Joshua and Judges: Crossing the Jordan - Obeying God's delegated authority, part 11. Jos 1:16-18; Eph 6:4.

Title: Joshua and Judges: Crossing the Jordan - Obeying God's delegated authority, part 11. JOS 1:16-18; Rom 13: 1-3.   

 

Announcements / opening prayer:

 

 

Within God we have a perfect giver, Father, King, and Husband. Though in the world these delegated offices are abused at times, all of us have a perfect One to turn to.

 

Delegated authority #4 - the government over the citizens.

 

Finally, the government has authority over the citizens in any nation. God will deal with the evil in governments or in sovereign rulers. If the government demands that a believer commit sin or be a party to the working of sin that believer must obey God rather than man, however, the government still bears the sword and that believer will likely suffer, but undeservedly, in which he can glorify God.

 

The thirteenth chapter of Romans discusses the relationship between church and state and the relations between the individual Christian and the various functions of government. We are instructed on civil disobedience and revolution as well as the Christian's role as a citizen.

 

As with so much of the NT, a teaching from Jesus is expanded and expounded upon.

 

LUK 20:25

"Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."

 

Rom 13 and 1Pe 2 are expansions of this truth spoken by our Lord.

 

ROM 13:1 Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.

 

ROM 13:2 Therefore he who resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.

 

ROM 13:3 For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same;

 

At the time of Christ as well as at the time of the book of Romans, Palestine was an occupied country - a province of the Roman Empire.

 

Patriotic Jews were defiant to Roman rule in the first century. Thinking they were God's people they detested Gentile rulers and some of them openly rebelled.

 

They ignored the many prophecies concerning their dispersion and their subservience to other nations.  

 

ACT 5:33 But when they heard this, they were cut to the quick and were intending to slay them.

 

ACT 5:34 But a certain Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the Law, respected by all the people, stood up in the Council and gave orders to put the men outside for a short time.

 

ACT 5:35 And he said to them, "Men of Israel, take care what you propose to do with these men.

 

ACT 5:36 "For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody; and a group of about four hundred men joined up with him. And he was slain; and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing.

 

According to Josephus, Theudas persuaded many to join him in rebellion and that he proclaimed that with a command that he would divide the Jordan River as Joshua had done with the ark. His rebellion was crushed by Roman cavalry and Theudas was decapitated.

 

ACT 5:37 "After this man Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census, and drew away some people after him, he too perished, and all those who followed him were scattered.

 

Judas of Galilee was a zealot who in 6 or 7 A.D. revolted against the Roman census by claiming Israel was to acknowledge no dominion but God. He too perished.

 

ACT 5:38 "And so in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action should be of men, it will be overthrown;

 

ACT 5:39 but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God."

 

Since the Romans were always at the ready to crush rebellions and arrest dissidents, Jesus' enemies were sure that they came up with a brilliant idea in order to get rid of Him. They would ask Him if He thought it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar. If He said yes then the people will think that He's a collaborator with the Romans. If He said no, then they could report Him to the authorities to be arrested.

 

They believe they will trap Him since it is a yes or no question and they assume He has to pick only from those two answers, but He is not trapped by any question.

 

LUK 20:19 And the scribes and the chief priests tried to lay hands on Him that very hour, and they feared the people; for they understood that He spoke this parable against them.

 

LUK 20:20 And they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, in order that they might catch Him in some statement, so as to deliver Him up to the rule and the authority of the governor.

 

First they try to soften Him up with flattery. They are confident that it will since they themselves love flattery so much.

 

LUK 20:21 And they questioned Him, saying, "Teacher, we know that You speak and teach correctly, and You are not partial to any, but teach the way of God in truth.

 

LUK 20:22 "Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"

 

We can confidently conclude that they made sure a good amount of people were gathered around.

 

LUK 20:23 But He detected their trickery and said to them,

 

LUK 20:24 "Show Me a denarius. Whose likeness and inscription does it have?" And they said, "Caesar's."

 

LUK 20:25 And He said to them, "Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." 

 

LUK 20:26 And they were unable to catch Him in a saying in the presence of the people; and marveling at His answer, they became silent.

 

This passage has led some to distort it into the thought that God has no control over the state and that He only rules the church. God rules all and is in charge of all areas of life. Many do not understand the difference between the Sovereign will of God and the permissive will of God.

 

There is definitely here a separation of church and state but not a separation of God and state.

 

Some things should be said about this.

 

God has allowed Satan to be the ruler of this world for a time, but that does not restrict God's sovereignty over the world's nations and governments. The confusion for many believers is that they do not understand the difference between the permissive will of God and the directive will of God. God allows sin and evil for a time, and overrules it or puts an end to it when He deems fit. He will put an end to it for all time in the future and this shows without doubt that He is master over it though not the cause of it.

 

God is Lord of the church and the state, however, He does not condone any sovereignty of the church over the state and vice versa.

 

The church is not to make decisions for the state and the state should not make decisions for the churches. Of course, the churches will have to follow the rule of law, but the state should not dictate worship or doctrines. One of the unforeseen side effects of the church attempting to get into politics is the state getting into the church. This does not mean that the ten commandments or religious symbols or verses or holidays cannot be in municipal organizations, like a school, but the church does not make public policy and the public cannot determine the way in which a church worships or who they worship within the confines of the law. Calvin attempted to unite the two in Geneva and it resulted in a man, who did not believe in the trinity or infant baptism, being burned alive.

 

In Israel the priesthood was contained in one tribe, Levi, and the monarchy in another, Judah. Only Christ was able to contain both roles in one person as Priest and King. No fallen creature has every been able to pull these two offices together.

 

Every attempt to unite church and state under one body of rulership has brought the worst kind of tyranny upon a society, as can be seen in history (Henry VIII) and can now be witnessed in countries that have adopted the sharia law of Islam.

 

God has not delegated in these words of Christ, two distinct arenas were the believer is to act differently - a world life and a separate spiritual life.

 

They are certainly different, but the believer doesn't have a world life or a type of life to be lived in the state and another life to be lived in the church. Rather, the words bind him to the highest code of living in the world of the state and in the spiritual world.

 

The believer carries his pulpit everywhere he goes, in the church and in the state. The believer is in Christian service full time and in the state is an ambassador for Christ. All the while, the state and the church remain separate.

 

From one spring all power flows:

 

PSA 62:11

Once God has spoken;

Twice I have heard this: That power belongs to God;

 

This is why we are to obey the governing authorities, even when they are thoroughly unfair, and that is because their power has come from God.

 

God sets up nations and destroys them. He uses them to His own purpose, even when they are evil.

 

He doesn't make them evil, He allows them to be, and then uses them in His sovereign way in order to reveal just that, He is sovereign, and no rebellion will prevent Him from accomplishing all His good will.

 

JER 27:1 In the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah [last king of Judah, established by Nebuchadnezzar] the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying — 

 

JER 27:2 thus says the Lord to me —  "Make for yourself bonds and yokes and put them on your neck,

 

The bonds and the yokes represent the yoke of the king of Babylon which God put upon the people of Israel. He truly did wear it (28:10).  

 

JER 27:3 and send word to the king of Edom, to the king of Moab, to the king of the sons of Ammon, to the king of Tyre, and to the king of Sidon by the messengers who come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah.

 

It is imagined that Jeremiah made five more yokes and sent them with the envoys to these respective kings with the message.

 

JER 27:4 "And command them to go to their masters, saying, 'Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, thus you shall say to your masters,

 

JER 27:5 "I have made the earth, the men and the beasts which are on the face of the earth by My great power and by My outstretched arm, and I will give it to the one who is pleasing in My sight.

 

"pleasing in My sight" - can refer to the righteous and also to the unrighteous who God pleases to use for His purposes.

 

A great answer to the question of why wicked nations prosper for a time (ex. USSR) is that God is using them for His ultimate purposes, which purposes are impossible for us to fully comprehend.

 

JER 27:6 "And now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, My servant, and I have given him also the wild animals of the field to serve him.

 

JER 27:7 "And all the nations shall serve him, and his son, and his grandson, until the time of his own land comes; then many nations and great kings will make him their servant.