The scripture has a lot to say about the relationship between citizens and national leaders. This post will focus on key statements by the scriptures. Let us begin with Apostle Paul’s admonition to his protégé Tim.

1Ti 2:1-3 NLT

(1) I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. As you make your requests, plead for God’s mercy upon them, and give thanks.

(2) Pray this way for kings and all others who are in authority, so that we can live in peace and quietness, in godliness and dignity.

(3) This is good and pleases God our Savior,

DEDUCTIONS

V3 tells us that there is an activity that when followers of Christ engage in, “is good and pleases God our Savior”. V2 explains that, not only does this activity please God but is actually to the benefit of man. This activity enables man to “live in peace and quietness, in godliness and dignity”. The activity is PRAYER—prayer for “kings and all others who are in authority”.

WHAT ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO PRAY FOR THEM

Verse 1 captures the content of your prayer thus:

“…make your requests, plead for God’s mercy upon them, and give thanks”

The Greek rendering paints a picture of earnestly interceding for leaders while being thankful to God for them.

EARTHLY LEADERS ARE IMPERFECT

God does not use perfect people. He uses imperfect people. A perfect person does not need intercession. That is why we do not intercede for Jesus. Earthly leaders need intercession. Intercede comes from two words—inter “between” + cedere “to go”. Intercession for anyone thus means to go between them and God and plead for them. In this case citizens or the ruled must plead for God’s mercy, strength, wisdom and grace for their leaders.

WHAT IF I DO NOT LIKE THE KING OR PRESIDENT? WHAT IF S/HE IS UNRIGHTEOUS?

Heb 13:17 NIV Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.

Notice that neither of the scriptures shared thus far conditioned your obedience and submission to authority on whether we like our leaders or not.

The fact that we like them or not is not as important as whether they are God’s choice for the job.

THE CASE OF ROMAN EMPERORS

Read the following thoughtfully:

Rom 13:1-14 NLT

(1) Obey the government, for God is the one who put it there. All governments have been placed in power by God.

(2) So those who refuse to obey the laws of the land are refusing to obey God, and punishment will follow.

(3) For the authorities do not frighten people who are doing right, but they frighten those who do wrong. So do what they say, and you will get along well.

(4) The authorities are sent by God to help you. But if you are doing something wrong, of course you should be afraid, for you will be punished. The authorities are established by God for that very purpose, to punish those who do wrong.

(5) So you must obey the government for two reasons: to keep from being punished and to keep a clear conscience.

(6) Pay your taxes, too, for these same reasons. For government workers need to be paid so they can keep on doing the work God intended them to do.

(7) Give to everyone what you owe them: Pay your taxes and import duties, and give respect and honor to all to whom it is due.

Verse 1 is somewhat strange when you consider the context in which Apostle Paul makes this statement. He is writing to followers of Christ in Rome and he asks them to submit to the civil authorities for those using the Amplified version of the bible. He is making this request when Rome was governed by tyrannical leaders/emperors like Nero and others who fed believers to Lions and burnt them in the fashion of street lights. Even with such rulers, Paul under the inspiration of God asks believers to submit to them—noting that even they are set up by GOD.

THE CASE OF DAVID AND SAUL

This reminds me of anointed David who would not kill wicked King Saul even when he had the opportunity to do so.

David had his wife taken away from him by Saul and given to another man. Saul had tried to spear David and had cause him to become a fugitive hunted like an animal in the wilderness—instead of enjoying the reward promised for killing Goliath. Saul had broken many promises to David. While Saul was on one of his hunting expeditions hunting for David to kill him, he entered a cave to go poo. Unfortunately for Saul David and his men were hiding in the same cave. This is what ensued:

1Sa 24:4-7 NLT

(4) “Now’s your opportunity!” David’s men whispered to him. “Today is the day the LORD was talking about when he said, ‘I will certainly put Saul into your power, to do with as you wish.’ ” Then David crept forward and cut off a piece of Saul’s robe.

(5) But then David’s conscience began bothering him because he had cut Saul’s robe.

(6) “The LORD knows I shouldn’t have done it,” he said to his men. “It is a serious thing to attack the LORD’s anointed one, for the LORD himself has chosen him.”

(7) So David sharply rebuked his men and did not let them kill Saul. After Saul had left the cave and gone on his way,

1Ch 16:22 AMP Saying, Touch not My anointed, and do My prophets no harm. [Gen. 20:7.]

Psa 105:15 AMP Saying, Touch not My anointed, and do My prophets no harm. [I Chron. 16:8-22.]

See verse 6. What is David talking about? Saul had been rejected by GOD as King (1 Samuel 13:1-15:33) and David anointed as the next King in His place (1 Samuel 16). Why then did David not feel justified to kill this man that had brought him and the nation so much pain? It’s simple. David understood and respected authority and its author—GOD. Authority has an author. All authority as per Romans 13:1 above emanates from GOD. To resist it is to resist GOD. No ifs, buts and the like. The Garden of Eden fall has wired man to be rebellious like our first parents were against God.

1Sa 15:23 KJV For rebellion
is as
the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being
king.

Whenever you read the King James Version (KJV) of scripture and see italicized greyed out words, it simply means these are not part of the original text but added to aid understanding. So the scripture actually reads, “Rebellion is witchcraft”. We must put off the culture of rebellion and put on Christ who is the embodiment of the culture of God. The culture of our Kingdom is one of submission. In our Kingdom, even Jesus submits (Jesus has a Head or covering – 1 Cor 11:3). Only the father does not submit because there is none greater for Him to submit to.

David though humanly justified to pay Saul in his own coin would not be justified before God. What man permits is seldom permitted by GOD. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.” (Isa 55:8 KJV).

THE CASE OF CAESAR AND GOD

One time, within the context of paying taxes, Jesus was asked if followers of God should pay tax to foreign Kings who ruled the Jews.

In Jesus’ day it was the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar of Rome. He had colonized the Jews and set Pontius Pilate in Judea as Governor and Herod as tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene (Luke 3:1).

Those who asked the question knowing Jesus was religious wanted to see if they could get Jesus who had a large following to incite rebellion against the rulers of Rome. The following ensued:

Luk 20:22-26 NLT

(22) Now tell us—is it right to pay taxes to the Roman government or not?”

(23) He saw through their trickery and said,

(24) “Show me a Roman coin. Whose picture and title are stamped on it?” “Caesar’s,” they replied.

(25) “Well then,” he said, “give to Caesar what belongs to him. But everything that belongs to God must be given to God.”

(26) So they failed to trap him in the presence of the people. Instead, they were amazed by his answer, and they were silenced.

Lord Jesus’ answer is similar to Paul’s statement in Romans 13:1. While living on earth as humans (humus-men), we must be subject to earthly or humus leaders. In like manner as spirit-ual beings, we must render to God what is His—in spirit and truth.

DOES GOD USE HEATHEN PEOPLE AS LEADERS?

God is King and He can use whoever he wills. Many times we judge people as immoral who may not necessarily be so.

Nebuchadnezzar

Others too are immoral by our standards such as King Nebuchadnezzar who worshipped many idols and yet listen to God’s testimony about this heathen king.

Jer 27:6 NLT Now I will give your countries to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, who is my servant. I have put everything, even the wild animals, under his control.

Jer 43:10 NLT Then say to the people of Judah, ‘The LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I will surely bring my servant Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, here to Egypt. I will set his throne on these stones that I have hidden. He will spread his royal canopy over them.

Jer 25:9 NLT I will gather together all the armies of the north under King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, whom I have appointed as my deputy. I will bring them all against this land and its people and against the other nations near you. I will completely destroy you and make you an object of horror and contempt and a ruin forever.

God actually says he appointed a heathen unbelieving king as His deputy.

Cyrus

In a separate section of scripture, God describes another heathen King as follows:

Isa 44:28 NLT When I say of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd,’ he will certainly do as I say. He will command that Jerusalem be rebuilt and that the Temple be restored.”

God describes a heathen King as His shepherd. He adds the following about the same King Cyrus:

Isa 45:1-13 NIV

(1) This is what the LORD says to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of to subdue nations before him and to strip kings of their armor, to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut:

(2) I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron.

(3) I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.

(4) For the sake of Jacob my servant, of Israel my chosen, I summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge me.

(13) I will raise up Cyrus in my righteousness: I will make all his ways straight. He will rebuild my city and set my exiles free, but not for a price or reward, says the LORD Almighty.”

In verse 1, GOD calls Cyrus, His anointed. In verse 4, he says, I will use you even when you do not acknowledge me. In addition God decides to give the heathen ruler who does not acknowledge Him “the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places”.

CONCLUSION

Psa 75:7 NIV But it is God who judges: He brings one down, he exalts another.

Dan 2:21 NLT He determines the course of world events; he removes kings and sets others on the throne. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the scholars.

This preceding paragraphs are conclusive. God can use even those who do not yield to him for his purpose—anointing them and giving them power and victory over His own people—the Jews. Why did God not appoint a Jew to deputize for Him instead of a Babylonian? Only He knows the full answer but I suspect His people were living in disobedience.

Then comes the question, why would God use unrighteous people to rule the righteous? Well, the pot or clay really is not in the position to question the potter. The potter in this case—GOD Almighty—is perfectly wise in all his doings and even when we do not understand why He, makes certain requirements of us, we must understand that all His acts and plans are eventually for the good of all creation (whether we understand it or not). To Him be glory for ever and ever.

Shalom!