hoping to find something that would prove the author's case. His proof texts were non-persuasive, as exemplified by the following excerpt:

Yahshua told His disciples, "Go you into all the world, and preach the good tidings to the whole creation." (Mark 16:15). HE NEVER INSTRUCTED HIS FOLLOWERS TO CONVERT THE WORLD. The world will not be saved through the exercise of worldly political power, but it will be saved by the intervention of the righteous Messiah who will establish the eternal Kingdom rule of Yahweh on this earth through the supernatural power given to Him by Almighty Yahweh Elohim, our Father in heaven. (Emphasis his).

     I guess the above reasoning is that since the world won't be saved by voting for a certain candidate, then we shouldn't vote? Instead, we should let liberals do all the voting while we wait for the Messiah to return? Please note that the liberal Democratic party aims to overturn the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits the use of federal funds to pay for abortions (except in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother). I would say if you're okay with your tax dollars paying for any and all abortions, then either vote Democratic or don't vote at all. Personally, I am pro-life and I would prefer to live in a nation where my tax dollars help save lives, not end them. I vote accordingly.

     But what about the Assemblies of Yahweh author's claim that voting is a violation of Torah? The fact that the other assembly's Torah observant author thinks voting is okay serves as a strong clue that something is off-kilter with the Assemblies of Yahweh author's reasoning. Let's take a look at his claim:

   The Law of Almighty Yahweh actually prohibits anyone who has entered into His Covenant from voting to set another person over us who is not a saint of the Most High. We read this instruction in Deuteronomy 17:14-15. "When you come to the land which Yahweh your Elohim gives you, and shall possess it, and shall dwell in it, and shall say, I will set a king over me, like all the nations around me; you shall surely set him king over you, whom Yahweh your Elohim shall choose: ONE FROM AMONG YOUR BRETHREN SHALL YOU SET KING OVER YOURSELVES; YOU MAY NOT PUT A FOREIGNER OVER YOURSELVES, WHO IS NOT YOUR BROTHER."
   As we can plainly see from this text, Almighty Yahweh desires that His people be ruled in righteousness according to the intentions of His Covenant Law. An individual who is unconverted CANNOT comprehend the deep-rooted principles underlying the Covenant which Almighty Yahweh has delineated in the Sacred Scriptures for His people. Consequently, this passage of Scripture prohibits anyone who intends to be a True Worshiper from voting for any other presidential candidate except for Yahshua the Messiah! Otherwise, we are in violation of the commandments of Yahweh! (Emphasis his).

     Using Deuteronomy 17:14-15 as a proof text supporting the view that it's a sin to vote fails for several reasons. First, that law applied to the nation of Israel once they entered the Promised Land. Since that time, not only was the nation divided, but they were eventually conquered by alien nations, the people were scattered, and here we are in the USA. Oh, how wonderful it would be if Yahweh would choose our current leaders for us! The fact of the matter is that Yahweh is not currently ruling this world. Even the Assemblies of Yahweh author understands this truth, as he points out:

   Too frequently, people assume that they have been placed on this earth to govern themselves under their own personal dictates and beliefs until the world ends. They fail to realize that the governments of this world today are not representatives of Yahweh, but, in fact, Satan has seized control of this system. See Revelation chapter 11.
   "In whom the mighty one of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the good tidings of the glory of the Messiah, who is the image of Elohim, should not dawn upon them." (2 Corinthians 4:4). (Emphasis his).

     Let's face it: The governments of this world are not representatives of Yahweh, and there's really nothing we can do about that except pray for Yahweh's Kingdom to come. In the meantime, we're stuck in this ever-deteriorating, sinful world where we live, breathe and pay taxes. We don't have the power to usher in a government with a king who's chosen by Yahweh. The best we can do is try to control things the best we can. If someone came up to me and asked for money to help pay for abortions, I would say no. I'm sure the Assemblies of Yahweh author would agree with me on that. On a larger scale, if enough Democrats get elected, they will definitely repeal the Hyde Amendment and force all taxpayers to chip in and help pay for abortions. If you think that's okay, then either vote Democratic or don't vote at all. As for me and my family, we're voting Republican.

     The Yahweh's Assembly in Messiah author presents a balanced approach with regard to voting. He understands that the governments of this world are corrupt and that we are all anxiously awaiting the coming Kingdom, but he also (correctly) writes, "Government is vital." In his brief two-page article he supplies some critical Bible verses that the Assemblies of Yahweh author omits in his wordy treatise. He writes:

   It is not difficult to understand why voter apathy is widespread. Regardless of the abuses of its power, a healthy government is vital, while anarchy is not acceptable. Romans 13:1 says, "Let every soul be subject to the higher powers, for there is no power but of Yahweh: the powers that be are ordained of Yahweh." That is not to say Yahweh condones the manner in which that power is obtained or used. (Emphasis his).

     The Yahweh's Assembly in Messiah author also cites the fact that Yeshua upheld paying taxes (Matthew 17:24-27). Even though Yeshua pointed out that in the eyes of His Father they, as His children, weren't liable to pay taxes, He nevertheless instructed Peter to pay the tax. In Matthew 22, when Yeshua was asked if it was lawful to pay taxes to Emperor Caesar, He said, "Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and unto Elohim the things that are Elohim's." He didn't say, "I don't recognize Caesar's authority, so I refuse to pay taxes for his idolatrous government." In our current situation, we have an advantage that Yeshua and His disciples did not. Unlike them, we can vote about how our tax dollars are spent. Our voices may be small, but as they say, something is better than nothing. Under Caesar's dictatorship, the common person had no control over how their tax shekels were spent.

     If enough common folks like me vote for pro-life candidates, the odds of our tax dollars being spent on abortions are greatly reduced.

     I also like how the Yahweh's Assembly in Messiah author closed his article. He wrote, "May Yahweh give you strength and wisdom to live and grow until the time when the Kingdom of Yahweh and its righteous rule will spread over all the earth."

     Amen!