Two Swords (2)

The king answered Daniel, and said, “Truly your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings…”  Daniel 2.47

King of the political sword
Nebuchadnezzar’s response to Daniel’s interpretation of his dream was but the first of several steps that would result in the Babylonian tyrant submitting his earthly sword to the Word of God (cf. Dan. 4.34, 35).

We should be impressed with the power of God to accomplish this in the life of Nebuchadnezzar, especially given his original hostility to God and His rule (cf. 2 Kgs. 25). God determines the lengths and limits of the rule of civil governments.

The Scriptures – particularly the Old Testament – contain many stories meant to indicate the primacy of the Sword of the Spirit over the political swords of kings and tyrants. Throughout the Old Testament especially, we see the ways that God employed the sword of politics to accomplish many short-term gains for His people.

As we read these stories – in which whole peoples were put to the sword, nations were brought down by violence, and kings and their armies were gruesomely destroyed – and all this according to the will and with the approval of God – we must keep in mind the context in which these accounts took place. The world before the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ was in many ways a graceless place. The law of sin, which yet today contends for the hearts of men, provided the ruling order of the nations. No gracious Spirit, no absolute and universal Word, and no faithful and far-flung people existed to restrain the madness of the nations. War, conquest, and death were the norm as men pursued the way that seemed right to them (Prov. 14.12).

It was into such a world that God began to establish His people and to lay the foundation for the great drama of redemption that would unfold beginning with the New Testament.

We wince
If Israel was to survive long enough for the promises and prophesies to be fulfilled in Jesus, she would have to be expert in wielding the political sword according to the practices of her day. She would need wise judges, strong monarchs, and brave warriors to contend with the violent nations in whose midst she sought to establish the rudiments of a just society.

We read the accounts of cities being offered to the Lord in destruction, Samuel hacking Agag to pieces before the Lord, and violent visitations from God on sinful and hardened peoples, and we cannot help ourselves: we wince. Here we see the God of love wielding the sword of violence in order to assert His sovereignty and protect His eternal plan.

But such was the world under sin, and such were the political practices of the day, that, in order to make space for the Gospel of grace to take root and flourish, the ways and weapons of a violent world had to be wielded by a people who were ultimately to be ruled by the Prince of Peace.

It is no accident that Jesus was born into a world secured by Roman peace, or that He eschewed the avenue of political power to accomplish His redemptive ends, or that He instructed His disciples not to depend on the sword for the progress of their cause.

With the coming of Christ, a new power came to earth – the Kingdom of God – a power that had not been present during the period of the Old Testament. And with that power came the Spirit of Peace to transform the hearts of violent men – such as Saul of Tarsus – and to equip them with the weapons of righteousness and peace and joy for the advancement of Jesus’ rule. What God did in the heart of a tyrant like Nebuchadnezzar was but a foretaste of what He would do in the hearts of people everywhere under the Gospel.

A new sword
Beginning with the New Testament we see more forcefully and effectively how great is the power of the Sword of the Spirit to accomplish the will of God on earth, as it is in heaven.

While the Word of God had always been in the background of much of the bloodshed and violence of the Old Testament, with the finished work of Christ and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the stage of history was set for a new way to advance the divine economy. That new way does not cancel or negate the political sword or the role of governments, as we shall see. It does, however, establish the primacy of the Sword of the Spirit as the defining weapon of the Prince of Peace for blessing the nations unto the glory of God.

Nations and their rulers remain prone to violence yet today; however, a greater power is afoot in the world, and that power can – and has – subdued even the most godless, unbelieving tyrants. The Sword of the Spirit, at work within the City of God, is powerful to change even the most reprobate and violent rulers of the City of Man.

Next Steps: Paul says we should pray for those in political authority over us (1 Timothy 2.1-3). What does Paul hope will result from this? Who are the “kings and all who are in authority” for whom you should be praying? Make a schedule for weekly prayer that will enable you to fulfill this challenge. Share your plan with your prayer partner.

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.