GOVERNMENT
(See AUTHORITY; KINGDOM)
divine government:
of the universe
of the earth
♦ delegated to Adam and Eve
♦ disrupted through the fall of man
• Genesis 3; Romans 8:19-23
♦ redeemed and restored through Christ
• Isaiah 11:6-9; 35:1-10; Matthew 19:28; Romans 8:20-23; 1 Corinthians 15:24-28; Hebrews 2:6-10; Revelation 11:15; 19:11-20:6
♦ under Messiah's rulership
of Israel (see also below human government, examples of human rulers)
♦ ultimately by God Himself
♦ initially through the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (i.e., as governors of their family and servants)
♦ through Moses
♦ through Joshua
♦ through judges
• Judges; Ruth 1:1
♦ through kings and their subordinate officials
♦ specifically through David's royal line
♦ under the Babylonians
♦ under the Persians
♦ under the Herods
• e.g., Matthew 2:1-23; Luke 3:1
♦ under the Romans
♦ of the temple in Israel
human government:
God's control of
• Proverbs 21:1; Jeremiah 25:12-26; Ezekiel 29:19-20; Daniel 4:17; Haggai 2:22; John 19:11; Romans 13:1, 4 (cf. Ephesians 1:11)
examples of human rulers
♦ Joseph as governor over Egypt
♦ Daniel in Babylon
♦ Nehemiah as governor of the Palestinian Jews
♦ Quirinius as governor of Syria
• Luke 2:2
♦ Pilate as Roman governor of Judea
• Luke 3:1
♦ Tiberius Caesar as emperor of Rome
• Luke 3:1
♦ Felix and Festus as Roman governors
• Acts 23:26; 26:30
responsibility to human government
♦ submit to it
♦ pay taxes to it
♦ pray for it
♦ give God priority over it
corruption in human government
♦ examples of
♦ avoidance of
This topic is from the Lockman Foundation.