David wasn't in office yet, when he learned of King Saul's death in battle. However, he knew how to administer justice. II Samuel 1 explains the details of an execution ordered by David. It shows us that his view of "the anointed of the Lord" was not a mere personal conviction but was a law applicable to all persons, both Israelite and strangers, within the jurisdiction of "the Lord's anointed."
A man came to David's camp to report Saul's death. He was an Amalekite, a foreigner or stranger in Israel - one strike against him already. Here's part of the conversation:
"And David said unto the young man that told him, How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son be dead? And the young man that told him said, As I happened by chance upon mount Gilboa, behold, Saul leaned upon his spear; and, lo, the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him. And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called unto me. And I answered, Here am I. And he said unto me, Who art thou? And I answered him, I am an Amalekite. He said unto me again, Stand, I pray thee, upon me, and slay me: for anguish is come upon me, because my life is yet whole in me. So I stood upon him, and slew him, because I was sure that he could not live after that he was fallen: and I took the crown that was upon his head, and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them hither unto my lord."
II Samuel 1:5-10. David then mourned for Saul, even though they had been enemies. Then David said to the man:
"And David said unto him, How wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine hand to destroy the LORD'S anointed? And David called one of the young men, and said, Go near, and fall upon him. And he smote him that he died. And David said unto him, Thy blood be upon thy head; for thy mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I have slain the LORD'S anointed."
II Samuel 1:14-6. Even though Saul requested that he be killed, it was wrong for this Amalekite to comply. This passage has been used at times as an argument against assisted suicide. It is that, but more importantly, it is an argument in favor of a special legal status for civil rulers. It does not argue in favor of a special status that allows them to act contrary or outside the law, as the proponents of the "Divine Right of Kings" used it. For a biblical refutation of the "Divine Right of Kings," see Rutherford, Samuel, "Lex Rex" (Colorado Springs, CO: Portage Publications, 2009), accessed at http://www.portagepub.com/dl/caa/sr-lexrex17.pdf?.
The law of Moses clearly shows that the civil and ecclesiastical rulers are delegated authority from God and that to act contemptibly toward them is punishable by death. "And the man that will do presumptuously, and will not hearken unto the priest that standeth to minister there before the LORD thy God, or unto the judge, even that man shall die: and thou shalt put away the evil from Israel." Deuteronomy 17:12. If disobedience or contempt toward officials is punishable by death, how much more the murder of them is a capital offense?
David defended Saul's status as the chief civil ruler of Israel, even though Saul had sought to kill David and even though David had already been anointed to replace Saul and even though Saul's line of succession after him was not that of the Messiah and even though Saul had been defeated in battle and was dead. Therefore, this law could not possibly apply only to the genealogical line of Jesus Christ. It applies to all civil rulers for all time.
Such a viewpoint is anathema to the Left in the legal community and the society at large. Why? Because it means a permanency to law, and permanency in law means a permanency to the issuer of that law. Without permanency, there is no law, merely the opinion of some person who is in power at the time the opinion is issued as law. If the status of the person in power could be helped by stating that no one can disobey with impunity, then the Left will use it. However, civil disobedience is all the rage with the Left when someone with whom they disagree is in power.
In other words, they disobey the law in the name of the people's right to protest and disobey what they consider an illegitimate law, but then turn around and demand the enforcement of the laws in which they believe and which they support. They are like those whom Jesus criticized, stating:
"To what then shall I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another,
‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.’ For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by all her children."
Luke 7:31-5. This position does not represent law, no matter how much they contest that they stand for the rule of law; they do not, they stand for the rule of their own personal opinion over the rest of us. The Christian who agrees that their word is the law, when it contradicts God's law and only because they are in power, will not have victory. He is standing with those who rebel against God and His law. God cannot bless that Christian.
Jesus submitted to the illegitimate who were in power, not because they represented "the law," but only because God allowed them to have power and the sovereign God was using them to advance His own purposes. Jesus did not admit that Pilate represented the law. John 18:33-8. Jesus exposed the fact that Pilate did not stand for the law, for Pilate did not even know what the Truth is. See post in Biblical Judicial System blog, titled "Jesus' Not So Subtle But Gentle Rebuke of Pontius Pilate."
Jesus allowed those in power to put Him to death, in part, to show their denial of God's law in putting an innocent man to death. If Pilate had let Jesus go free, saying, "You're free if you deny that you're a king of any kind," Jesus, not being a liar, would have disobeyed him. There's a God-ordained limit to the civil ruler's power, and that limit is clear in the word of God - the Truth. Deny that Word, that Truth, and there is no limit to man's tyrannical power!
The Christian has victory in office when he stands for the permanent law of God and the God-ordained limits on the civil ruler's power, not because he compromises with those who think their word is law. The Christian standing on the law of God earns the full certification of God Almighty and can faithfully and fearlessly enforce that law, knowing God is supporting him. As David confidently executed the man who violated God's law and killed the former king, the Christian in office can confidently enforce God's law.
Summing up, this passage demonstrates that true law has permanency, it is not something personal that we can impose just because we are in power; the civil ruler's position while in power is not something that can be treated with contempt with impunity; and as demonstrated in other parts of scripture, the death penalty can be used for offenses not involving murder.
Monday, February 15, 2016
Saturday, February 13, 2016
The Victory of the Christian 4 - God's Rules
The question arises: Under what rules does the covenant keeper operate? David already showed us that you keep first things first - God and His commandments, like the commandment to exterminate the inhabitants of Canaan. Saul had not been entirely obedient regarding that commandment like David. But that's not the only way in which David operated differently.
David had been anointed the successor to Saul by Samuel in I Samuel 16, where God told Samuel that He had rejected Saul as king and Samuel was to anoint another person - someone better than Saul. I Samuel 15:28. Yet Saul remained in his position as King; he was King the entire time he was chasing David, having suspected that David was his replacement. From chapter 18 of I Samuel until chapter 27, an undefined period perhaps of years, David fled for his life from Saul. As described in Post "The Victory of the Christian 3 - It's not Fair," David employed some pretty ruthless tactics for survival. But he refused to do one thing - kill King Saul, "the Lord's Anointed." He had the chance to do so with impunity more than once.
In I Samuel chapter 24, David could have killed Saul in a cave, separated from Saul's army and armed guards. David told his own bodyguard, Abishai and his other men:
"And the men of David said unto him, Behold the day of which the LORD said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand, that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto thee. Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul's robe privily. And it came to pass afterward, that David's heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul's skirt. And he said unto his men, The LORD forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the LORD'S anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD. So David stayed his servants with these words, and suffered them not to rise against Saul. But Saul rose up out of the cave, and went on his way."
I Samuel 24:4-7. David felt guilty about cutting a corner of the robe of the Lord's anointed. He had a sincerely sensitive conscience about killing the Lord's Anointed, even if not doing so meant continuing to face the risk of being murdered by Saul. His respect for the reigning king, no matter how flawed or even rejected by God, is unweakened by the fact that David has been anointed the new king, something David knows will result in his becoming king one day. But he was willing to wait for the formal installation before presuming on that anointing. David's stand was a stand of faith, as he makes clear to Saul in his speech to him afterwards.
"The LORD judge between me and thee, and the LORD avenge me of thee: but mine hand shall not be upon thee. As saith the proverb of the ancients, Wickedness proceedeth from the wicked: but mine hand shall not be upon thee. After whom is the king of Israel come out? after whom dost thou pursue? after a dead dog, after a flea. The LORD therefore be judge, and judge between me and thee, and see, and plead my cause, and deliver me out of thine hand."
I Samuel 24:12-15. Am almost identical opportunity presented itself on another occasion.
"The LORD render to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness: for the LORD delivered thee into my hand to day, but I would not stretch forth mine hand against the LORD'S anointed. And, behold, as thy life was much set by this day in mine eyes, so let my life be much set by in the eyes of the LORD, and let him deliver me out of all tribulation."
I Samuel 26:23-4. David's faith was not in his spear or bow or sword (I Samuel 17:45-7); his faith was in the covenant keeping God of Israel.
Where is our faith when engaged in politics? In the Constitution? Our wisdom and high paid political consultants? Our money raising ability? How long will it take for the Church to realize that our strength, our source of success, our victory is found only in our faith in our covenant keeping God, in whom we should show our faith by keeping covenant - like David. If you tell yourself and others words like: "That's just too extreme." Or: "No one will accept us if we stand on the bible." Or: "It's not practical." Or: "What about separation of church and state?" Or: "There too many of THEM." Get ready to keep losing; you're playing by the enemy's rules. And you're not putting your faith in the God who is the sovereign ruler over all and will give victory to those who put their trust in Him and His word. The question is not who will win. The question is: Do you have faith in His Word? His rules? Do you even know them?
David had been anointed the successor to Saul by Samuel in I Samuel 16, where God told Samuel that He had rejected Saul as king and Samuel was to anoint another person - someone better than Saul. I Samuel 15:28. Yet Saul remained in his position as King; he was King the entire time he was chasing David, having suspected that David was his replacement. From chapter 18 of I Samuel until chapter 27, an undefined period perhaps of years, David fled for his life from Saul. As described in Post "The Victory of the Christian 3 - It's not Fair," David employed some pretty ruthless tactics for survival. But he refused to do one thing - kill King Saul, "the Lord's Anointed." He had the chance to do so with impunity more than once.
In I Samuel chapter 24, David could have killed Saul in a cave, separated from Saul's army and armed guards. David told his own bodyguard, Abishai and his other men:
"And the men of David said unto him, Behold the day of which the LORD said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand, that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto thee. Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul's robe privily. And it came to pass afterward, that David's heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul's skirt. And he said unto his men, The LORD forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the LORD'S anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD. So David stayed his servants with these words, and suffered them not to rise against Saul. But Saul rose up out of the cave, and went on his way."
I Samuel 24:4-7. David felt guilty about cutting a corner of the robe of the Lord's anointed. He had a sincerely sensitive conscience about killing the Lord's Anointed, even if not doing so meant continuing to face the risk of being murdered by Saul. His respect for the reigning king, no matter how flawed or even rejected by God, is unweakened by the fact that David has been anointed the new king, something David knows will result in his becoming king one day. But he was willing to wait for the formal installation before presuming on that anointing. David's stand was a stand of faith, as he makes clear to Saul in his speech to him afterwards.
"The LORD judge between me and thee, and the LORD avenge me of thee: but mine hand shall not be upon thee. As saith the proverb of the ancients, Wickedness proceedeth from the wicked: but mine hand shall not be upon thee. After whom is the king of Israel come out? after whom dost thou pursue? after a dead dog, after a flea. The LORD therefore be judge, and judge between me and thee, and see, and plead my cause, and deliver me out of thine hand."
I Samuel 24:12-15. Am almost identical opportunity presented itself on another occasion.
"The LORD render to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness: for the LORD delivered thee into my hand to day, but I would not stretch forth mine hand against the LORD'S anointed. And, behold, as thy life was much set by this day in mine eyes, so let my life be much set by in the eyes of the LORD, and let him deliver me out of all tribulation."
I Samuel 26:23-4. David's faith was not in his spear or bow or sword (I Samuel 17:45-7); his faith was in the covenant keeping God of Israel.
Where is our faith when engaged in politics? In the Constitution? Our wisdom and high paid political consultants? Our money raising ability? How long will it take for the Church to realize that our strength, our source of success, our victory is found only in our faith in our covenant keeping God, in whom we should show our faith by keeping covenant - like David. If you tell yourself and others words like: "That's just too extreme." Or: "No one will accept us if we stand on the bible." Or: "It's not practical." Or: "What about separation of church and state?" Or: "There too many of THEM." Get ready to keep losing; you're playing by the enemy's rules. And you're not putting your faith in the God who is the sovereign ruler over all and will give victory to those who put their trust in Him and His word. The question is not who will win. The question is: Do you have faith in His Word? His rules? Do you even know them?
Thursday, February 11, 2016
The Importance of Swearing 3
If you were to ask a modern secular liberal to describe a civil government which requires its public officials to swear an oath to the Trinitarian God of the bible and the bible itself, then the answer would probably be "Theocracy." That would be after he finishes cursing and calling you a Nazi, extremist religious zealot, akin to Isis. But that commitment to a Trinitarian oath to the God of the bible and His word would describe most states at the time the U.S. Constitution's ratification. Does that mean that the states with such oaths were operating as constitutionally approved "theocracies?" Or were these states operating as somehow unconstitutional, in spite of the fact that these same states approved the U.S. Constitution?
So, does the U.S. Constitution require that we the people, we the states, we the nation defy God? If a public official swears to uphold the U.S. Constitution, is that official turning from a godly view of what the civil government should be? What are that official's options? If man's law comports with the principles of God's law, then it is easy - the official obeys the human law. If the law is neither in agreement with God's law nor contrary to it, it may be extraneous, it may be an attempt at salvation by law, but it is not absolute disobedience for the official to enforce it. If the human law is contrary to God's law, that is when the official must make a decision. Is it the obligation of his oath that he obey the human law, no matter what?
The fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."
Amazing that in two sentences, the foundational principle upon which the Constitution was written could be turned on its head. You wonder how that could be, yet it proves the very concerns the founding fathers expressed. That is, when man gains power, he exploits it to the fullest; he demands power to enforce his will, his idea of what is best for himself and the people he rules. It's the age-old story of princes vying for power, claiming they can "save" the people, gaining the powerful position they seek, then abusing it and lording it over their own people. It's the evil from which the Constitution was supposed to protect us.
John Adams in a speech to the military in 1798 warned his fellow countrymen stating, "We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion . . . Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."
Quotes of the Founding Fathers: The Importance of a Moral Society, http://www.free2pray.info/5founderquotes.html, accessed on Feb. 11, 2016.
James Wilson, Signer of the Constitution; U. S. Supreme Court Justice, "Human law must rest its authority ultimately upon the authority of that law which is divine. . . . Far from being rivals or enemies, religion and law are twin sisters, friends, and mutual assistants. Indeed, these two sciences run into each other."
Ibid.
Noah Webster, author of the first American Speller and the first Dictionary stated, "The moral principles and precepts contained in the scriptures ought to form the basis of all our civil constitutions and laws. . . All the miseries and evils which men suffer from vice, crime, ambition, injustice, oppression, slavery, and war, proceed from their despising or neglecting the precepts contained in the Bible."
Ibid.
Therefore, we can assert that following the Constitution does not mean denying the God of the bible. However, does the emphasis on tolerance of other religions and the failure to include a test clause to prevent public officials from holding a belief in a false god create a gap for religious pluralism, that is, a polytheistic society? Such a polytheistic society means that there will be constant battles, political if not military, over what is the fundamental meaning of the society, and therefore, what is the role of the civil government? In other words, it is not a recipe for peace, it is a recipe for confusion, and we know who the author of confusion is - Satan. Can we do better?
So, does the U.S. Constitution require that we the people, we the states, we the nation defy God? If a public official swears to uphold the U.S. Constitution, is that official turning from a godly view of what the civil government should be? What are that official's options? If man's law comports with the principles of God's law, then it is easy - the official obeys the human law. If the law is neither in agreement with God's law nor contrary to it, it may be extraneous, it may be an attempt at salvation by law, but it is not absolute disobedience for the official to enforce it. If the human law is contrary to God's law, that is when the official must make a decision. Is it the obligation of his oath that he obey the human law, no matter what?
The fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."
Amazing that in two sentences, the foundational principle upon which the Constitution was written could be turned on its head. You wonder how that could be, yet it proves the very concerns the founding fathers expressed. That is, when man gains power, he exploits it to the fullest; he demands power to enforce his will, his idea of what is best for himself and the people he rules. It's the age-old story of princes vying for power, claiming they can "save" the people, gaining the powerful position they seek, then abusing it and lording it over their own people. It's the evil from which the Constitution was supposed to protect us.
John Adams in a speech to the military in 1798 warned his fellow countrymen stating, "We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion . . . Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."
Quotes of the Founding Fathers: The Importance of a Moral Society, http://www.free2pray.info/5founderquotes.html, accessed on Feb. 11, 2016.
James Wilson, Signer of the Constitution; U. S. Supreme Court Justice, "Human law must rest its authority ultimately upon the authority of that law which is divine. . . . Far from being rivals or enemies, religion and law are twin sisters, friends, and mutual assistants. Indeed, these two sciences run into each other."
Ibid.
Noah Webster, author of the first American Speller and the first Dictionary stated, "The moral principles and precepts contained in the scriptures ought to form the basis of all our civil constitutions and laws. . . All the miseries and evils which men suffer from vice, crime, ambition, injustice, oppression, slavery, and war, proceed from their despising or neglecting the precepts contained in the Bible."
Ibid.
Therefore, we can assert that following the Constitution does not mean denying the God of the bible. However, does the emphasis on tolerance of other religions and the failure to include a test clause to prevent public officials from holding a belief in a false god create a gap for religious pluralism, that is, a polytheistic society? Such a polytheistic society means that there will be constant battles, political if not military, over what is the fundamental meaning of the society, and therefore, what is the role of the civil government? In other words, it is not a recipe for peace, it is a recipe for confusion, and we know who the author of confusion is - Satan. Can we do better?
The Victory of the Christian 3 - It's not about Fairness
So if you're serving in politics as an individual only, your goal should be more money and more power. However, if you're serving a greater cause, then that shouldn't matter. "Having food and raiment, let us be therewith content." You trust that as you seek first the kingdom and His righteousness, He'll take care of you - the fundamental promise of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount.
That's how everyone should serve. The temptation in politics is to attempt to gain access to those benefits in an illegitimate way - by fraud or taking from the taxpayers or the lobbyists or whoever allows you to not trust God for provision. Once you cease to trust God for provision, then on already on the downhill slide to unbelief. Remember that it's the poor who are rich in faith.
Live for self or live covenantally? The person who lives for the covenant is loyal to his God above all else, whereas the person living for himself, fails to honor the position of God as sovereign ruler over all. He respects God's delegated authorities - first, the word of God; then His appointed ministers and shepherds in the Church; then the political authorities to whom God has given delegated power. However, that delegated power does not entitle those authorities to ultimate and total power, nor does it entitle them to the truth, if they are wickedly opposing the chosen people of God. The covenant man obeys God's law not to gain God's acceptance but because he loves God and believes God's word about blessing those who obey. And he expects victory in his endeavors, like David expected and received victory. Lastly, the covenant man, who was never living for himself, lives for future generations. That's what the Christian believes in above himself - his natural children, his spiritual children, the future kingdom and its victory in time and in history - the honor of God's name. Such a context for living makes living for personal advantage about as pitifully meaningless as it can be.
The Christian, more than anyone else, has less reason to skirt the ethical boundaries and more incentive to keep them clear and true. To violate the ethics of political dealing is to claim that man's works are the key to salvation.
However, at the same time, the idea that fairness means playing by the enemy's rules is not Christian ethics. The enemies of God blame the righteous for the very sins to which the enemies of God are totally committed, they make up rules to which they don't consider themselves bound and then hold those rules over those who don't support them. They're like the lawyers and Pharisees of Jesus' day and to whom He said, "For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers." Matthew 23:4.
So how does a covenant keeper deal with a covenant breaker? Consider, for example, the the dealings of Samuel with Saul and the escape of David from Saul. David was a covenant keeper, a man after God's own heart. So was Samuel. Saul was not.
I Samuel 16:1-3 states: The LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” And the LORD said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’ And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do. And you shall anoint for me him whom I declare to you.”
Notice that God Himself instructs Samuel, the Priest and Prophet of Israel, to deceive Saul, the King, and appear as if he's going to visit David's father in Bethlehem for the purpose of some sort of sacrifice. The purpose was to protect Samuel's life and his mission - to anoint the new king to replace Saul.
I Samuel 17 tells the story of David and Goliath. David, a shepherd for his father's flocks and sent by his father to bring food for the army, appeared at the battle and said to himself: "I'm not a warrior; I'm just a shepherd. It's not my business to get involved. God's sovereign anyway. Even if the Philistines win the battle, God's in control and will work anything out he needs to - for His glory. I'm not going to force victory for Israel; it's none of my business anyway. It's politics and war, dirty business anyway."
No, that's not what he said. He said the following: "And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?" I Samuel 17:26. "And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine." I Samuel 17:32. His faith? That God would give him, a covenant believer, victory:
"Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD'S, and he will give you into our hands."
I Samuel 17:45-7. God favors His people who are called to a mission and who step out on faith. He causes them to win. Is that fair?
"And David said unto Jonathan, Behold, to morrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king at meat: but let me go, that I may hide myself in the field unto the third day at even. If thy father at all miss me, then say, David earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Bethlehem his city: for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the family. If he say thus, It is well; thy servant shall have peace: but if he be very wroth, then be sure that evil is determined by him."
I Samuel 20:5-7. David advised Jonathan to tell his father, Saul, a lie in order to determine whether Saul still wanted to kill David. Is that fair?
"Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest: and Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David, and said unto him, Why art thou alone, and no man with thee? And David said unto Ahimelech the priest, The king hath commanded me a business, and hath said unto me, Let no man know any thing of the business whereabout I send thee, and what I have commanded thee: and I have appointed my servants to such and such a place. Now therefore what is under thine hand? give me five loaves of bread in mine hand, or what there is present."
I Samuel 21:1-3. David lied to the High Priest about being sent on a mission for the king. He ended up getting food and a sword from Ahimelech, and Ahimelech and the priests at Nobe ended up dying because of King Saul's murderous jealousy and fear of David's ascension. I Samuel 22. Did David play fair?
David fled to a Philistine region and tried to hide, but he had to pretend as if he was mad when the Philistine king began to hear suspicious words from his servants. I Samuel 21:10-15.
David ended up having to hide out in Philistine territory. But while there, he made good use of his time.
"And David and his men went up, and invaded the Geshurites, and the Gezrites, and the Amalekites: for those nations were of old the inhabitants of the land, as thou goest to Shur, even unto the land of Egypt. And David smote the land, and left neither man nor woman alive, and took away the sheep, and the oxen, and the asses, and the camels, and the apparel, and returned, and came to Achish. And Achish said, Whither have ye made a road to day? And David said, Against the south of Judah, and against the south of the Jerahmeelites, and against the south of the Kenites. And David saved neither man nor woman alive, to bring tidings to Gath, saying, Lest they should tell on us, saying, So did David, and so will be his manner all the while he dwelleth in the country of the Philistines. And Achish believed David, saying, He hath made his people Israel utterly to abhor him; therefore he shall be my servant for ever."
I Samuel 27:8-12. He fulfilled God's will - that the people of Canaan be exterminated, and while doing so, he deceived the Philistine king as to what he was doing. Was that fair?
Extermination of the nations of Canaan was a one-time instruction for the Israelites, which was not to be applied to any other nation at that time or at any other time, unless they behave with ruthless cruelty like Amalek and murder the innocent. (See the laws of warfare given to Moses in Exodus 17:16; Deuteronomy 2:4-6; chap. 7; and chap. 20.) "This inheritance [of Canaan by the descendants of Abraham] was a one-time event. Israel was not to become an empire. Different rules of warfare were in force outside of Canaan (Deut. 20:10-15). Once the final disinheritance of the residents of Canaan was accomplished, Israel was to conquer by example, not by military power." North, Gary, "Disobedience and Defeat: An Economic Commentary on the Historical Books," (Dallas, GA: Point Five Press, 2012), p. 40. See Deuteronomy 4:5-8.
If politics involves a battle on a different level from that of physical warfare, the covenant keeper is not obligated to fight such political battles by the rules of the covenant breaker. Our God is the sovereign God, and he sets the rules, lines out the boundaries of the playing field, and determines who wins. He is the covenant keeping God as he has always been.
Is the covenant primary for you as a believer when dealing with politics? Is God the first priority? Will you be willing to exercise courage in faith? Do you believe in victory? God's victory over the enemy? Do you even believe God has enemies with whom we must deal? Can you discriminate between the covenant keepers and the covenant breakers? Do you obey Him? Do you live for God's purpose or your own? David laid out the pattern: Be called, know your calling, keep God's glory first, obey Him but don't let the enemy turn you from God's purpose, and live for the covenant future God desires, not your own. And you will win, and you won't win fairly. You'll win because God favors you.
That's how everyone should serve. The temptation in politics is to attempt to gain access to those benefits in an illegitimate way - by fraud or taking from the taxpayers or the lobbyists or whoever allows you to not trust God for provision. Once you cease to trust God for provision, then on already on the downhill slide to unbelief. Remember that it's the poor who are rich in faith.
Live for self or live covenantally? The person who lives for the covenant is loyal to his God above all else, whereas the person living for himself, fails to honor the position of God as sovereign ruler over all. He respects God's delegated authorities - first, the word of God; then His appointed ministers and shepherds in the Church; then the political authorities to whom God has given delegated power. However, that delegated power does not entitle those authorities to ultimate and total power, nor does it entitle them to the truth, if they are wickedly opposing the chosen people of God. The covenant man obeys God's law not to gain God's acceptance but because he loves God and believes God's word about blessing those who obey. And he expects victory in his endeavors, like David expected and received victory. Lastly, the covenant man, who was never living for himself, lives for future generations. That's what the Christian believes in above himself - his natural children, his spiritual children, the future kingdom and its victory in time and in history - the honor of God's name. Such a context for living makes living for personal advantage about as pitifully meaningless as it can be.
The Christian, more than anyone else, has less reason to skirt the ethical boundaries and more incentive to keep them clear and true. To violate the ethics of political dealing is to claim that man's works are the key to salvation.
However, at the same time, the idea that fairness means playing by the enemy's rules is not Christian ethics. The enemies of God blame the righteous for the very sins to which the enemies of God are totally committed, they make up rules to which they don't consider themselves bound and then hold those rules over those who don't support them. They're like the lawyers and Pharisees of Jesus' day and to whom He said, "For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers." Matthew 23:4.
So how does a covenant keeper deal with a covenant breaker? Consider, for example, the the dealings of Samuel with Saul and the escape of David from Saul. David was a covenant keeper, a man after God's own heart. So was Samuel. Saul was not.
I Samuel 16:1-3 states: The LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” And the LORD said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’ And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do. And you shall anoint for me him whom I declare to you.”
Notice that God Himself instructs Samuel, the Priest and Prophet of Israel, to deceive Saul, the King, and appear as if he's going to visit David's father in Bethlehem for the purpose of some sort of sacrifice. The purpose was to protect Samuel's life and his mission - to anoint the new king to replace Saul.
I Samuel 17 tells the story of David and Goliath. David, a shepherd for his father's flocks and sent by his father to bring food for the army, appeared at the battle and said to himself: "I'm not a warrior; I'm just a shepherd. It's not my business to get involved. God's sovereign anyway. Even if the Philistines win the battle, God's in control and will work anything out he needs to - for His glory. I'm not going to force victory for Israel; it's none of my business anyway. It's politics and war, dirty business anyway."
No, that's not what he said. He said the following: "And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?" I Samuel 17:26. "And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine." I Samuel 17:32. His faith? That God would give him, a covenant believer, victory:
"Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD'S, and he will give you into our hands."
I Samuel 17:45-7. God favors His people who are called to a mission and who step out on faith. He causes them to win. Is that fair?
"And David said unto Jonathan, Behold, to morrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king at meat: but let me go, that I may hide myself in the field unto the third day at even. If thy father at all miss me, then say, David earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Bethlehem his city: for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the family. If he say thus, It is well; thy servant shall have peace: but if he be very wroth, then be sure that evil is determined by him."
I Samuel 20:5-7. David advised Jonathan to tell his father, Saul, a lie in order to determine whether Saul still wanted to kill David. Is that fair?
"Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest: and Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David, and said unto him, Why art thou alone, and no man with thee? And David said unto Ahimelech the priest, The king hath commanded me a business, and hath said unto me, Let no man know any thing of the business whereabout I send thee, and what I have commanded thee: and I have appointed my servants to such and such a place. Now therefore what is under thine hand? give me five loaves of bread in mine hand, or what there is present."
I Samuel 21:1-3. David lied to the High Priest about being sent on a mission for the king. He ended up getting food and a sword from Ahimelech, and Ahimelech and the priests at Nobe ended up dying because of King Saul's murderous jealousy and fear of David's ascension. I Samuel 22. Did David play fair?
David fled to a Philistine region and tried to hide, but he had to pretend as if he was mad when the Philistine king began to hear suspicious words from his servants. I Samuel 21:10-15.
David ended up having to hide out in Philistine territory. But while there, he made good use of his time.
"And David and his men went up, and invaded the Geshurites, and the Gezrites, and the Amalekites: for those nations were of old the inhabitants of the land, as thou goest to Shur, even unto the land of Egypt. And David smote the land, and left neither man nor woman alive, and took away the sheep, and the oxen, and the asses, and the camels, and the apparel, and returned, and came to Achish. And Achish said, Whither have ye made a road to day? And David said, Against the south of Judah, and against the south of the Jerahmeelites, and against the south of the Kenites. And David saved neither man nor woman alive, to bring tidings to Gath, saying, Lest they should tell on us, saying, So did David, and so will be his manner all the while he dwelleth in the country of the Philistines. And Achish believed David, saying, He hath made his people Israel utterly to abhor him; therefore he shall be my servant for ever."
I Samuel 27:8-12. He fulfilled God's will - that the people of Canaan be exterminated, and while doing so, he deceived the Philistine king as to what he was doing. Was that fair?
Extermination of the nations of Canaan was a one-time instruction for the Israelites, which was not to be applied to any other nation at that time or at any other time, unless they behave with ruthless cruelty like Amalek and murder the innocent. (See the laws of warfare given to Moses in Exodus 17:16; Deuteronomy 2:4-6; chap. 7; and chap. 20.) "This inheritance [of Canaan by the descendants of Abraham] was a one-time event. Israel was not to become an empire. Different rules of warfare were in force outside of Canaan (Deut. 20:10-15). Once the final disinheritance of the residents of Canaan was accomplished, Israel was to conquer by example, not by military power." North, Gary, "Disobedience and Defeat: An Economic Commentary on the Historical Books," (Dallas, GA: Point Five Press, 2012), p. 40. See Deuteronomy 4:5-8.
If politics involves a battle on a different level from that of physical warfare, the covenant keeper is not obligated to fight such political battles by the rules of the covenant breaker. Our God is the sovereign God, and he sets the rules, lines out the boundaries of the playing field, and determines who wins. He is the covenant keeping God as he has always been.
Is the covenant primary for you as a believer when dealing with politics? Is God the first priority? Will you be willing to exercise courage in faith? Do you believe in victory? God's victory over the enemy? Do you even believe God has enemies with whom we must deal? Can you discriminate between the covenant keepers and the covenant breakers? Do you obey Him? Do you live for God's purpose or your own? David laid out the pattern: Be called, know your calling, keep God's glory first, obey Him but don't let the enemy turn you from God's purpose, and live for the covenant future God desires, not your own. And you will win, and you won't win fairly. You'll win because God favors you.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)