The Government Shall Be Upon His Shoulders

“Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?” Genesis 18:25

Judge – Modern Western culture is a society governed by law.  As fickle and malleable as the law seems to be, it is nevertheless the basis of our social interactions.  A judge is supposed to be the one who interprets the law.  In our culture, judges do not make laws, they execute them.  This cultural bias naturally leads us to misinterpret Old Testament passages that use the Hebrew word for judge (shaphat).  The Bible has a very different view of the role of a judge.

In ancient Semitic cultures, independent laws did not rule tribes.  Men who were the law ruled them.  The chief of the tribe did not interpret the law as though the law existed without him.  The chief embodied the law, personally and corporately.  His word was law.  This is the sense of “judge” in the Old Testament.  God is the embodiment of all government for the entire earth.  He is the ultimate authority.  The description of His character (see Exodus 34:6) is the basis for all interaction among His creation.  That is why the government (in all of its aspects) is upon his shoulders.

This shift in thinking should make a big difference in our behavior.  If we approach the Bible as a book of laws, our cultural bias leans us toward legalism on the one hand or equivocation on the other.  We either adopt a new set of hard and fast rules or we try our best to split hairs and overcome the implied scope of the rules.  Both approaches are ridiculous.  God is not interested in rules.  He is interested in government; in the whole package of human interaction that surrounds the heart, the character, the worth and the surrender of Man.  Job’s story is the story of a “rule righteous” man who discovers that rule oriented behavior leads him to pride.  When he confronts the Judge of all the earth, he suddenly sees that his claim based on rules is worthless.

So, what happens when we shift from rules to righteousness?  The world changes.  Freedom showers us from heaven.  God’s government reigns in our hearts (His kingdom comes on earth).  The purpose of a rule is obedience.  The purpose of righteousness is citizenship.  Under God’s government, thankfulness is the motivation for my desire to do what pleases Him.

Are you living under the rules or are you a citizen of the free kingdom?