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Thanks to social media and cable news, many of us have found ourselves overly caught up in politics. We have our own opinions about how the government should work for us and we vote every two to four years. But what we should have in our minds first is the Word of God, and knowing that He’s in charge. Our obedience to God is more important than our voting record. Our obedience to God is everything. Here are some lessons from major Bible leaders.
It’s very difficult to pull away from all that. We repeatedly get caught up in worldly affairs.
“I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.”
John 17:14–16 New American Standard Bible 1995
Sometimes, we have to realize there are situations that all we can do is pray. We can still pray for people who are like very dangerous places like Afghanistan.
“you also joining in helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed on us through the prayers of many.”
2Corinthians 1:11 New American Standard Bible 1995; cf. 2Cor. 1:8–11
On the other hand, He doesn’t want us to worry about politics.
Politics: The activities associated with the governance of a country or other area, especially the debate or conflict among individuals or parties having or hoping to achieve power.
“Politics,” New Oxford American Dictionary
We read the Bible to learn how to engage in politics. Most governments today do not operate in the way politics operated in the times the Bible was written. Most of the Biblical authors lived under monarchies, and most of them were quite cruel.
Dare to be a Daniel
A worthy example of how to engage in politics is the prophet Daniel. Daniel is an example of someone who politically active over the course of several administrations, so to speak. He was a high-ranking official serving multiple empires: Babylon and Persia. But who was Daniel at the core of his being? He was not attached to Babylon or to Persia. He was the same person throughout his life. The monarchs of Babylon and Persia were all attracted to him because they could sense God’s blessing on him. Daniel spoke the word of God in all those administrations.
In the Bible, one got involved in politics for one reason: to gain favors from the king or whoever was in charge. Politics was a way to get unique favors at the expense of others who may have deserved them more. We call this “favoritism.”
The fact we live in a democratic republic and we vote for our representatives and the laws that govern us is not an exercise of favoritism, per se, although you may favor one candidate over another.
In the days of the Bible, the people of Israel were under the boot of Rome, under the “pax Romana.” Only 10% of the people in the Roman empire were considered citizens of Rome.1“Roman Empire Population,” United Nations of Roma Victrx: Population of Roman empire estimated at 45 million. Roman citizens numbered approximately 4 million. Paul was one of them (Acts 22:25–29).
Only citizens had any protection from the law, under the law. Everyone else was considered conquered peoples and were out of luck. You were just lucky if you weren’t steamrolled by Rome. You just did your best to stay out of the way of the empire and its agents — and not attract their notice.
They had no say in what laws they had to follow, but we do. (See influential early American pastor James Mayhew’s mid-18th century “Discourse Concerning Unlimited Submission,” which analyzes Romans 13.)
We should be like the prophet Daniel or the patriarch Yosef (Joseph), who rose to prime minister of ancient Egypt. We should not get obsessed with the political machinations swirling around us while doing the tasks Heaven has positioned us to take..
Daniel was so consistent and unswayed by the changing politics of his day that his enemies counted on that when they sweet-talked the king into writing a law that specifically written to make Daniel a traitor (Daniel 6).
Daniel chose life, even though everyone else thought he was choosing death. He chose the right way because he chose to align himself with the Author of Life. It was the Author of Life and the Creator of the lions, who protect him as he was thrown into the lion’s den. But like Daniel and his three friends (Daniel 3), they were willing to serve their government as long as that government did not ask them to disobey or commit treason against God.
May we consider and practice their righteous example.