By Contributing Writer, Leah Smith
Do you know what God thinks about politics? Does the Bible have to say anything about the proper functions and boundaries of government? How will your answer affect your next vote?
Much is at stake both now and in the generations to come. What we understand about our current times (and what the Bible says about it) affects how we vote. How we vote affects the world our children will live in, and so forth.
Because this topic is so important, I’d like to share an excerpt from my new book, Diapers, Dishes & Dominion. I hope it will shed some light on what God thinks about politics. I also hope it will make you seriously consider–or reconsider–who you will vote for.
Less is More
The Bible gives two main functions for our civil government: to protect the innocent (and their property) and to punish criminals (Romans 13:3–4). Who are the innocent? Citizens who obey God’s Law.
God takes private property seriously. God invented private property. It’s all a part of His plan to teach us dominion and stewardship. When God gave the commandment “You shall not steal,” that means He has given people areas of private dominion.
When someone robs their neighbor of what God has first bestowed upon them, they are actually robbing God. It violates God’s rules of personal responsibility and dominion.
When we learn how to govern our private belongings, our land, our homes and especially ourselves by applying God’s laws, He will increase the size of our domain, according to His purposes. Here are some important biblical points to consider when we look at government today:
- God does not like centralized power. Centralization occurs when the power of a nation lies in the hands of only a few people. It is “collective.” The first major account we have of this happening is the tower of Babel. God did not like this! He scattered them on the earth and confused their languages. He did this to de-centralize their power (Genesis 11:1–8).
- God blesses decentralized government. When the Israelites were in the desert, Moses was dealing with every little problem they had. This was completely inefficient and unproductive, so he appointed judges over groups of tens, hundreds, and thousands. Moses chose the judges according to their character (Ex 18:13–27, Deut 1:9–16). They were representatives of one ultimate standard: the Law of God. This divided authority into what we can compare today as states or provinces. God granted power to the individual states (tribes) to decide and judge over their own matters. All states/provinces are bound by one constitution—God’s Law. Also, in the Bible, each tribe had their own military. There was no one centralized military power. God has given this great biblical model for us. The Ten Commandments are our standard for governing society.
- God is disappointed in nations who want a lot of civil government (1 Sam 8:10–17). He often gives them what they ask for because big government is a punishment in and of itself. Because we have seen that God’s plan is to have maximized self-government and minimized civil government, any time we ask the government to do more for us or take care of us better, it goes against God’s plan. We are just like the Israelites when, after God delivered them from Pharaoh, they were still stuck in their slavery mentality and begged to go back to Egypt! We have this same slavery attitude. We don’t even know what liberty or freedom is because our allegiance is still with “Pharaoh.” We keep turning from God and worshiping false gods (the State). The Bible describes both God and Samuel being upset because the people demanded to have a king like all the other nations. God told Samuel that in asking for this king (big government), they were actually rejecting God Himself! When we desire to have the government take care of everything and tell us what to do, we are replacing God with the State. This is idolatry. God instructed Samuel to warn the people what would happen when they got their king:
These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plough his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men and your donkeys, and put them to his work. He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you in that day. (1 Samuel 8:11–18)
This describes children who become slaves, working for the king (civil government). He takes the hard-earned product of labor (our money) that doesn’t belong to him, and takes it for himself and his servants (our taxes go to civil government bureaucrats).
According to God, the civil government taking even ten percent of their earnings was slavery! Today we have anywhere between thirty and fifty percent of our earnings taken from us! And because the people wanted this so badly, because they could not and would not govern themselves, when they would cry out to the Lord to take it all back, God said that He would not answer them.
Is that a scary thought, or what?
With this in mind, I hope you will take a look at the remaining US presidential candidates by researching the following questions:
1. Which candidate truly promotes maximum self-government and minimum civil government?
2. Which candidate has the best voting track record? Do they flip-flop over the years? If you haven’t looked at their track records, that is a must.
3. Which candidate is the most trust-worthy? Those track records will give you a hint.
4. Which candidate promotes honest money and wants to get back on the gold standard?
5. Which candidate would agree with God’s warning in 1 Samuel 8?
Notes of Interest
- There is a book giveaway happening Tuesday, May 1st! Stay tuned for that!
- Also, Kevin Swanson interviewed me about Diapers, Dishes & Dominion. Listen to that HERE.
- I love hearing feedback from you and you can also follow me on the new book Facebook page.
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