Honor in Politics
Are there any two words in our culture today that form a bigger oxymoron than honor and politics being placed together in the same sentence? Political candidates openly mock their opponents; we, as citizens, no longer honor anyone with an opposing point of view. With the idol of politics taking on ever more significance, it's no longer enough to simply disagree with someone; we have to make it so that anyone who agrees with our opponents must be evil or at least a little deranged. We might not carve graven images, but our worship at the shrine of the donkey or the elephant is alive and well and, in the process, creates more vitriol and hate. While political engagement is important for Christians, placing significance of this weight on the shoulders of these shrines only makes them collapse; they were never meant to support a weight that only Jesus can bear. And lest we yearn for the days of long ago when politics were honorable, let's not forget that John Adams left town in anger before his successor Thomas Jefferson's inauguration. Honor and politics have always been a difficult pairing. As Christians, our task is to go back to what the Bible has to say to mold our thinking, not social media or the news. As Isaiah said, God's word will not come back empty, even with such a complex and polarizing topic.
"Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore, whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore, one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. Because of this, you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed. Romans 13:1-7
When considering God's views on government, Paul's letter to the Romans offers fantastic insight. There is no authority except from God, and the difficulty comes in the final verse, paying respect and honor to those in positions of authority regardless of whether or not we agree with this authority and support them with our vote. There are no exceptions listed in the footnotes. I hear the objection now, I could never honor…fill in your blank. Fortunately, the Bible gives us a great example of how to honor the opposition even with far more difficult circumstances than any of us are likely to encounter.
In the book of 1 Samuel, Israel demands a king like the other nations around them. The prophet Samuel anoints Saul, and after a few initial successes, Saul makes a mistake, the Lord rejects Saul, and Samuel then anoints David as king. Shortly after David is anointed king, he has a string of victories in battle, including defeating the giant Goliath. Songs are sung; naturally, Saul starts to become jealous. While Saul was in one of his moods and David was trying to calm him down by playing the lyre for him, Saul threw the spear in his hand at David and tried to pin him to the wall. This happens not once but twice. Fortunately, Saul's aim isn't great, and he misses both times. After the second attempt fails, Saul sends assassins to David's house, where he once again escapes with the help of Saul's daughter, Michal, who also happens to be David's wife. Saul's son Jonathan also gets involved in trying to save David's life by sending David away and setting up a test of sorts to learn of Saul's true intentions. When Saul discovers the ruse, his words are harsh:
Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said to him, "You son of a perverse, rebellious woman, do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame, and to the shame of your mother's nakedness? For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom shall be established. Therefore send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die." — 1 Samuel 20:30-32
As much as Jonathan has tried to give his father the benefit of the doubt, he can no longer deny Saul's murderous intent when it comes to David. Saul can't even call David by his name anymore, just "the son of Jesse." In Saul's attempt to stop the steal, there are no lengths he won't go to and no means he won't justify.
So what should David's response be to Saul's repeated challenge of his anointment as king? Surely, he would be justified to defend himself at the least, or even defend against Saul's attacks and call it self-defense if Saul should die while David is defending himself. But we see David have an opportunity to take Saul's life twice, and he refuses to do it! "The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord's anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the Lord's anointed." A shocking response to someone pursuing you and causing you to live in the wilderness because of the constant attempts being made in your life. Eventually, Saul gets killed in battle, and an opportunistic messenger arrives to tell David the news. The messenger takes some liberties with the story and boasts of killing Saul himself upon finding him mortally wounded. David's response is to tear his clothes and weep until evening. He has the messenger executed for daring to raise a hand against the Lord's anointed. And as he's done so often throughout his life, he uses song and poetry to express how he feels.
You daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,
Who clothed you luxuriously in scarlet,
Who put ornaments of gold on your apparel. 2 Samuel 2:24
We see in David a type of Christ who can forgive his political enemy despite numerous attempts on his life because he knew what Paul would write centuries later is true, respect and honor need to be paid to our governing authorities. This is a glimpse of Jesus, who would say radical things like, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Jesus, who was nailed to a cross and looked out and prayed for forgiveness. This kind of radical grace is needed more than ever, and I encourage you to keep it in mind during this election season before saying or posting something political. Let's honor politicians as David honored Saul. While an elected President isn't appointed by God like Saul and David were, there are still practical things we can do to to fulfill Paul's call in Romans 13:
Pray daily for our leaders (especially if they hold different views than you) so that God's purposes would be fulfilled with whoever is in office. It's incredibly difficult to speak disparagingly about someone when you pray for them daily.
Proverbs has plenty to say about simply keeping your mouth closed. Not everyone has to know every opinion you hold on every issue. If loudly proclaiming your political views stops others from seeing Jesus, you are missing the mark.
When it comes to honor in politics, remember the fruits of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
We see these attributes in David's life, and we see them missing in Saul's. When it comes to our politicians and those who have a difference of opinion, run your thoughts, words, and actions through that filter; against such things, there is no law.