Contrary to popular belief, Paul’s statement in Romans 13:1-7 is is not the Bible’s only statement on government power and authority. A few more things it is emphatically not:

• A license for Christians to put faith in government to solve problems. God is a jealous god, in case we have forgotten.
• An excuse for Christians to blindly accept everything government does. Even Paul calls the local magistrates to account in Acts 16:37-39.
• Proof that the United States is the chosen nation of God.
• That government is inherently good.

I will be doing a continuing series called “Government in Scripture” highlighting various places in the Bible that deal with the idea of what we today call “civil government.” Many of these highlights will come from the Old Testament, the bigger half of the Bible that is, for the most part, ignored or trivialized in most Christian circles. Most of these highlights will not be pulling from blatant statements of truth or outright commandments.

The Bible, first and foremost, is a book of narrative, and so most of the time government, or a representative of a government, is a character in the story that is being told. So the key to understanding is to figure out the role of the characters in the story, the context in which the story is being told, the context in which the story was being told, authorial intent, etc.

I was personally surprised by how much civil authority is mentioned in the Bible, and even more surprised by the negativity associated with nearly every inclusion. This is part of the joys of reading the Bible. You always have to stay on your toes to have any hope of comprehension. I hope the continuing series will be beneficial to you, and pray that it will give you fresh eyes and an incentive to remain on your toes for the curve balls this wonderful book can throw you.

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