God Cares About Politics

You cannot read the Bible and ignore the political realm. The Bible is thick with politics. You have two books, 1 and 2 Kings, that strictly deal with the rule and reign of government leaders. John the Baptist condemned the immoral conduct of Herod Antipas, which led to the prophet’s execution (Mark 6:14–29). In Thessalonica, Paul and his companions were charged with committing treason against Rome for insisting “that there is another king, Jesus” (Acts 17:7). And in the greatest act of political and moral rebellion ever against God, the Antichrist will set up his worldwide government of pure evil, and he will rule the earth (Revelation 13:1–10).

Because God is the Sovereign of His universe, it follows that He is intimately concerned with the political affairs of the nations. Psalm 22:28 declares, “The kingdom is the LORD’s and He rules over the nations.” There is nothing that happens in the governments of men that does not flow out of the sovereign rule of God. “The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes” (Proverbs 21:1).

All through the Bible, we see God placing people strategically in the political realm. He moved Joseph into authority in Egypt (Genesis 41:38–49) and elevated Daniel to a position of great influence among the Babylonians and later the Persians (Daniel 1:8–21; 2:46–49; 6:1–3). God also placed Nehemiah in the Persian government so he could rebuild his community with government support (Nehemiah 2, 3). He made Esther queen in Persia (book of Esther), and Deborah judge in Israel to accomplish His agenda (Judges 4–5).

In fact, the greatest example of God’s involvement in the political affairs of a nation is Israel itself where God established its constitution, legal structure, and laws that were to be the model for other nations to emulate (Deuteronomy 4:5–7). Along with 1 and 2 Kings, in books such as 1 and 2 Samuel and 1 and 2 Chronicles, God is active on every page, setting up this king, judging that king, and deposing yet another king. There is no escaping God’s political activity. This means we cannot divide life down the middle, putting God on one side and politics on the other.

We cannot divide life down the middle, putting God on one side and politics on the other.

Now someone may argue that while God was intimately involved in the governing of Israel, that was because God Himself established Israel as a theocracy. But when it comes to the other nations on earth, God is not that deeply involved.

Scripture would not agree with that, because in Daniel 4 we see God getting very intimately involved in the life of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, the greatest secular ruler in the greatest pagan kingdom of the day.