A Pattern for Human Governance - Psalms 66-68

 Psalms 67:1-5 (ESV)

May God be gracious to us and bless us

and make his face to shine upon us, Selah

that your way may be known on earth,

your saving power among all nations.

Let the peoples praise you, O God;

let all the peoples praise you!

Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,

for you judge the peoples with equity

and guide the nations upon earth. Selah

Let the peoples praise you, O God;

let all the peoples praise you!

Would not the above passage be a great political campaign theme?   Would it not be great for someone running for office to proclaim the contents of those five verses their guiding principles for governing the people who elect them?   There a number of themes in these five verses that any state, nation or governing power would do well to emulate:

1. Praise for God.    The entire song is about singing praise to God.   No (or few) political figure will boast out loud that their sole endeavor is to bring praise to God.  That would not be political correct.  Yet, that is the theme of the psalm for the people of God. We are to lift up God in praise and adoration. 

2.  His way is to be declared.  The writer of this song wants to make sure God’s way is published in the land.   The only way to do #1 is to do #2.  You can’t praise Him if you do not follow HIs ways and declaring His ways gives us the guidelines to praise Him. 

3. Make His power known.   You can’t do #3 if you don’t do #1 and #2.   God’s power is limited when we disobey His ways and do not sing His praise.  As we obey His ways and lift Him up in praise, His power has freedom to work in our lives and the lives of those around us.   We stifle God’s power when we don’t do His ways and we fail to be praising Him.  

4.  Judge people with equity.   God sets the example of judging people with equity.  We have a lot of talk about equity in our world today.  But, few mention that this equity is based upon God’s sovereign ways.   God IS THE EXAMPLE OF EQUITY.   If we want a standard of what is equitable we need only turn to God.  God treats all mankind based upon His righteous ways.   Failing to do #2 will result in a skewed #4.  

5. God guides the nations.  We might not see it.  We might not believe it.  We might not want it.  But, God is guiding the nations.   We might not like how He is doing that.   But, God uses the nations to accomplish task.  He even uses nation that don’t Him.  Note what Isaiah said to the king of Assyria:

Isaiah 45:4-5 (ESV)

For the sake of my servant Jacob,

and Israel my chosen,

I call you by your name,

I name you, though you do not know me.

I am the LORD, and there is no other,

besides me there is no God;

I equip you, though you do not know me,

Though he did not know God, God equipped him to do what God wanted him to do.  

If we want to bring honor to God and bless our nation we need leaders who will practice all five of these truths in their leadership.   

We Are the Temple of God - 1 Kings 5-9

 1 Kings 8:52-53 (ESV)

Let your eyes be open to the plea of your servant and to the plea of your people Israel, giving ear to them whenever they call to you. For you separated them from among all the peoples of the earth to be your heritage, as you declared through Moses your servant, when you brought our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord GOD.”

Solomon has just built the Temple and they have brought in some 120,000 sheep and 22,00 oxen to sacrifice for the celebration. Solomon, in the above verses is finishing his prayer blessing over the Temple.  Here he acknowledges the reason for the magnificence of the Temple and for Israel’s existence.   Israel was here to proclaim to the world the mercy of God.   Israel was here to demonstrate to the surrounding nations God’s marvelous grace.   That was true for Israel then and it is true for us today.  Note Peter’s words in the first letter he wrote to the first century Church:

1 Peter 2:9-12 (ESV)

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

We are to have our conduct pure before the world because we are the new Temple of God.  We are the building.  We are the structure.

1 Peter 2:4-5 (ESV)

As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

God used Israel and Solomon’s Temple to proclaim the majesty of who He is.  Now God uses us, His temple, to proclaim the excellencies of His mercy and grace.  This is why we are to turn from the sins of the world and live holy before them.  We are God’s light to the world.  

We Are Priest to the Most High God - Exodus 37-40

 Exodus 40:12-13 (ESV)

Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and shall wash them with water and put on Aaron the holy garments. And you shall anoint him and consecrate him, that he may serve me as priest.

We are always washed and cleanses and dressed in holy garments before we act as priests before the Lord to serve Him.  That is the order of what God did for Aaron and what He commands for us today.    Remember, even though the above verses are taken from what happened after the Tabernacle was finally built, these instructions and examples were to illustrate to us the pattern of approaching God.  Later we will be called priests who sacrifice to God:

1 Peter 2:4-6; 9-10(ESV)

4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 

Every believer is now a priest of the Most High God.  We are holy and royal priests.    We are to concentrate ourselves to worship.  He clothes us in His blood and makes us a king dome priest to serve Him.   Note how Peter goes on to to tell us who were are in Christ:

1 Peter 2:9-10 (ESV)

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

We have received mercy to declare mercy by being a priest for God and to God.  We are His people, not our own.  We are His “possession” and not our own.   Aaron in the Old Testament was an example for us.  The Tabernacle has been replaced by us, “living stones” to be a building for God where spiritual sacrifices are being offered.   That is WHO we are.  

Salvation is By Works - Just Not Our Works - Galatians 1-3

 Galatians 2:16 (ESV)

yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

A person is NOT justified by works!!    Those words have changed the lives of men, of people groups and of nations.   The entire basis of Christianity is based upon those marvelous words.    Our salivation is wholly in Christ’s finished WORKS for us.  We do not WORK to earn His salvation, He worked for us.   What should we know about WORKS or how should we think of WORKS? 

#1.  In the above passage we are simply told we are reminded that by keeping the Law we are not justified.  There is no law that can justify us.   But, the Law must still be kept.  

#2.  But, justification can’t be by the Law, because you have to keep the entire Law or you will be cursed:

Galatians 3:10 (ESV)

The Righteous Shall Live by Faith

For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.”

#3.  Jesus took the curse we are under for failing to keep the Law, by dying on a cross for us:

Galatians 3:13 (ESV)

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—

#4. Those who place themselves under the law and rely on circumcision for salvation cut themselves off from Christ:

Galatians 5:2-6 (ESV)

Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.

We can’t be justified by performing works that keep the Law since we can’t keep the entire Law.  But, Jesus came and kept the entire Law.  Despite that He did, He still took our place on the cross as the ONE who did the WORKS and KEPT THE LAW.   Salvation has always been by WORKS ... just not OUR WORKS ... but the CHRIST’S WORKS.   He preformed for us, so that when we received His WORKS done on our behalf by faith, we, too, can be justified.   

Proclaim What Jesus Did For You! - Luke 7-8

 Luke 8:34-39 (ESV)

When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been healed. Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.

The above verses are at the end of a story where Jesus cast demons out of a man who had legions of them in him.   He was often chained so that he didn’t just run naked and cause destruction.   When Jesus arrived in his town the legion of demons in him begged Jesus not to cast them into the abyss, but rather allow them to leave the man and go into a heard of pigs.    When they get into the pigs the animals run violently over a cliff and into the sea.    This of course causes great loss of capital to the herdsmen specifically and to the town in general.  When the town hears of this they are “fearful” and ask Jesus to leave.   Note the difference of this town vs the town of Capernaum that also saw a demon cast out:

Luke 4:35-37 (ESV)

But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm. And they were all amazed and said to one another, “What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!” And reports about him went out into every place in the surrounding region.

The people in this town feared and asked Jesus to leave.   That town stood in awe and wanted more.    The man that was healed so that he was going to be shamed and blamed for the loss of the pigs and begged Jesus to take him with him.  But, instead, Jesus tells him to go and tell the town of the excellencies done to him.  That is our role in this world, as well:

1 Peter 2:9-10 (ESV)

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

The Power of God over the Nations - Jeremiah 47-52

 Jeremiah 51:52-53 (ESV)

“Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD,

when I will execute judgment upon her images,

and through all her land

the wounded shall groan.

Though Babylon should mount up to heaven,

and though she should fortify her strong height,

yet destroyers would come from me against her,

declares the LORD.

That rise and fall of nations is something that has been going on for millennia.   Nations come and go.   So, not surprisingly, so too wicked Babylon.  Remember, Assyria had take Israel, in the south, captive.  Because of that God raised up Babylon to destroy them.  But, Babylon came to take Judah, in the north, captive.   Babylon destroyed the Temple and took many of the people captive.   Babylon mocked Judah  and God.   Yet, it was God who used Babylon to punish Assyria and, according to the above verses, God will be the one who destroyers Babylon.  God will use the Medes and the Persians to destroy Babylon.   When we read these passages and are reminded of some great verses from other prophets/writers:

Isaiah 45:5-7 (ESV)

I am the LORD, and there is no other,

besides me there is no God;

I equip you, though you do not know me,

that people may know, from the rising of the sun

and from the west, that there is none besides me;

I am the LORD, and there is no other.

I form light and create darkness;

I make well-being and create calamity;

I am the LORD, who does all these things.

Psalms 75:6-7 (ESV)

For not from the east or from the west

and not from the wilderness comes lifting up,

but it is God who executes judgment,

putting down one and lifting up another.

Our nation thinks it is the most powerful in the world.  So did Assyria at the time.  So did Babylon at the time.  So did the Medes and Persians at the time.  So did the Greeks at the time.  So did the Romans at the time.  So did the English at the time.  So don’t be too surprised that God moves another nation from special status to “also ran” status.   God moves kings and kingdoms by the word of His power:

Hebrews 1:3 (ESV)

He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

We can fear the elections in our country that one party will have power over the other.  But, in reality,  no party, no leader, no nation has any power save given it to them by the Lord Almighty!!   

The Way of Wisdom vs The Way of Folly - Proverbs 1

 Proverbs 1:29-31 (ESV)

Because they hated knowledge

and did not choose the fear of the LORD,

would have none of my counsel

and despised all my reproof,

therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way,

and have their fill of their own devices.

The major theme of Proverbs is the differences between wisdom and folly.  Wisdom starts with the Fear of the Lord and Solomon begins the entire section with that truth:

Proverbs 1:7 (ESV)

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;

fools despise wisdom and instruction.

He then wants the reader to understand that to reject the Fear of the Lord is to go you own way and trust in the knowledge in your own heart.  This is the meaning of the above texts from Solomon.   They “hated” the knowledge of God and they “did not choose” the Fear of the Lord, therefore they will “eat the fruit of their way.”   

The Lord offers wisdom to all who pass her by.  Note:

Proverbs 1:20-21 (ESV)

Wisdom cries aloud in the street,

in the markets she raises her voice;

at the head of the noisy streets she cries out;

at the entrance of the city gates she speaks:

Now, we will later be told the Folly also speaks to the who pass by:

Proverbs 9:13-15 (ESV)

The woman Folly is loud;

she is seductive and knows nothing.

She sits at the door of her house;

she takes a seat on the highest places of the town,

calling to those who pass by,

who are going straight on their way,

So, here we sit (or “pass by”) and have these two voices calling to us.  Wisdom on the one side and Folly on the other.   Wisdom will equip us to honor God and have a life that is filled with and end with His blessings.  But, as we see above, Folly leaves us to our own devices and without meaning in our lives.   We have the Way of Wisdom vs the Way of Folly before us.  Those who choose the former avoid the latter ... and the subsequent dangers:

Proverbs 1:32-33 (ESV)

For the simple are killed by their turning away,

and the complacency of fools destroys them;

but whoever listens to me will dwell secure

and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.”