Two Swords (1)

The king’s heart isin the hand of the LORD,
Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.
Every way of a man isright in his own eyes,
But the LORD weighs the hearts.
To do righteousness and justice
Is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice. Proverbs 21.1-3

The necessity of government
“Everything is politics.”

We’ve all heard that quip, and increasingly it appears, people consider it to be true. Whatever human beings need, whatever we want, whenever our security or wellbeing is threatened, we look for political solutions.

Government, we have come to believe, is the primary means to a just and prosperous society, regardless of whether your view is that this requires more government or less.

Of course, civil governments are important. No one wants to live in anarchy, where the only security is in power and the willingness to wield it, however much it takes. Governments are essential for good order in a society; the bigger questions begged by such a notion are those that concern the nature of good order, the form of government which is best able to ensure good order, and the means whereby governments should do so.

Government in perspective
In the continuous frenzy of political activism and commentary that have come to define our own society in the 21^st century, it can be easy for the followers of Jesus Christ to lose their proper perspective. We have been called to the Kingdom and glory of God (1 Thess. 2.12), and to seek the Kingdom of God as our highest priority in life (Matt. 6.33). Therefore, whatever we think about civil government, or to whatever extent we become involved in it, our Kingdom calling and lifestyle must govern all we do.

Government matters, and good government is to be preferred over bad. But Christians need to remember that good government is government as God defines it, not as men might define it.

Words like “freedom,” “rights,” “justice,” and “prosperity” are little more than political Silly Putty™ in the hands of skilled politicians. But in the hands of God, and according to His Word, such terms have fixed, abiding, and all-important significance. The task of the Christian is to understand such ideas as God intends them, then to work from within our Kingdom framework to bring God’s ideas to reality in the social sphere.

We are the salt of the earth, the light of the world, and the leaven of beauty, goodness, and truth in an age in flight from God. It ill behooves us as the followers of Christ to leave any aspect of this fallen world beyond the reach of the Kingdom and grace of our Lord.

Two swords
The world is ruled by two swords. The one, the sword of political power, is wielded by men, many – perhaps the majority – of whom believe that they have the right and duty, apart from any considerations of divine intent, to define and wield the political sword as they best see fit.

This view, especially over the past century, has been a source of incalculable misery and destruction.

The second and by far the more important sword is the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. By this Sword the King of nations rules in all the affairs of men, advancing the cause of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Spirit and driving back the darkness of unbelief and sin (Rom. 14.17, 18; 1 Jn. 2.8).

The kings and nations of the earth are in the Lord’s hand, Who rules them by His Sword and Spirit. He knows the heart of every man, even every political leader, and He is resolved that men shall be governed unto righteousness and justice.

The Lord is determined that the knowledge of His glory shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea (Hab. 2.14), and He will use His power to accomplish this exalted objective.

Thus, in all the affairs of men and nations, they who are in the first instance, ruled by the Sword of the Spirit must seek, by all available means, to affect the course of human life under the swords of the nations for the cause of King Jesus and according to the priorities of His advancing rule.

Christians must not stand idly by while self-interested politicians wield their swords for merely personal, partisan, temporal, or material ends. There are larger concerns and a more important agenda to be pursued, if the goodness of God is to be known in the land of the living (Ps. 27.13).

Next Steps: Find someone to be a prayer partner with you as you work through this study. Share your goals and determine to pray together regularly as you work through these lessons.

T. M. Moore

This week’s study, Two Swords, is part 1 of a 5-part series on The King’s Heart, a Biblical view of government and politics, and is available as a free download by clicking here. We cannot understand God’s view of government, or how to function in a political environment apart from faith in King Jesus and His rule. Order T. M.’s book The Kingship of Jesusto supplement our studies of God and government.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.