Unless otherwise stated, all scripture quotations are taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.
Used by permission. www.Lockman.org
Everything God has created is intrinsically involved in the fulfillment of His purpose. Therefore, God, in His sovereignty, ensures that all these things are working for the fulfillment of His purpose. The Bible expressly says in Ephesians 1:11:
“Also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who (God) works all things after the counsel of His will.”
(Emphasis added).
So, the Lord, in order for Him to have His will accomplished, will prosper those who are ensuring His purpose is established, and execute His judgment upon the rebels who seem to be frustrating the fulfillment of His purpose so that the counsel of His will can stand. Romans 8:28 clearly says:
“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”
The reason these people have all things working together for good to them is because they are in alignment with God’s purpose and ensuring His will is done.
We see the Lord executing His judgment upon Pharaoh and his people when they insisted that God’s will would not be done. Exodus 11:4-5 says:
“Moses said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘About midnight I am going out into the midst of Egypt, and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of the Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the millstones; all the firstborn of the cattle as well.”
Pharaoh, the political leader of Egypt, wanted to exterminate the children of Israel by making a decree that all their male children should be killed. And not only that, he also afflicted the Israelites. But God destroyed him so that His purpose for the Israelites could stand. Such rebellious people are being used by the devil to frustrate the fulfillment of God’s purpose. And he strategically places such people where they can wield some influence and power, such as the place of authority, so that he can terminate God’s plan.
This is the reason God is involved in human politics. To determine those who occupy the place of authority knowing that they have great influence on the people. After king Nebuchadnezzar had been censured by God because he initially thought God was not involved in any politics of men, and that he had set himself as the king, he said in Daniel 4:17:
“This sentence is by the decree of the angelic watchers And the decision is a command of the holy ones, in order that the living may know That the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind, and bestows it on whom He wishes and sets over it the lowliest of men.”
(Emphasis added).
So God rules in the affairs of men. He wants to set leaders that will facilitate the fulfillment of His purpose. Since the political leaders are involved in the fulfillment of His purpose, He wants to decide who should take the lead politically so that nothing will stand against His will.
Paul also says in 1 Timothy 2:1-3:
“First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior.”
(Emphasis added).
He urges everyone to pray for all political leaders because he knows they can make decisions that can affect the believers and God’s will, either positively or negatively.
In the Bible, we also see that the Lord allowed some people to lead politically, so as to ensure His will came to pass. As a matter of fact, for the Israelites, the Lord Himself would choose who should be the political leader. And whenever a leader rebelled, the Lord would destroy him and raise another one. Outside the nation of Israel, we also see how God was involved in the politics of Babylon. In Ezra chapter 1, we read about king Cyrus whose spirit was stirred by God so that he would give a commandment that God’s people in the land of their captivity should return to their own land to build the house of God that had been in ruin. And he did not just give the commandment, he also put it into writing and restored the vessels of the house of the Lord that Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and put in the house of his gods. And by this, he contributed to the building of the temple.
In another instance, the Lord, foreseeing the famine that would come upon the whole earth during the time of Jacob, sovereignly brought Joseph to Egypt to become the prime minister, a political leader in Egypt, so that the whole Israelites could be preserved.
For the advancement of God’s kingdom and the fulfillment of His purpose, there is a need for the right persons to occupy the place of political authority. All leaders have a big role to play in the establishment of God’s will. And if an ungodly person, under the influence of the devil, occupies the seat of authority, the work of God will face a great opposition. The growth of the church and the prosperity of God’s people will be hindered. Therefore believers should be involved in politics spiritually, prayerfully and physically as God may ordain them.
Paul in Romans 13:4 called political authorities ‘ministers of God.’ This is because they are also meant to serve the Lord, by fulfilling His purpose. Believers should help, politically, in fulfilling God’s purpose by either involving themselves if ordained by God or ensuring the ordained person is the one occupying the seat so that the Lord can turn the leader’s heart, like a river, to do His will.
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