Deuteronomy 1:14-15 (ESV)
And you answered me, ''The thing that you have spoken is good for us to do.'' [15] So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and experienced men, and set them as heads over you, commanders of thousands, commanders of hundreds, commanders of fifties, commanders of tens, and officers, throughout your tribes.
These heads were to be judges to settle strife between brethren. There goal was that Israel may reach the promised land in peace:
Exodus 18:23 (ESV)
If you do this, God will direct you, you will be able to endure, and all this people also will go to their place in peace."
Peace had to be the primary goal for these judges when judging these cases. They had to love righteousness and equity, but their goal had to be to cease the fighting between the brethren. Israelites were going to Canaan to war against the inhabitants of the land. But if there was war between the brethren, they could never stand. As Christ said:
Matthew 12:25 (ESV)
Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand.
The Church also needs wise and experienced people who can wisely judge between brethren:
1 Corinthians 6:5 (ESV)
I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers,
We need these leaders do not take any sides but God's and aims for peace among the brethren. For if there is fightings between us, how can we fight together against the kingdoms of the devil and of darkness? It is not possible. Let us pray for peacemakers with discernment and love to flourish in Christ's Church.
We also remember from this passage that all authority is given by God. These commanders, though they were established by Moses through Jethro's advice, were ultimately from God. Any government, Church or family authority, everywhere in the world, is established by God. Even when leaders are voted in, it is the hand of God working in those voters to bring to power whoever He wants to place in power. If the nation has an oppressive ruler, it is also a work of God, either to punish the nation's sins, or to do some other work that brings glory to God. It is God who has given us our mothers, fathers, bosses, husbands and teachers, no matter how difficult they may make our lives. Pastors and spiritual teachers/mentors that God has placed over have been given to us by Him, no manner how lacking we may think they are. Therefore we are not to despise any authority, but be submissive, just as we are submissive to God:
Romans 13:1-7 (ESV)
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. [2] Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. [3] For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, [4] for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. [5] Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. [6] For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. [7] Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.
Especially, in the above context, Paul talks of being submissive to our government. Not that we ought to not speak out against the injustices and the ungodliness of our government, but that does not mean we ought to rebel against it. We are to be subject, for by this we are subjecting ourselves to God's authority and His will. And we must also pray for our governments:
1 Timothy 2:1-2 (ESV)
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, [2] for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.
We are not to mock and scoff at our rulers and kings in high positions whom God has appointed, as the world loves to do. Even if they appear weak and incompetent, we are not to disrespect them, or treat them with contempt, for we know that God places weak people to be princes over people:
1 Samuel 2:8 (ESV)
He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are the LORD's, and on them he has set the world.
God intentionally places weak beings, the poor and needy, to be princes and to sit in places of honor. He does this for His own glory, so that no man may be worthy to be called "king" apart from Jesus Christ His Son, the King of Kings. He gives people with flaws authority, so that no man may bow down to them, but hate them, and only give glory to God as their true Lord. Therefore, we are not to be surprised when political leaders disappoint us. God has made it that way, as it is written:
Isaiah 3:4 (ESV)
And I will make boys their princes, and infants shall rule over them.
Why? So that God may get maximum glory as the only sovereign, omnipotent Ruler of the world. Princes of this world will fail us and make us sigh, because they are not God. They are sinners, just like the rest of us. We must therefore so mercy and grace to them, that they may do their work as leaders without hinderance. We must encourage them, and let them do their jobs joyfully, and not grudgingly. This following applies to our attitudes to all our masters:
Hebrews 13:17 (ESV)
Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.
We must remember also here that every single human being has a leader to answer to. As in a large corporation, the bosses have bosses to report and be subject to, whom they must obey. Even the kings and presidents of the earth must answer to their King - Jesus Christ the Sovereign Lord of the universe. Only God Himself has no ruler over Him. No one commands to God and tells Him what to do. God does whatever He wishes, with complete freedom, with no one's word being an obstacle to Him. This is what it means to be God, to have absolutely no authority over you. God is therefore the great I AM, who does whatever He chooses:
Psalm 115:3 (ESV)
Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.
Therefore, this sinful desire in humans to do "whatever I want", is a desire to be God. It is a desire to have no Ruler over you. Yet listen to what Solomon says about this:
Ecclesiastes 11:9 (ESV)
Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.
Solomon is saying to the young man who thinks he is God, 'Go on, live according to your heart and your eyes, do whatever you want in all your freedom. But remember: for everything you do God will bring you into judgment on Judgment Day'. Human beings must answer to God as King. They must each bow down and submit to the authority to God and do all things in light of God. Otherwise they will be brought into judgment, and be condemned:
John 3:20-21 (ESV)
For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. [21] But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God."
We must be in subjection to God, for even our God, the Lord Jesus Christ, is in subjection to the Father. Jesus Christ, though He is equal to His Father, willingly demonstrated subjection by bowing down to the Father's authority:
Philippians 2:5-8 (ESV)
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, [6] who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, [7] but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. [8] And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
By this willingness to humble Himself under the Father's authority, and to be obedient, Christ earned Himself the Authority to be the Name above all names:
Ephesians 1:20-21 (ESV)
that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, [21] far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
Matthew 28:18 (ESV)
And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
True authority comes from being submissive to God's Lordship. Even if it costs our death, true authority and glory is gained by being a slave to God, not being a tyrant over others. Christ humbled Himself, and became a slave, yet because of that, He became the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. The way up is down. It is kneeling before His throne, obeying Him, and serving Him and willingly serving others, even though they are our equal, as Christ served the Father.
Our Lord Jesus Christ was even submissive to His human parents, though He was their Maker:
Luke 2:51 (ESV)
And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart.
And Christ submitted Himself to the rulers at the time, the Jews, Pilate, to Herod, and allowed Himself to be killed under their authority:
John 19:11 (ESV)
Jesus answered him, "You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin."
Why did Christ, though He was higher than all, submit Himself to even these pagan authorities? Because Christ believed that even Pilate's authority over Him to kill Him was given by God His Father. Because He knew submission under authority that God had placed is the only way to glory. As Christ Himself said:
Luke 14:11 (ESV)
For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
And also why did Christ humble and submit Himself? It was for us, so that we may be saved. For love's sake, Christ did not regard the shame of His humbling under authorities, though He was God. Love must be the motivation for our submissiveness to God and to His authorities. Submitting to God without love to Him is an abomination, it is only an outward show. But when we love God, our submission is made easier and willing. Christ submitted to His Father because He loved Him. Christ submitted Himself to the hands of sinners because He loved us. We must also submit to our human leaders with love toward them. If they have sinned against them, let us forgive them, and submit ourselves to them in willingness and love:
Ephesians 5:21 (ESV)
submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
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