God's Instruction and Standards for Nations

Yet they say, "The Lord does not see, nor does the God of Jacob understand." Understand, you senseless among the people; and you fools, when will you be wise? He who planted the ear, shall He not hear? He who formed the eye, shall He not see? He who instructs the nations, shall He not correct, He who teaches man knowledge? The Lord knows the thoughts of man, that they are futile.

(Psalms 94:7-11)

The above passage reveals that God is the one who instructs the nations. What does scripture mean when it says that God instructs the nations? It simply means that God makes known to the nations He forms the righteousness in which He expects them to govern their affairs. This does not mean, however, that God expects nations to walk perfectly before Him, for He knows their inability to do so. Rather, it means that God expects them to function as just societies so that their citizens can live peaceably.

This same passage also tells us that God not only instructs the nations but also corrects them. We have seen in earlier sections that one of the methods God uses to judge nations for their sins is by reducing the size of their borders. In other words, this is one of the methods God uses to "correct" a nation's behaviour. When a nation consistently decides to rebel against God's norms of governance, God begins to implement steps to correct their behaviour, and one of those steps can include reducing the borders of that nation.

Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour,

(1 Timothy 2:1-3)

In the above passage, the Apostle Paul reveals the main purpose for the governments that God puts in place: to govern their nations in a manner that allows their citizens to live quiet and peaceable lives. We know this is their main purpose because the Holy Spirit admonishes the church to prioritize praying for heads of state and their associated government structures, that they would govern in exactly this manner. God would not tell the church to make this petition for their governments the first priority if that were not His main purpose for governments on earth. Indeed, the Holy Spirit confirms that this is God's main priority for governments because He goes on to say that "this is good and acceptable in the sight of God."

The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?" And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' and said, 'for this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh' ? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate." They said to Him, "Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?" He said to them, "Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.

(Matthew 19:3-8)

We have already established that God desires the nations He places into the earth to be just societies that enable their citizens to live peaceably. God knows the hearts of men, however, and that those who are unregenerate are unable to live according to the godly norms that govern His kingdom. Nevertheless, He does know what they are able to live by, which is a substantially "watered down" version of His norms.

Our Lord Jesus revealed this truth in the passage above when He explained to the Jews why their laws were different from the laws of God. Our Lord told them that the reason was because of the hardness of their hearts. In this example, we see that because of the hardness of their hearts, God allowed them to observe laws that didn't meet heaven's standards—God allowed them to divorce their wives even though that was contrary to His standard of spouses not separating from each other. The hearts of the Jews under the Old Covenant are no different from the hearts of men in all the nations of the earth, and so God applies that same principle to all nations today.

Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God…. For the commandments, "you shall not commit adultery," "you shall not murder," "you shall not steal," "you shall not bear false witness," "you shall not covet," and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, "you shall love your neighbour as yourself."

(Romans 13:1-9)

In the above passage, the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul records the norms God expects the nations to live by, for the context of this passage deals with the governments that God has raised up on earth and how He expects those governments to function. We see that the norms listed are taken from the Ten Commandments that God gave to the children of Israel (Exodus 20:1-17): "You shall not commit adultery," "You shall not murder," "You shall not steal," "You shall not bear false witness," "You shall not covet." Although Paul does not specifically mention the commandment "Honour your father and your mother," it is nevertheless implied.

It is important to note that in dealing with how societies are to conduct their affairs in this life, Paul leaves out the first four of the Ten Commandments. Why is that? The reason is that the first four commandments—"You shall have no other gods before Me," "You shall not make for yourself a carved image," "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain," and "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy"—deal with Israel's relationship with God. The Gentile nations do not have such a relationship, thus God does not expect them to adhere to those commandments.

Regarding the last six of the Ten Commandments, however, although God expects their laws to reflect His standards of governance in these areas, He obviously does not expect the Gentile nations to have those exact same laws on their statute books. For example:

• When God says "You shall not commit adultery," He expects nations to have laws that curb sexually immoral behaviour.

• When God says "You shall not murder," He expects nations to have laws that protect the sanctity of life.

• When God says "You shall not steal," He expects nations to have laws that protect the property rights of their citizens.

• When God says "You shall not bear false witness," He expects nations to have laws that curb dishonest behaviour.

• When God says "You shall not covet," He expects nations to have laws that prohibit the wealthy and powerful from exploiting the poor and disadvantaged.

• When God says "Honour your father and your mother," He expects nations to have laws that treat their elderly with respect and dignity.

Who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

(Romans 1:32)

None of God's norms as listed in the Ten Commandments are foreign to mankind, for all men have those norms ingrained on their consciences. All men instinctively know right from wrong, which is why the above passage clearly states that men who disobey God's laws know what they are doing and also know the destructive consequences they will incur as a result. In context, the Holy Spirit in this passage lists all of the evil behaviour that mankind engages in.

Because all men know what is right and what is wrong, God expects their governments to enact laws that enforce His norms. God does not expect nations to have laws that address only these issues, however, for it is obvious that there are many other areas of society that also need to be governed. Nevertheless, nations that have laws encompassing His norms and that govern their societies in this manner will be just societies that create an environment for their citizens to live peaceably—and those nations can expect to be blessed by God.

Michael E.B. Maher

The Church and the State

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