Government is Good
With all the corruption which can occur when power is consolidated to a few people/offices, it can be easy to think of government authority as a “necessary evil” (at best). In fact, many in Christian circles have associated the very idea of government authority to the rings from Lord of the Rings. Even if you intend to use the power for good, the use of it will always result in evil in the long run. Some even advocate for anarchy.
However, God is the one who intended for governments to exist for the punishment of evil and the rewarding of good (as discussed here). While modern governments have become all sorts of things beyond what God intended (from entitlement to economy manipulation), there will always be a need within this fallen world for law enforcement and a need for council in how people ought to live alongside one another.
We see his intent for leadership as God is creating a unique nation of the people of Israel which he led out of Egypt.
When you come to the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you possess it and dwell in it and then say, ‘I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me,’ you may indeed set a king over you whom the Lord your God will choose. One from among your brothers you shall set as king over you. You may not put a foreigner over you, who is not your brother.
Deuteronomy 17:14-15
Personal Limits
Unlike the prominent secular view of the government as the origin of laws and rights, however, these kings were to be governed, themselves, as well.
Only he must not acquire many horses for himself or cause the people to return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses, since the Lord has said to you, ‘You shall never return that way again.’ And he shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold.
Deuteronomy 17:16-17
God willed that the people would be governed but those who would take up the position were not to use the position to grow their personal wealth. They were also to be careful not to allow influences into their personal lives which could lead them astray.
Meditate on God
In an effort to ensure that the leaders led well, God commanded that his law be in front of the leaders at all times.
And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests. And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them, that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel.
Deuteronomy 17:18-20
As a King over Israel, there was an obligation that man read God’s commands regularly. While a King may decide between cases and enforce laws, those laws would not be his own invention but rather the principles and morals of God. When speaking of government, it may be a temptation to understand not turning aside “to the right hand or the left” in modern political terms of right and left.
Instead, this phrase is common in scripture when referring to God’s way (and was the inspiration for the title of this blog). Turning neither to the right or left represents a commitment not to deviate in any way from the commands which God has given.
A commitment to the standards of God may look different between nation and nation and even person to person. There are aspects of prudence where the best way to prevent immorality or promote good behavior may vary based upon a population. However, God intended for leaders to have an unwavering devotion to ensuring God’s way is the way being followed.
Not Lifted Above Brothers
A natural benefit of having God’s word before the eyes of governors regularly is that it reminds them that their authority is not ultimate. While they may have authority over those whom they govern, they themselves are accountable to use that authority not for themselves but as God intends. They are lesser lords under the authority of the Lord. They will be judged according to the degree to which they faithfully administrate this office.
A godly government is the remedy to leaders who serve to enrich/empower themselves and also over tyrants, because they can be held accountable to a standard which is not only above the citizens but also above the governors as well.
The way many view the United States of America today, the constitution itself serves in this capacity. However, the authors of that document knew full well that only officials who knew themselves to be accountable to a higher authority would be governed by it.
As God has been removed from public life, we’ve seen leaders who have gone from arguing that these regulations on government must be “reinterpreted” to just completely ignoring it. This is not a coincidence. Without reminders of the higher authority to which governors are accountable, people will imagine themselves as gods.
There is no way for any godless government to check abuse of authority, no matter how good the documents or all expressions of best intentions. With no higher authority than man, if man chooses to disregard the laws which were written to restrict their activity, to whom would he be accountable?
The modern reinterpretation of the idea of “separation of church and state” from “keeping the institutions of the church and the state distinct in their spheres” to “keeping God out of government” has resulted in governors who govern as those unaccountable. No matter how much people insist upon ideals, government will not be accountable until those in authority acknowledge their accountability to a higher authority.
