Inside: May we learn from the people under King Saul in 1 Samuel 14 and may we speak up for what is right in our land. May we “save Jonathan”.
For some time now, especially since the Spring of 2020, Americans have seen our government take on unprecedented power. They have taken, and then used, this power to apply pressure for major cultural shifts for our country in the wrong direction. When governments embrace evil and require it of the people, how should God’s people respond?
As part of the covid lockdowns, governments at various levels attacked our right to assemble or even sing songs together as a church. They told us when we could or couldn’t have weddings or funerals, and presumed to tell us how many could attend these functions and what the seating arrangements had to be. Businesses built by citizens investing decades of their lives and fortunes were suddenly deemed “non-essential” and were ordered closed.
After the covid craze, we seamlessly moved into a world where government embraced all kinds of open wickedness. This included the full spectrum of the LGBTQ agenda with complete endorsement of homosexuality, drag queen displays, stocking public and school libraries with garbage that no child (nor adult for that matter) should ever read. Healthy barriers (like dressing rooms and restrooms) between genders were broken down, inviting abuse of women and children. Those who hate God seized government power and used it to normalize and institute these perverted activities.
The role of the church
In light of these last few years, what should have been the influence of the church has been hidden or at least greatly muffled. Christians have been shamed and deceived into believing their job with regard to government is only one of submission and unquestioned obedience. But what is the proper role of God’s people in light of over-reaching (or maybe we can simply say “tyrannical”) government? Like everything else, God has prepared us for these scenarios by providing clear examples in His Word.
During the same few years, at Patriot’s Hope we have had valuable discussions on these subjects in other articles like:
- Should Christians be Involved with Civil Government?
- The 47 Foot Extension Cord
- Where does Legitimate Authority Come From?
In these articles, we have discussed the idea of legitimate authority, what makes it legitimate, and where does it come from? In our article, Officials Under Authority, we learned key lessons about the fact that legitimate authority flows down from God the Father and through His Son, Jesus Christ. God is the only source of real authority.
lawful vs unlawful orders
I am a 1993 graduate of Air Force ROTC, and a veteran of the United States Air Force. During my ROTC training, they taught our class the difference between a lawful order (which must always be obeyed, even if not in agreement), and an unlawful order (which must always be disobeyed – regardless of consequences – because it is given with no authority and therefore is not legitimate).
For example, consider German military officers tried at Nuremberg after World War II. Many of them attempted to excuse the atrocities they had committed by saying they were “following orders”. In fact, this attempted defense has become known as the “Nuremberg Defense”. The trouble is that you aren’t supposed to obey unlawful orders – you’re supposed to refuse to follow them. If a tyrant with no authority tells you to do something that is wrong – against God’s law – then the principled answer is to refuse to follow that direction.
lawful vs unlawful in EVERYDAY life
What does this look like in real life? As with any other subject, we can turn to the Bible to find out. Our family has been reading through 1 Samuel and I am amazed at how much is there that directly pertains to government! I want us to consider in this blog article and the next one or so, a couple times this happened in scripture that demonstrates the powerful impact of God’s people refusing illegal (and therefore illegitimate) orders. There are many examples from which to choose… we will take at least a couple from the Book of 1 Samuel.
In 1 Samuel 14, we find an interesting situation. Jonathan is the son of King Saul. Jonathan and his armor bearer, although not yet detected, find themselves in close proximity to a large number of the Philistine enemy soldiers. In the same situation, my reaction would probably be something like, “Hey, they haven’t seen us – let’s get out of here!!”. However, that is not Jonathan’s reaction. I LOVE his reaction. His thought is to ascertain whether God would deliver these soldiers into their hands. He is the son of the King, and these Philistines are the enemies of God’s people. I mean, maybe God would like for these enemies to be properly dealt with…
Jonathan understands authority
Jonathan knows as long as they are acting under the authority of God, to do God’s work, then their power is infinite because it flows from God Himself. There is no reason to be afraid. The task is to figure out whether God would have them to undertake this battle, or not. The decision whether or not to fight is not about strategy, weapons, tactics, or any other factor, but is completely about whether they would be acting in line with God’s will. So, they devise a plan for how they will know the difference and they decide they are in line with their source of authority and that God will deliver them! This is where things get exciting… 😊
Jonathan and his armor bearer take the first half-acre or so of land from the possession of over 20 enemy soldiers. Confusion then ensues – the Philistines turn on one another, and Israelites come from several places to join the battle. The whole day becomes a remarkable victory. In verse 24, we learn that sometime along the way, King Saul made a proclamation, forbidding anyone from eating. Jonathan had not heard this guidance because he was busy carrying out the Lord’s victory, but in the course of the day, he had eaten a bite of honey. By verse 44, Saul was going to kill his son, until an interesting thing happened in verse 45…
“And the people said unto Saul, Shall Jonathan die, who hath wrought this great salvation in Israel? God forbid: as the LORD liveth, there shall not one hair of his head fall to the ground; for he hath wrought with God this day. So the people rescued Jonathan, that he died not.”
the people were the check and balance
The people of God help to establish and enforce the boundaries of government officials. Saul had no business making a decree like that. It was certainly not an act that would have been in line with the role of a government official – literally God’s agent on earth – wielding God’s authority to accomplish God’s purpose. May we, as God’s people, never forget the voice God has given us.
We have the voice to stand up and to keep God’s laws from being violated. May we learn from the people under King Saul in 1 Samuel 14 and may we speak up for what is right in our land. Let not Christians, or the church, attempt to offer the Nuremberg Defense to God for our weak action, or inaction. Many times, the right answer is simply “No – King, you are wrong, and we won’t do that…” this is a response we need to re-learn in this country. We will see another beautiful example from 1 Samuel in our next article.
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