God’s Sovereignty over Rulers

For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth." Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens.

(Romans 9:17-18)

Other than for the purposes of general governance of nations, there are occasions when God raises up particular heads of state to accomplish specific functions in the earth. As the above passage of Scripture shows, it is God who appoints rulers over the nations. When He places a new leader in power, it is always for a distinct and divinely intended purpose. We have already established that heads of state are, in fact, God’s ministers. The Holy Spirit refers to them in this way so that we might understand that they ultimately work for God—even though, in most cases, they neither know Him nor acknowledge His sovereignty.

This raises an important question: if rulers do not know God, how can they fulfil His purpose? The answer is that God influences their decisions so that their actions align with the tasks He has already ordained for them. In the case of Pharaoh, God Himself declared that He had raised him up to govern Egypt at that particular time, and He made clear the purpose for which Pharaoh was appointed. We know the account: God hardened Pharaoh’s heart so that he would refuse to let Israel go. Through Pharaoh’s obstinance, God was able to bring devastating judgments upon Egypt, thereby displaying His power before the nations. Finally, He destroyed Pharaoh and his army by drowning them in the Red Sea.

"Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon caused his army to labour strenuously against Tyre; every head was made bald, and every shoulder rubbed raw; yet neither he nor his army received wages from Tyre, for the labour which they expended on it. Therefore thus says the Lord God: 'Surely I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; he shall take away her wealth, carry off her spoil, and remove her pillage; and that will be the wages for his army. I have given him the land of Egypt for his labour, because they worked for Me,' says the Lord God.

(Ezekiel 29:18-20)

The above passage illustrates well how God uses rulers to fulfil His purposes on earth. The broader context is God’s judgment upon the city of Tyre. Through the prophet Ezekiel, He declared that Nebuchadnezzar would bring his army against Tyre as an instrument of divine judgment (Ezekiel 26:1–11). In 585 BC this prophecy was partially fulfilled when Nebuchadnezzar conquered the villages surrounding Tyre and destroyed the old city on the mainland. However, he was unable to capture the fortified island city of Tyre, where most of its wealth was stored. After laying siege to it for thirteen years, the Babylonian army eventually abandoned the effort, gaining little spoil for their labour.

This outcome reveals that Tyre had not yet reached the fullness of its transgressions; otherwise God would also have delivered the island city into Nebuchadnezzar’s hand. Yet even in this, God explicitly declared that Nebuchadnezzar and his army were working for Him. Moreover, because they received no wages from Tyre, God Himself provided payment by giving them Egypt. Clearly, Egypt too had come under judgment, and Babylon was the chosen instrument for its downfall. The wealth plundered from Egypt more than compensated for both the Tyrian and Egyptian campaigns.

From this passage, we see plainly that God directs rulers to wage war against nations He has judged, guiding them to accomplish His purposes—even when they are unaware of His hand. Regarding Tyre, Ezekiel later prophesied that the city would eventually face total destruction. This came to pass in 332 BC, when Alexander the Great conquered the island city and annihilated its inhabitants (Ezekiel 28:1–10).

Scripture provides many such examples of God using rulers in this manner, but the ones already discussed are sufficient to establish the principle. The question remains: how does God influence rulers who neither acknowledge nor know Him? He does so by implanting thoughts in their minds and reinforcing those thoughts through the counsel of their advisors—until, at last, they are persuaded to take the very course of action God has purposed for them.

Michael E.B. Maher

The Church and the State

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