God and Politics

Thinking Politically from a Biblical Perspective

North Hill Adventist Fellowship

Sabbath, November 10, 2012

Scripture Reading: Daniel 2:19b-22.

Sometimes the bad guys win. Sometimes the good guys win. About fifty percent of American voters think the bad guy won on Tuesday. About fifty percent think the good guy won. In thinking about last Tuesday we might find some guidance in something that happened in 597 b.c.

King Nebuchadnezzar took all of Jerusalem captive, including all the commanders and the best of the soldiers, craftsmen, and artisans—10,000 in all. Only the poorest people were left in the land. Nebuchadnezzar led King Jehoiachin away as a captive to Babylon, along with the queen mother, his wives and officials, and all Jerusalem's elite. . . . The king of Babylon installed Mattaniah, Jehoiachin's uncle, as the next king, and he changed Mattaniah's name to Zedekiah. 2 Kings 24:14-17.

Obviously, if you were Jewish, this is bad news. Your army has lost. Your city's defenses have proved inadequate. The Babylonians have installed their choice on the throne of David. The Babylonians have won. And they're the bad guys.

That's not just your personal opinion. You can quote the Bible to support your opinion. The prophet Isaiah predicted Nebuchadnezzar's rise to power years before he was born. In Isaiah's prophecy, the king of Babylon is not a nice guy. After some time in power God was going to severely punish the king of Babylon. Note this in Isaiah 14:

The LORD has crushed your wicked power and broken your evil rule. You struck the people with endless blows of rage and held the nations in your angry grip with unrelenting tyranny. But finally the earth is at rest and quiet. Now it can sing again!

The collapse of the Babylonian kingdom is such good news that nature itself joins in the celebration.

Even the trees of the forest— the cypress trees and the cedars of Lebanon— sing out this joyous song: 'Since you have been cut down, no one will come now to cut us down!' Isiah 14:8

A few verses later the prophet writes this about the king of Babylon:

You said in your heart, "I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High." Isaiah 14:13-14

Christian writers for 2000 years have used this passage about the king of Babylon as a description of the Devil himself.

So no question about it, in 597 B.C. the bad guy won. And the Bible has a lot to say about that event. So if you're part of the fifty percent who think the bad guy won on Tuesday, you might find some helpful guidance in the passages we're going to explore.

What did the prophets tell the Jews in the years after 597 B.C. when the “bad guy” was on the throne in Babylon and was controlling who was on the throne in Jerusalem?

First, the prophets predicted this would happen. Isaiah told Hezekiah in about 700 B.C.:

'The time is coming when everything in your palace—all the treasures stored up by your ancestors until now—will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left,' says the LORD. Isaiah 39:6.

Second, the Bible writers said Nebuchadnezzar's victory was God's will. The Book of Kings says this about the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar:

These things happened because of the LORD's anger against the people of Jerusalem and Judah, until God finally banished them from his presence and sent them into exile. 2 Kings 24:19

Nebuchadnezzar's victory was not just allowed by God. Nebuchadnezzar was carrying out God's plan. At least that's what this verse says.

Note this from the book of Daniel:

During the third year of King Jehoiakim's reign in Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Babylonia* and put in the treasure house of his god. Daniel 1:1-2

Nebuchanezzar's victory was God's doing! The bad guy won. And that was God's plan.

If you are part of the fifty percent who think the bad guy won on Tuesday, the story of Nebuchadnezzar should prompt you to at least consider the possibility that this was God's plan. Be glad that God's “bad guy” in this case is an American, not a Babylonian. After four years in office, President Obama has not imposed sharia law or the communist manifesto or the UN charter. We even got a chance to vote against him, and in four years we'll get to vote again. When Nebuchadnezzar won, he chose the Jewish king. There was no vote. Ever. He exiled most of the leadership of the Jewish people to Babylon. A decade later he came back and completely destroyed the city of Jerusalem. No, we have it a lot better than the Jews did.

What did the prophets tell the Jews to do in the light of the triumph of the King of Babylon?

First, being red blooded Americans, we might consider “The Donald's” approach to dealing with inconvenient election results. As the numbers came in on Tuesday night, Donald Trump tweeted that the revolution was the best approach.

The Jews tried that. The prophets did not approve.

But Zedekiah did what was evil in the LORD's sight, just as Jehoiakim had done. These things happened because of the LORD's anger against the people of Jerusalem and Judah, until he finally banished them from his presence and sent them into exile. Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. 2 Kings 24:19-20

The implied rejection of Zedekiah's opposition to the King of Babylon is made explicit in Chronicles:

Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD his God, and he refused to humble himself when the prophet Jeremiah spoke to him directly from the LORD. He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, even though he had taken an oath of loyalty in God's name. Zedekiah was a hard and stubborn man, refusing to turn to the LORD, the God of Israel. 2 Chronicles 36:11-13.

Part of Jeremiah's counsel to Zedekiah was to submit to Nebuchadnezzar. (See Jeremiah 21.)

Rebellion is seldom an effective way to improve a nation. The Arab spring is the most recent example of that. Across the Arab world they managed to get rid of despotic rulers. Getting rid of the despots has not, however, led to the creation of functioning democratic governments. The rebellion was relatively easy. Building a new society is extremely difficult.

The prophets explicitly warned the Jews against rebelling against Nebuchadnezzar. God wanted him to win. He won. The people were supposed to accept that and get on with life. The prophets did not want the people to waste their lives and their kids lives rebelling against a power that God had put in place.

The prophets preached this to the people left in Jerusalem. And to the people who were hauled off to Babylon.

Jeremiah wrote to the exiles in Babylon:

This is what the LORD of Heaven's Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the captives he has exiled to Babylon from Jerusalem: "Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce. Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away! And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare." Jeremiah 29:4-7

In light of the triumph of the King of Babylon, the prophets said,

1. Don't despair. God is in this.
2. Focus on your families. Pass the faith.
3. Work for the well-being of the communities where you live.

Is this the kind of counsel you're hearing and reading? Or are you paying attention to commentators fomenting discontent, anger and outrage. The prophets gave very clear guidance. Don't feed your soul with input that builds despair and fails to enlist you in active service in your community.

(Has talk radio given you hope or fed your despair? Has it encouraged you to adopt any family traditions that build the character of your children and increase their sense of belonging and happiness in your home? Have the commentators you pay attention to prompted you to do anything to improve the quality of life in your neighborhood?)

Just yesterday, I read a wonderful column by conservative David Brooks. “The Heart Grows Smarter” is a wonderful challenge and encouragement. In this country, for most of us, the greatest difference in our quality of life will not come from the political realm but from choices that are available to us no matter who is governor or congressman or senator or president.

Brooks' column reminds me of the words of Jeremiah to the exiles in Jerusalem. Take care of the people lose to you. Some people are worried about what is going to happen next. Jeremiah and David Brooks remind us that most of our energy should go into taking care of here and now, not fretting about tomorrow.

While George Bush was president we had a prophet visit our church who said God had told him that Mr. Bush was going to freedom of conscience to an end. He was going bring on the Mark of the Beast. It didn't happen. When Mr. Obama was elected the first time, friends predicted his presidency would see the end of all our freedoms and the institution of sharia law or communism. Neither of those things has happened. Now people are freaking out over more mythical and diabolical dooms that Mr. Obama's re-election will bring about. Quit freaking out.

If God could include the triumph of King Nebuchadnezzar in his plans for the triumph of goodness, God can probably handle another term by President Obama.

Now let's look at this from the opposite side. Let's say you were in favor of President Obama. When you heard he won, you felt, “We won!” If you're feeling a bit cocky now because your candidate won, beware. The Bible addresses that side of the equation as well.

In Daniel 4, King Nebuchadnezzar recounts an astonishing story. It's the story of his conversion.

He begins his story:

I was high and mighty. I had won. I was at the top. Then I had a disturbing dream. The prophet Daniel told me the dream was a warning from God. Daniel said, “Seven years will pass while you live as an animal, until you learn that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of the world and gives them to anyone he chooses.” That's what the prophet said, but I blew it off. A year later I lost my mind. I spent seven years totally insane.

Somehow, toward the end of that time through the fog of my insanity, I came to the realization that God is in control ultimately. We aren't. Once I made that admission, God miraculously restored me to the throne.

Near the end of his story Nebuchadnezzar writes:

"After this time had passed, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven. My sanity returned, and I praised and worshiped the Most High and honored the one who lives forever. His rule is everlasting, and his kingdom is eternal. All the people of the earth are nothing compared to him. He does as he pleases among the angels of heaven and among the people of the earth. No one can stop him or say to him, 'What do you mean by doing these things? Daniel 4:34-35.

Winning an election or a war does not give license for arrogance. God sets up people and can take them down. If your candidate loses don't despair. God is in control. If your candidate wins, don't gloat. God is in control.

Of course, saying “God is in control.” has its own problems. How can God be connected with evil people, evil politicians?

Consider the alternative. If God is not in control, if there is no grand plan, then we are adrift. Often, an unbiased view of things supports that idea. The world is a crazy place. But as believers we are biased. We are biased in favor of evidence that God rules, that goodness will win, that justice will triumph, that mercy will flood the earth.

Sometimes this is easy to believe. Sometimes it's hard. But celebrating God's competence and his character is the foundation of our life together. That was true before the election. It is still true after the election. It will still be true four years and one month from now when another presidential election will be finished.

God reigns. As believers we are privileged to deny the notion that the drama of politics is ultimate. Elections matter. Yes. But they are only part of God's story. And God is the editor with the final stay.

The important thing for us is not whether Democrats or Republicans or Libertarians run the Whtie House or Congress. The most important thing for us is how we conduct ourselves while living in exile here in Babylon.

Let's make sure we allow the ethical, moral teachings of the prophets have more sway in our lives than the rantings of our favorite political commentators.

God reigns. Still.