The Problem of Magistrates - 1 Samuel 8

Introduction - Where is your hope?

I want us to look at God’s Word this morning to help us formulate a proper response to the events we have witnessed in our land. I imagine most of us have feelings that range from concerned to anxious to fearful about the state of our nation. We have a crisis in our nation which is much larger than Donald Trump, the storming of the capital building, BLM/Antifa riots, and suspicion election fraud.

We Have a Hope Problem - Read 1 Samuel 8

In our narrative the elders of Israel attempted to address real issues in the governance of Israel. Samuel’s sons were not righteous judges like their father. They did not walk in the ways of the Lord, they did not follow their father’s example. They were wicked, took bribes and perverted justice, apparently for their own personal gain.

Sound familiar? Many of us see various forms of corruption and injustice in our elected and appointed officials. Those who have been entrusted to govern justly, and who have sworn to uphold the Constitution and to provide equal justice under that law have instead acted in ways to benefit themselves, hold power, and funnel money into their pocket books.

The land founded upon life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness celebrates the murder of babies in the womb.

The wicked judges of this land have enshrined an illegitimate definition of same-sex marriage into our library legal precedent.

To make matters worse, various groups of people in our nation see and prioritize national problems differently - leading to a great divide even within the broad Christian coalition we call evangelicalism.

The Core problem I see in the church and it is also one of the key issues in our text - it is a heart location problem - it is a problem of misplaced hope. The people of Israel, although they knew that God had provided safety and justice for them through the judges, they had put their hope in having a king like all the other nations around them. Even after Samuel outlines all of the wicked outcomes they would experience, they still demanded a king - vs. 19, “But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, “No! But there shall be a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.”

They had a hope problem, they placed their hope in a fallen man, an earthly king, to go out and fight their battles. As the Lord told Samuel in vs. 7 - “…they have rejected me from being king over them.”

The Church in our nation, God’s people in our nation, we must stop locating our hopes for national reform in elected officials. Psalm 20:7 declares, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”

I am not saying abandon the governing processes in our nation - what I am saying is that we need much less heart investment and hope in the process.

Human Magistrates Only Rule Justly When Constrained by the Moral Law of God.

Deuteronomy 17:14-20

This passage in Deuteronomy is a fascinating prophecy enshrined in the law. Here the Lord knows that the people will reject his kingship, and demand an earthly magistrate to rule over them in the future. So God regulates the institution of the King. Now by way of covenant, Israel was to be a theocracy ruled by God alone, but in accommodation to their rebellious ways, the Lord provides regulations, that if followed, would result in a just and righteous rule by a human king. Now we must be very careful drawing applications from a text like this, but I believe we can draw some faithful assertions concerning just magistrates from the text.

Under any form of government, believers ought to place their hope in God alone. Just government is always rooted in the fear of the Lord, which is exemplified by keeping God’s law. There is no earthly ruler who does this perfectly, and very few who even acknowledge the absolutes of the moral law. In our form of government we have a say in who governs, therefore we should vote for those who will govern justly in the fear of the Lord, this is always what is best for our nation. But what do we do when it is obvious that many if not most candidates have very little fear of the Lord in their hearts? We vote the best we can and pray, resting our hope in God alone to be merciful and gracious to our land.

What happened at the capital building on Wednesday, what happened in the rioting and looting this summer, are both examples of trusting in political ends rather than in the power of God. When there is no fear of the Lord, there is lawlessness and violence.

2. Just rulers are not lovers of money, sex and power.

Think about this for a moment, God did not want them to have a king so obsessed with his horse collection that he would lead Israel to do business with Egypt. God did not want a king who would seek to enrich himself with much silver and gold. The love of money is the root of all evil. Power mixed with the love of money is a recipe for injustice and corruption. The Lord did not want a ruler who had to have many wives or whose heart was lifted up above his brothers, thinking that he was somehow above the law.

Our government is full of people who leave political office filthy rich. It’s no secret President Trump flaunted his money and had a show with a theme song that began...Money, Money, Money, Money - MONEY! He enriched himself through building a legal real estate empire, but also through the wicked casino industry.

It has become clear that President Elect Biden and his family has used public office expertly and corruptly to enrich themselves. So there is no reason to hope that either of these men would ultimately govern justly.

It seems many of our current leadership have committed adultery and have been known to be philanderers. And we have all been angered by national leaders living as if they are above the very laws they have sworn to enforce. Its as if there is a legal system for elected officials and another one for everybody else.

So what do we do? We vote the best we can, we support candidates who are servants of the people, and then we hope in God, we trust in the name of the Lord our God and not in politicians.

3. Just rulers hold fiercely to the moral law of God.

Look at vs. 18-19 - The Lord knew that human rulers and magistrates needed the constraint of the law. The happiness, prosperity, and flourishing of any nations depends upon the morality of a people and its rulers. I am not talking now about salvation and justification, I am simply saying that God’s moral law is good for all people, believers and unbelievers alike. It is better to walk in the ways of the righteous than the wicked.

The founders understood the necessity of a common morality if representative government had any hope. John Adams wrote, “We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”

God knows this as well - as he commands the rulers of Israel to be well acquainted with the law.

David, the king of united Israel at the pinnacle of its strength was well acquainted with God’s moral law. Psalm 119 is a masterpiece dedicated to the beauty of the law of God. In Psalm 119:97 David even declares, “Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all day.”

Even David’s dedication to the law could not keep his fallen passions in check - as the greatest of all Israel’s kings fell into adultery and even murder.

Israel and Judah were ruled by mostly wicked Kings who disregarded the law of God. When Josiah began to reign, the law had been completely forgotten, hidden away in the temple for almost 80 years. 2 Kings 22:11 - “When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes. 12 And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Micaiah, and Shaphan the secretary, and Asaiah the king’s servant, saying, 13 “Go, inquire of the LORD for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found. For great is the wrath of the LORD that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us.”

Josiah strive to rule by the standards of the Law of God until his death, but his on Jehoahaz went directly back to the old ways and did what was evil in the sight of the Lord - soon Judah would be sent into exile.

What do we do when a nation and our leaders have no regard for God and his moral law? We pray, we live in obedience to the Lord, we work to advance the gospel, and since we have a say in government, by God’s grace, we work to establish leaders who fear the Lord and love his law.

There is One Righteous King Whose Name is Jesus

Revelation 19:11-16

We have a king who is always just, always righteous, and always good. His name is above every other name, and at his name every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that he is Lord. He is the head of the church, our supreme allegiance is to him and him alone. His rule and his reign supersede the rule of any earthly government. He rules his church from heaven and the destiny of every nation on the face of the earth is in his hands, including the destiny of the United States of America.

As followers of this King Jesus - we are to call every human ruler, every representative, president, judge, and official to bow the knee to King Jesus. Psalm 2 says, Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.”

Who is the object of your hope? It had better be King Jesus! Who do you trust? I pray it is King Jesus! Who do you fear? I pray it is King Jesus? Who has your loyalty and love? I pray it is King Jesus?

He will never let you down. He will never fall into sin. He never commits an injustice. He always rules in righteousness. He is always victorious, never defeated. He is loving, kind, compassionate, and forgiving. Come to him, bow before him, surrender to him as your king, confess your sin, and be forgiven! He will not turn anyone away who humbly comes for citizenship in his kingdom.

Come now because he is coming again to judge the world. Trust him now because when he comes it will be too late. You do not want to be found as a citizen of this world only. Trust in Christ and him alone. He is on the throne and he will not be defeated!

Do Not Be Surprised

So do not be surprised at what is going on in our land. We are sad. We grieve. We pray. We desire for God to do a work of awakening. But do not be surprised. Trust in the King of Kings. Hope in him alone. Work first for the expansion of his kingdom and everything else will be taken care of - do not despair - worship the King!