Respect the King

 

I don’t even know where to begin, I have so many thoughts chasing each other through my mind and my heart. Political uncertainty. Divisions in the church, community of believers, and families. The uncovering of the atrocities committed against our beautiful Indigenous peoples have rocked our country. Conspiracy theories abound all around me. There seems to be a clammouring for control in an out-of-control world. Someone should do something! We’re losing our rights and freedoms and we need to step up and fight to keep them. The level of anxiety has skyrocketed in this past year and a bit. I may sound angry or frustrated in this blog, but I don’t know how else to communicate the grief in my heart, I grieve as I observe the manner in which my fellow believers are responding to the chaos around the world, in our country, and our province.

I’ve been accused of “just rolling over and ‘caving in’ to the government’s agenda” because I refuse to take up the banner of fighting for our freedoms. The accusation is said with an air of spiritual superiority – they have the truth and I have been deceived. I respond in kind with the attitude that I have the truth and they have been deceived. This is a no-win scenario…and the enemy is laughing.

We’ve been listening to Timothy Keller lately and something he said made me pause and think. There are 3 institutions God has established and has made rules about how we operate in them. 1) The family, 2) The church, 3) The state. Wait, what? The state?! Since when? Isn’t the state a secular, man-made institution? Not according to the scriptures Mr. Keller pointed us to.

If God established the state, then what he says about it is important. It follows that he should get to make the rules as to how it runs. And if God established it then it seems terribly brazen for believers to rebel against it, for us to think we know better how things should be done and who should be our leader(s) than God. Do we really believe that God is sovereign? Does he need our input and help? Like I said, I have many thoughts tumbling over each other. What is my part to play in this drama? Actor, director, audience, prompter…? What is your part to play?

Here are some scriptures I have come across in the last few days, weeks, and months.

“For the Lord’s sake, submit to all human authority—whether the king as head of state, or the officials he has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish those who do wrong and to honor those who do right. It is God’s will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you. For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil. Respect everyone, and love the family of believers. Fear God, and respect the king.” (1 Peter 2:13–17, NLT)

Eugene Peterson says it this way:

“Make the Master proud of you by being good citizens. Respect the authorities, whatever their level; they are God’s emissaries for keeping order. It is God’s will that by doing good, you might cure the ignorance of the fools who think you’re a danger to society. Exercise your freedom by serving God, not by breaking the rules. Treat everyone you meet with dignity. Love your spiritual family. Revere God. Respect the government.” (1 Peter 2:13–17, The Message)

It is foolish to rail against ‘the king’, because God has established him/her as ruler. We are going to have to answer for how we respond to the authority God has set in place. Even if they are corrupt, we will be held accountable for how we act and speak about their leadership and character. Each ruler will have to give account to God for how he/she leads in their sphere of influence. God will not let them off the hook.

For the record, I had to do a short research paper on this subject when I was in Bible College because I thought that if my authorities were inconsistent and self-seeking, I did not need to obey them. If they didn’t follow the rules, certainly I didn’t need to follow theirs. As I discovered there are no provisos in scriptures for disobeying and disrespecting my authority, unless they are asking me to deny Jesus as Lord and King, the Saviour of my soul. In my lifetime I have not yet been asked to do that.

The Jewish people were extremely disappointed that Jesus refused to free them from Roman occupation. They were living under a very oppressive hand. The prophecies about the Messiah did say that he would come to set his people free. What was he waiting for?!

Could it be that we, like the Hebrews, have a preconceived idea of what freedom should look like? Could it be that we have taken our eyes off the Sovereign Lord and onto the chaotic world around us?

We have lived for many years in beautiful freedom and peace. The life we have become accustomed to living is evaporating before our eyes. I would love to have a world of peace and safety for my grandchildren to grow up in. But would it not be better for them to develop endurance so they can stand in any circumstance? How can I live in such a way that their confidence in a Loving Father will be strengthened?  When they hear me talking, do they hear fear, or do they hear courage and joy? James, the brother of our Lord Jesus Christ, says this (and keep in mind that the Romans make our rulers look like angels):

“Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.” (James 1:2–4, NLT 1^st Edition)

There may come a time when I will need to disobey my government and our other authorities, like Peter and John did (Acts 4:18-20). They were told to stop talking about Jesus, but they refused to comply because that would have been to disgrace the One who had died for them. One day I may also have to pay the consequences for talking about him. But today is not that day.

The world is watching. Our children are watching. Do they see men and women of great faith, trusting that our Father has things in hand? Is our relationship with Jesus authentic and real, do we have the needed endurance to walk by faith?

We live in a democratic country and if God has called you to get involved in politics in any way shape or form, please know that I bless you to obey. Please do so with utmost respect for the one(s) God has set in the position(s) of authority. It will not bode well for you if you make agreements with the spirit of rebellion. Be kind. Be gentle. Allow the fruit of the Holy Spirit to permeate all you say and do. Remember that if you rebel against the authority God has set in place you can expect those who are watching you, those under your care, to  follow suit and rebel against the authority in their lives (that is you) when they don’t agree with how you are ruling.

As I read Psalm 22 from the perspective of Jesus as he hung dying on the cross quoting this psalm, my heart was stirred. I have a deeper love for him and a heart even more full of gratitude. Jesus has already set me free; he has given me rights that cannot be taken away: freedom from sin and death; the right to be called a child of God. Those rights and freedoms can never be taken away by anyone, no matter how dark this world gets. If we really get a hold of this truth, it won’t be so difficult to:

Treat everyone you meet with dignity. Love your spiritual family. Revere God. Respect the government.” (1 Peter 2:13–17, The Message)