Part 2 in a series of reflections on the Capitol insurrection and Christians’ participation
Our essential task is to establish a biblical point of view regarding the Christian’s relationship with government and politics. For this, we must start in the Old Testament at the point Israel—God’s chosen people—was establishing itself as a land and a people.
The conquest of the land of Canaan (generally what we name the country of Israel today) took place after the Israelites had wandered in the Sinai desert for forty years. God, through the leader Moses, had led them out of slavery in Egypt, across (through!) the Red Sea, and into a barren wilderness. He had fed them manna and quail, miraculously provided water, prevented their shoes from wearing out, and otherwise sustained them through a very challenging time in their history.
They entered the promised land en masse from the east, through the city of Jericho. Hundreds of thousands fanned out across the land God had given them and settled. For a long time, they managed to hold it together with the help of “judges” who were called into service at times when Israel’s security was threatened. It was touch and go for this fragile population, enough so that the people began to clamor for a king to give stability, leadership, and international prestige. All the other countries around us have kings. Why can’t we have one to govern us, too?
The prophet Samuel, raised up by God for this historical moment, had been God’s spokesman to the people. All along, the idea had been that God himself would be their ruler and king—no other was needed. So when the demands arose, Samuel resisted the idea and took his concerns to God. God told him, “Don’t take this personally. The people are not rejecting you. They are rejecting me. Don’t resist them. I will give them a king, but you tell them what the implications are.” Samuel warned the people that having a king would require taxation, military draft, and civil service. And by putting their trust in a human king, they were opting out of God’s protection and provision. [1 Samuel 8]
King Saul was the first king designated and anointed by Samuel for service. He turned out to be mentally unstable, spiritually rebellious, and emotionally fragile. He was a big disappointment; the job was too big for him. But did this convince the people to drop the idea of a king and let God rule them? No. [This is only the beginning of a long tale, a golden age of monarchy with David and Solomon, but then the collapse of order, the division of the kingdom, and a royal mess that eventually led to Israel’s political demise and deportation.]
Lesson 1 for us: If you really want to entrust your national security to a mere mortal, you will get what you deserve: someone who is morally flawed, inadequate to the task, emotionally fragile.
The door into the New Testament opens into a completely different world. The promised land after the Exile had been sequentially conquered by foreign empires: Persian, Greek, and finally Roman at the time of Jesus Christ’s birth. Herod the Great, emperor of Rome, and later his four sons dominated the landscape with buildings, paganism, sleaze, and even murder. The backdrop of the gospels, often silent but attested to by grand architecture, was cultural pollution and moral corruption of the first order. This is the world into which Jesus was born and offered his ministry.
The hope and history of Israel pointed to the arrival of Messiah, the Anointed One, who would establish an eternal kingdom—what God always intended for his people. Jesus’s disciples, once it hit them that he was the Messiah, wanted to enthrone him and enrobe him with political power befitting this kingdom. But Jesus always and to the end resisted such a popular surge. His mission required exactly the opposite: humiliation, capture, and crucifixion. Greatness, to Jesus, was embodied in humble service even unto death.
He was raised from the dead, giving the disciples hope that maybe then he would wrest power from the Romans and take the throne. But, no. Jesus delegated ministry authority to them and ascended into heaven with the promise that he would return. It is this return Christians await.
Meanwhile, Christians through the millennia have endured persecution, danger, dismissal, and division. With the exception of the Constantinian period (300 ad onward, when Christianity was established as the Roman Empire’s religion), throughout the world, Christianity as a movement has struggled and ultimately multiplied exponentially under oppressive regimes. The gospel is so durable, and the transformation it forges in human hearts so strong, that it does not need a supportive government for it to survive and thrive. This is because God is sovereign and his redemption will not be thwarted.
Lesson 2 for us: We do not need a supportive government or even an “anointed leader” as some have called our president in order to worship God, who occupies the throne of heaven. Might we be persecuted? Yes, Jesus promised this. Might we lose something or even everything because we are faithful to Jesus Christ? Yes, it’s called “denying ones self and taking up one’s cross.” Fighting for my own comfort, success, and rights in any political system is not where my energy is to be spent. In Christ, we have surrendered our rights to the Lord of the Universe (and the shepherd of our souls). “We are not our own; we were bought with a price.” [But note: This is not to say that Christians, loving their neighbors, should not work diligently to make sure others are fed, healthy, and secure—even at great cost to themselves.]
Therefore, Christians in the United States should not expect any favoritism by the government, any special national status in God’s eyes, or any entitlements to make their spiritual life easier. They should not put their hope in “kings,” i.e. in any particular political party or individual in power. What we can put our hope in is God’s forgiveness when we repent of our idolatry to flag or nation or president. When we truly surrender to God’s sovereignty, we will be in a better position to discern how to be and act within our polluted and corrupt world.
Tomorrow: A bit more data collection from the New Testament regarding a Christian’s appropriate relationship with government.