THE RULER, RULERS, THE RULED, AND RESISTANCE TO TYRANNY: 1 Samuel 10:25-27
DOCTRINE. In order to honor the ultimate Ruler of heaven and earth, all men must honor their civil rulers, and, sometimes, even disobey them.
I. IT IS YOUR FIRST AND PRIMARY DUTY TO HONOR THE ONE TRUE GOD AS YOUR CHIEF RULER (Is. 8:13; Rom. 1:21).
II. IN ORDER TO FULFILL YOUR FIRST AND PRIMARY DUTY—TO HONOR GOD—YOU MUST HONOR THE RULERS HE HAS PUT IN AUTHORITY OVER YOU (1 Pet. 2:17; Rom. 13:1-2).
This is grounded in the Fifth Commandment.
The Baptist Catechism Q70. What is required in the fifth commandment? A. The fifth commandment requires the preserving the honor, and performing the duties, belonging to every one in their several places and relations, as superiors, inferiors, or equals (Lev. 19:32; 1 Peter 2:17; Rom. 13:1; Eph. 5:21,22; Eph. 6:1,5,9; Col. 3:19-22; Rom. 12:10).
I) The aged are to be honored, so that God would be honored.
Leviticus 19:32 “You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the LORD.”
II) Pastors in your church are to be honored, so that God would be honored.
Hebrews 13:17 “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.”
III) Husbands in your home are to be honored, so that God would be honored.
Ephesians 5:22 “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.”
IV) Parents in your home are to be honored, so that God would be honored.
Colossians 3:20 “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. . .”
V) Masters in your vocation are to be honored, so that God would be honored.
Colossians 3:22 “Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord.”
VI) Civil rulers in your nation, state, county, and city are to be honored, so that God would be honored.
1 Peter 2:13-17 “13 Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. 17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.”
Q. HOW DO I HONOR MY CIVIL RULERS?
ANSWER 1. You honor your rulers and your God when you have an interest in their rule, and help them, however you can, do the duty God has assigned to them (1 Sam. 10:26). Conversely, you dishonor your rulers and your God when you are derelict of your duty by being dismissive or by rejecting purpose for which God has instituted them (1 Sam. 10:27).
ANSWER 2. It is your duty to be in subjection to your Civil Rulers in all things lawful (Rom. 13:5-7, 1 Pet. 2:17).
ANSWER 3. It is your duty to pray for your Civil Rulers (1 Tim. 2:1-2).
CONCLUSIONS TO QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. It is your duty to do all things necessary concerning the Civil Government, so that we may live a quiet and peaceable lives in all godliness and dignity (1 Tim. 2:1-2).
III. IF YOU ARE IN CHRIST, YOU SHOULD BE THE BEST SUBJECT YOUR RULER HAS (Genesis 39; Gen. 41; 1 Sam 16; 1 Sam. 19; Dan. 2, 1 Sam. 10).
I) Think of Joseph in Egypt (Gen. 39; Gen. 41).
II) Think of David and Jonathan in Israel (1 Sam 16; 1 Sam. 19).
III) Think of Daniel in Babylon (Dan. 2).
IV) Think of these men of valor in 1 Samuel 10:26.
IV. SOMETIMES, IN ORDER TO HONOR GOD, IT IS NECESSARY TO RESIST RULERS’ TYRANNICAL DECISIONS BY DISOBEDIENCE (Selected Scriptures).
1. David honored King Saul yet did not turn himself in when Saul was searching for him (1 Samuel 21:22).
2. Peter honored those in positions of authority yet did not go to Herod when he was searching for him to put him in prison (Acts 12:19).
3. The guards honored king Saul yet would not strike the priests of the LORD even though Saul commanded it (1 Samuel 22:16-17).
4. Paul submitted to governing authorities yet did not turn himself in (2 Corinthians 11:22-23).
5. Daniel and his exiled companions in Babylon would not eat certain unclean foods (Dan. 1), nor worship a false god (Dan. 3), nor would they refrain from worshiping the Lord God (Dan. 6) despite the governing authorities telling them to pray only to the king.
6. The Hebrews midwives disobeyed a direct order from the king of Egypt because of their reverential fear of the one true God, which resulted in God’s blessing (Ex. 1:15-21).
7. Moses’ parents hid him for three months (Exodus 2:1-2, c.f. Hebrews 11:23).
8. Elijah fled from Jezebel when she told him she would put him to death, even though she was the Queen (1 Kings 19:3).
9. Peter and the apostles would not stop preaching Christ when the governing authorities demanded that they do so (Acts 4:19-20 “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge. . .”).
In 2 Kings, Athaliath, the mother of Ahaziah, began to destroy the royal offspring of the house of Judah. However, Joash the son of Ahaziah was taken by the king’s daughter and hidden from Athaliah so that the bloodline would be preserved. Six years later, Jehoiada gathered men around him, declared Joash to be king, and put Athaliah to death (2 Kings 11).
11. Obadiah took a hundred of the LORD’s priests, hiding them from queen Jezebel when she was putting priests to death. It is written that Obadiah “feared the LORD” (1 Kings 18).
12. Mordecai would not kneel before Haman even though to do so was the King’s Command (Esther 3:2-3 “And all the king's servants who were at the king's gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman, for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai did not bow down or pay homage. Then the king's servants who were at the king's gate said to Mordecai, “Why do you transgress the king's command?”).
13. Jeremiah disobeyed the king’s officials by proclaiming the Word of the Lord and telling the people to go give themselves up to the Babylonians (Jeremiah 38:4 “Then the officials said to the king, “Let this man be put to death, for he is weakening the hands of the soldiers who are left in this city, and the hands of all the people, by speaking such words to them. For this man is not seeking the welfare of this people, but their harm.”)
14. Rahab did not bring the spies out from hiding to turn them over to the king of Jericho (Joshua 2:3 “Then the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, ‘Bring out the men who have come to you, who entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land’”).
15. Vashti refused to obey the king Ahasuerus commanded her to come before his guests wearing her crown, to show off her beauty (Esther 1:15 “According to the law, what is to be done to Queen Vashti, because she has not performed the command of King Ahasuerus delivered by the eunuchs?”).
16. Esther went before king Ahasuerus, uninvited, in order to plead with the king to save her people (Esther 4:16 “I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish”).
17. Jonathan broke king Saul’s curse pronouncement when he ate honey before the army destroyed all the enemies of God, though he did not know it. In the aftermath, the people do not obey Saul in putting Jonathan to death (1 Samuel 14:44-45 “And Saul said, ‘God do so to me and more also; you shall surely die, Jonathan.’ Then the people said to Saul, ‘Shall Jonathan die, who has worked this great salvation in Israel? Far from it! As the Lord lives, there shall not one hair of his head fall to the ground, for he has worked with God this day.’ So the people ransomed Jonathan, so that he did not die”).
18. The Wise Men did not return to Herod and tell him where Christ was born (Matthew 2:8 “And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, ‘Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him’”).
19. The early church refused to worship Nero or the Roman false gods (Revelation 13:15).
USE FOR COMFORT
Ultimately, you owe honor to the Lord Jesus Christ.
He has created every one of you. He upholds you. He feeds you. He is sustaining you right now.
If you are in Christ, you owe this honor to Him in a double manner. He has not only created you, but became a man for you. He not only upholds you by His providence, He also upholds you by His righteous life that He lived in your place and died the death you deserve for your sin. He not only feeds you with physical food, He feeds you spiritually with His Word and Supper. He is not only sustaining you right now, believer, He will also protect you by His providence all the days of your life, and will one day return to make all things new, including you. Do you not owe Him ultimate honor? Honor Him in gladness, believer.
USE FOR EXHORTATION
I) Honor this great Christ by honoring those He has put in authority over you. Be very careful and slow to exercise civil disobedience.
II) Honor this great Christ by, when necessary, resisting the tyranny of those who are abusing the authority Christ has given them. Bind your conscience to the Scriptures and seek godly counsel.
III) You who are still outside of Christ or not yet baptized, turn from your sin and trust this Christ who has promised to save all those who come to Him by faith.
IV) You who are in Christ, teach these truths to others for God’s glory.