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The Law of God and Public Policy: First Things (1)
God’s Law is good for God’s servant for good.“See, I have taught you statutes and rules, as the LORD my God commanded me, that you should do them in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’” Deuteronomy 4.5, 6
God never intended that His Law should be reserved for the use of a single peculiar people. The Law of God expresses His character and outlines His holy and righteous and good purposes for humankind (Rom 3.31; 7.12). As we see here, on the eve of Israel’s conquest of the promised land, God was already pointing to the day when the nations would admire His people because of the wisdom and understanding Israel evidenced in her obedience to the Law of God. The prophets Isaiah and Micah foresaw a day when the Law of God would go out to the nations, and those nations would eagerly stream up to the mountain of the Lord’s house in order to learn what they could about this wise and understanding way of life (Is. 2.1-3; Mic. 4.1-5).
Governments were instituted by God as a means to restrain evil so that people could enjoy good and peaceable lives; government is thus God’s servant for good (Rom. 13.1-4; 1 Tim. 2.1-4). Since God’s Law is good and He has instituted governments for good, it follows that the Law of God should be a primary resource for enabling people to know God’s blessings and peace. Beyond that, as people live within the parameters of goodness marked out by the Law of God, they might be induced by the wisdom and understanding they see in that Law to “stream up” to the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the Mountain and Temple of salvation for all who seek Him.
One of the uses of the Law, explained by the prophets and apostles, is to inform the policies of public officials and the governments they represent (cf. Dan. 4.27; Matt. 14.1-4; Acts 23.1-3). Obedience to God’s Law does not bring salvation; however, it does attract the favor of God. Nations whose policies promote obedience to the Law of God can expect to flourish in creativity, prosperity, and peace, whereas those that deny, neglect, or reject God and His Law are headed for disintegration.
But how shall the nations, how shall our nation, which is becoming increasingly indifferent and even hostile to the Lord and His Word, be able to know the favor of God which comes from obedience to His Law? Of course, the followers of Christ must embody and proclaim the Kingdom of God, living holy lives and calling all people in every place to repent and believe the Gospel. Yet we must also work, by example and persuasion, to bring the public policies of government, which God intends for human good, into line with the good statues and rules of the Law of God.
In this series of In the Gates we will consider ways of applying the Law of God to matters of public policy in our contemporary context. This is a difficult question, but one the followers of Christ – who have been redeemed unto good works and are the leaven of goodness in the world – must be diligent to address.
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