What Does a Citizen Who Fears God Look Like?
[Proverbs 24:21–26]
Not long ago, CNN in the United States reported news about a potential impeachment of President Barack Obama. The reason this issue came up was because the Republican Party, which had control of the House of Representatives, claimed that President Obama was abusing his presidential powers. In other words, the Republicans believed that President Obama was excessively issuing executive orders.
For example, during the implementation of the Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare") in 2010, it was argued that President Obama abused the constitutional powers granted to the presidency. Specifically, he allegedly delayed a key provision of Obamacare through executive order. Concerns had been raised that if this provision were enforced as scheduled, it could severely harm small and medium-sized businesses and lead to an increase in layoffs of full-time workers. In response, in February of that year, President Obama unilaterally issued an executive order to delay the implementation of the provision until 2016 for businesses with 50 to 99 employees (source: Internet).
Additionally, President Obama implemented an increase in the minimum wage through executive order, despite opposition from the Republican Party, and it was reported that he planned to take further executive action in September to provide relief for undocumented immigrants (source: Internet). As a result, on July 30th of that year, the U.S. House of Representatives held a session and passed a resolution by a vote of 225 to 201 allowing for legal action against President Obama.
When we hear news like this, how should we, as citizens of the United States, respond? And if we are not U.S. citizens but Korean citizens, how should we respond when we think about the current president of Korea?
One passage of Scripture that comes to mind in such situations is Romans 13:1–2:
"Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves."
(Modern Language Bible paraphrase: "Everyone must submit to the government authorities, for all authority comes from God. So those who oppose the authorities are opposing what God has instituted, and they will be judged.")
Applying this passage to ourselves, if we as believers are people who fear God, then we are called to submit to governing authorities. Why? Because all authority is established by God.
However, we must remember that this does not mean we must obey the government unconditionally. That is, if the government becomes corrupt and institutionalizes things that go against God's Word and commands all citizens to follow such laws, then we cannot submit to those commands.
One example is the attempt to institutionalize same-sex marriage. If same-sex marriage becomes legalized by national law, how should you and I respond? Clearly, this is a national law that contradicts the law (Word) of God. Should we follow that law simply because it is the law of the land?
We must obey the government that God has established, but only within the bounds of what does not contradict God’s law. We must not oppose the laws of the country — as long as they do not oppose the Word of God — and should obey them accordingly.
Proverbs 24:21 says:
"My son, fear the Lord and the king, and do not join with rebellious officials."
Based on this verse, I would like to reflect on two principles regarding how a citizen who fears God should act, and receive the lessons that the Lord wants to give us.
First, a citizen who fears God also honors their president.
Take a look at the first half of today’s passage, Proverbs 24:21: “My son, fear the Lord and the king….” The Bible tells us to fear both God and the king. If we apply this message to ourselves today, it means that we should fear God and also fear the president of our nation. Of course, the "king" mentioned in today’s passage refers to an ideal king used by God (Proverbs 21:1) (Yoon Sun Park). Therefore, the president we are to fear is the ideal president whom God uses.
Then who is this ideal president? Reflecting back on the verses we have meditated on so far, the Bible describes an ideal king in the following ways:
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First, based on Psalm 101, we meditated on “the heart of an ideal king,” which has three aspects:
(a) A heart that longs for mercy and justice,
(b) A humble heart,
(c) A heart that stays away from deceit (a duplicitous life, different inside and out). -
Next, in Psalm 72, we reflected on the “ideal king” in two ways:
(a) An ideal king judges with the Lord’s discernment,
(b) He judges with the Lord’s righteous discernment, thereby bringing satisfaction to the Lord’s people. -
Then we meditated on Proverbs 16:10–15, which describes a “good king who pleases God.” We reflected on three traits of such a king:
(a) A good king who pleases God makes righteous decisions through God’s wisdom,
(b) He hates evil deeds,
(c) He listens well to the counsel of faithful advisors. -
After that, based on Proverbs 19:12 and 20:2, we reflected on the “ideal president” in two ways:
(a) An ideal president governs the nation with justice,
(b) An ideal president rules the country with love. -
Lastly, in Proverbs 21:1, we see that the ideal king used by God is a king in the hand of God, led by Him. Such a king submits to the Lord’s will when God guides him according to His pleasure.
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In addition to these, there is one more passage worth considering: Deuteronomy 17:19–20:
“And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them, that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel.”
According to this, there are three traits of a king ideal in God's eyes:
(a) He keeps God’s law (the Word) beside him and reads it all his life to learn to fear God,
(b) He keeps and obeys all the words and statutes of God’s law and does not turn from them to the left or the right,
(c) His heart is not proud above his brothers.
In today’s passage, Proverbs 24:21, the king we should fear as citizens who fear God is a king who establishes justice. Look at Proverbs 24:23–26:
“These also are sayings of the wise. Partiality in judging is not good. Whoever says to the wicked, ‘You are in the right,’ will be cursed by peoples, abhorred by nations, but those who rebuke the wicked will have delight, and a good blessing will come upon them. Whoever gives an honest answer kisses the lips.”
Here, the writer of Proverbs explains both what a king who establishes justice does not do and what he does do.
First, a king who establishes justice does not show partiality in judgment or declare the wicked to be righteous (v. 23). Can you imagine if wise King Solomon, when judging the two prostitutes, had shown more favor to one woman over the other or ruled in favor of the false mother by saying, “You are the true mother, take the living child”? How would the Israelites have reacted? Would they have still feared King Solomon? (1 Kings 3:28) If Solomon had made such a wrong judgment, according to today’s passage, Proverbs 24:24, he would have been cursed and hated by the people of Israel. However, as we know, Solomon judged wisely with the wisdom God gave him and made a righteous decision. He discerned between the real and false mother and ruled that the living child be given to the true mother (1 Kings 3:26–27). Upon hearing Solomon’s judgment, the people feared the king (v. 28), because they saw that the wisdom of God was in him.
Deuteronomy 1:17 says, “For the judgment is God’s. You shall not be partial in judgment. You shall hear the small and the great alike. You shall not be intimidated by anyone.”
A king who is not intimidated by appearances does not justify the wicked nor condemn the righteous (Proverbs 17:15), for he knows that such actions are hated by God (v. 15). Proverbs 18:5 says, “It is not good to be partial to the wicked or to deprive the righteous of justice.” Proverbs 28:21 also says, “To show partiality is not good, but for a piece of bread a man will do wrong.”
What does this mean? A righteous king not only refuses to show partiality in judgment, but also does not defend the wicked or cause the righteous to suffer injustice.
Then what does a righteous king do?
Today’s main passage, Proverbs 24:25, tells us that a king who establishes justice rebukes the wicked. The Modern Korean Translation says he “boldly rebukes the wicked.” God, who is righteous, will surely rebuke a king who shows partiality when judging (Job 13:10). In particular, God rebukes a king who adds to or takes away from God's word when judging unfairly (Proverbs 30:6). The reason God does this is not only because He is righteous, but also because He loves that king—so He rebukes him (Revelation 3:19). Furthermore, God not only rebukes sin (Psalm 39:11), but also rebukes the wicked (Jude 1:9). Therefore, a righteous king must rebuke the wicked, just like God, the King of kings. And he must rebuke boldly. By doing so, he must correct the order of the nation through justice.
Also, a king who establishes justice “gives an honest answer” (Proverbs 24:26). That is, he gives a “truthful answer” (Modern Korean Translation). In other words, a king who upholds justice renders righteous judgments from the bench. Such just judgments are like a kiss of justice—they fulfill and satisfy it (according to Pak Yoon-sun). Therefore, according to today’s main passage, Proverbs 24:25, the king who establishes justice will receive joy and a good blessing. That is, a ruler who punishes the wicked fairly will be blessed by God (Pak Yoon-sun).
1 Peter 2:13–14, 17 says:
"Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right… Show proper respect to everyone, love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king."
The Bible teaches us to fear God and honor the king. Applied to us today, this means we should fear God and honor the president of our nation. From the perspective of Proverbs 24:21, we are to fear the president whom God has appointed because we fear God.
Of course, the president we are to fear and honor is not just any president. It must be a president who acts with justice. The Bible teaches that if we truly fear God, then as citizens, we must also fear the president of our country who acts justly, as appointed by God.
Secondly and finally, a citizen who fears God does not associate with rebels.
Look at the latter part of Proverbs 24:21:
"…Do not associate with those given to change [rebellion]."
The Bible not only commands us to fear God and the king He has established (v. 21), but also tells us not to associate with rebels. This means we are not to align ourselves with those who seek to overthrow the king. The reason is that rebels—and those who join with them—will soon face disaster and be destroyed (v. 22).
How can we apply this to the present day? One example is the country of Syria. The current president of Syria is Bashar al-Assad. According to the U.S. newspaper The Washington Post's weekly magazine Parade, Bashar was once ranked as the 12th worst dictator in the world. Under his rule, Syria has openly supported Palestine's Hamas and Lebanon's Hezbollah as part of its anti-Israel policy, and has been designated by Western countries as a state sponsor of terrorism (according to online sources).
As we know, Syria has been embroiled in a civil war, with government forces continually fighting against rebel forces. Some citizens likely support President Bashar, while many others probably see him as a dictator and dislike him. In that case, how should Christians living in Syria obey Proverbs 24:21? Should they fear and honor that president? Of course not. He is neither the ideal ruler described by the Bible nor a president who upholds justice. So are Christians required to fear and honor such a leader?
However, we must also consider this question: If their president is a dictator and an unjust ruler, is it right for Christian citizens in Syria to join the rebel forces, fight against the government, and try to remove the president from power?
Dr. Pak Yoon-sun offers three key insights on this subject:
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The believer’s conscience in the face of an unjust government:
Proverbs 24:21 forbids individual rebellion against an evil ruler or unjust government. However, it does not command unlimited obedience to such a regime. Even if an order comes from the government, if it is an unjust command—such as one that violates the Christian faith—believers are not obligated to obey. Christians must approach national matters from a theocentric perspective. In other words, we must live our lives as citizens with the purpose of glorifying God. -
The Christian attitude toward unjust politics:
As individuals, believers cannot violently overthrow a ruler (even a tyrant). However, high-ranking officials and subordinate authorities have a responsibility to restrain the king’s tyranny and protect the people. If necessary, they bear the duty of removing the source of that unjust governance. -
The church's role in preventing governmental wrongdoing:
The Christian church does not exist directly for the state, but it can influence the state indirectly. For example, the church can impact the conscience of both citizens and public officials. The more these consciences are aligned with Christian principles, the more the state will reflect God's law in matters of religion and morality.This indirect influence can be carried out in the following ways (as outlined by H. Meeter):
a) Through the preaching of the gospel. In doing so, the church teaches principles of God’s Word that apply to all areas of life—including political life.
b) Through education. Christians should clarify biblical principles related to civic life in educational institutions.
c) Through the media and all forms of public communication. Christianity should strive to win the public’s favor toward God’s Word and work to influence them with it.
As we read the Old Testament, we often see that God refers to the people of Israel as a "rebellious nation" (Ezekiel 12:2), and this is echoed in several passages (Deuteronomy 9:7, 31:27; Isaiah 30:9; Ezekiel 2:3, 5, 7, 8; 3:9; 12:25, 26; 24:3; 12:9). In Deuteronomy 9:24, Moses says to the Israelites, “You have been rebellious against the Lord from the day I knew you.” Before his death, Moses also told them: “For I know how rebellious and stiff-necked you are. If you have been rebellious against the Lord while I am still alive and with you, how much more will you rebel after my death!” (Deut. 31:27).
The people of Israel constantly rebelled against the Lord, the King of kings. Not only did they rebel, but they also rejected God as their king so that He would not reign over them (1 Samuel 8:7). During the time of Samuel, the Israelites said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have” (v.5). They rejected Samuel’s words and said, “No! We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles” (v.19–20).
When Samuel heard their demand, he prayed to the Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king” (v.7). To this rebellious people, God spoke through the prophet Hosea, saying, “I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them” (Hosea 14:4).
How amazing is the grace of God! He promised to heal the rebellion of the Israelites and love them joyfully. This is the heart of God the Father toward us. God our Father is the One who heals our rebellion and loves us joyfully. Dear brothers and sisters, God the Father tells us not only to no longer rebel against Him, but also not to associate with rebels. I pray that you and I will obey this word of God out of reverence for Him.
Let me conclude this meditation. Through today’s passage, Proverbs 24:21–26, we have learned how we as Christians should live as citizens of a nation. To summarize in one sentence: we must be citizens who fear God. As citizens who fear God, we must also honor our president. Additionally, we must not associate with rebels. I pray that you and I will become those who can obey this word.