After the craziness we experienced during the pandemic, many of us distrust our government’s leaders. That’s not the first time. In the 1920s, the Bureau of Investigation (later the FBI) raided homes of innocent people looking for communists. Like today, people were frustrated. In 1924, the attorney general hired J. Edgar Hoover to clean up the bureau.
Hoover found conditions so ineffective that he completely reorganized. He established rigorous hiring standards, extensive training, and a national fingerprint file. As a result, agents apprehended well-known criminals in the 1930s, which restored the bureau’s reputation.
Most of Hoover’s work was commendable. However, he had a serious flaw. He loved gathering unsavory facts. Whenever he learned private information, he’d let the person know what he’d unearthed. Hoover promised to keep the secret if they didn’t interfere with his job. In essence, he blackmailed politicians.
Hoover and other politicians stand in contrast to our beloved Savior. He knows the evil in each man’s heart and every deed we commit. However, he chose to sacrifice himself to pay the price. Rather than hold our sins against us, he offers forgiveness if we ask. “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” (Ps. 103:12) While you cannot fully trust sinful men, you can trust Jesus. Praise the Lord.
