November (Part 2)
God’s Will For Human Rulers
Election day is here and as we patiently wait to discover the results of the election there are a few things to keep in mind:
Some of us are voting our interest (how does the candidates policies personally help or hurt us/our families/our businesses), some of us are voting our values (who is this person and what do they stand for), furthermore some of us are voting our biases and others of us are voting for something different — because we desire change. But none of that is the point! In Romans 13:1-7 CEV, Paul explains to us the point and purpose of human rulers and how they should function according to God’s design as well as what God expects of those they rule over.
1 Obey the rulers who have authority over you. Only God can give authority to anyone, and he puts these rulers in their places of power. 2 People who oppose the authorities are opposing what God has done, and they will be punished. 3 Rulers are a threat to evil people, not to good people. There is no need to be afraid of the authorities. Just do right, and they will praise you for it. 4 After all, they are God's servants, and it is their duty to help you.
If you do something wrong, you ought to be afraid, because these rulers have the right to punish you. They are God's servants who punish criminals to show how angry God is. 5 But you should obey the rulers because you know it is the right thing to do, and not just because of God's anger.
6 You must also pay your taxes. The authorities are God's servants, and it is their duty to take care of these matters. 7 Pay all that you owe, whether it is taxes and fees or respect and honor.
Some will be elated by the outcome of the election and others will be disappointed, but come what may, realize God is in control and that we are still to be obedient to God’s commands as followers of christ in spite of the shortcomings of those who rule over us.
in Romans 13:2 there is a promise that God will punish those who oppose God by opposing authority but there are caveats:
Acts 5:29 shows us however that when rulers and God disagree you should always follow God. Peter put it this way “We don't obey people. We obey God.“
In Daniel 3, in the story about the fiery furnace, we are also reminded that when those responsible with ruling over you actively command you to be disobedient to God you must peacefully stand your ground and understand that God can save you from them and the punishments they have planned for you
Sometimes God deliberately places people over you who he knows will cause you trouble….not necessarily because he wishes for you to suffer but because he plans on making an example out of them, while obtaining the glory for himself and providing proof of himself to all who hear of what he has done.
Pharaoh is a great example of this:
Romans 9:17-18 says: “ 17 In the Scriptures the Lord says to the king of Egypt, “I let you become king, so that I could show you my power and be praised by all people on earth.” 18 Everything depends on what God decides to do, and he can either have pity on people or make them stubborn.“
Exodus 14:4 says: “4 I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, so that he will pursue them; and I will be glorified and honored through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians shall know and acknowledge that I am the Lord.“
Exodus 14:30-31 “ 30 On that day, when the Israelites saw the bodies of the Egyptians washed up on the shore, they knew that the Lord had saved them. 31 Because of the mighty power he had used against the Egyptians, the Israelites worshiped him and trusted him and his servant Moses.”
God uses human rulers to show that he alone is sufficient — all human rulers are flawed and will fail in someway because none of them are God.
Rulership from mankind stems from rejecting God — it is a misstep not a privilege — therefore being a part of a constituency has a cost.
1 Samuel 8:5c-9 says: “… we want a king to be our leader, just like all the other nations. Choose one for us!”
6 Samuel was upset to hear the leaders say they wanted a king, so he prayed about it. 7 The Lord answered:
Samuel, do everything they want you to do. I am really the one they have rejected as their king. 8 Ever since the day I rescued my people from Egypt, they have turned from me to worship idols. Now they are turning away from you. 9 Do everything they ask, but warn them and tell them how a king will treat them.”
1 Samuel 8:11-21 says: “11 If you have a king, this is how he will treat you. He will force your sons to join his army. Some of them will ride in his chariots, some will serve in the cavalry, and others will run ahead of his own chariot. 12 Some of them will be officers in charge of 1,000 soldiers, and others will be in charge of 50. Still others will have to farm the king's land and harvest his crops, or make weapons and parts for his chariots. 13 Your daughters will have to make perfume or do his cooking and baking.
14 The king will take your best fields, as well as your vineyards, and olive orchards and give them to his own officials. 15 He will also take a tenth of your grain and grapes and give it to his officers and officials.
16 The king will take your slaves and your best young men and your donkeys and make them do his work. 17 He will also take a tenth of your sheep and goats. You will become the king's slaves, 18 and you will finally cry out for the Lord to save you from the king you wanted. But the Lord won't answer your prayers.
19-20 The people would not listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want to be like other nations. We want a king to rule us and lead us in battle.”
21 Samuel listened to them and then told the Lord exactly what they had said. 22 “Do what they want,” the Lord answered. “Give them a king.”“
