Sovereign Over the Nations

In our adult Bible class, here at Littleton, we are studying the book of Judges. Led by our excellent teacher, Matt Cass, we looked at chapter three last Sunday and saw a pattern that continues through the rest of the book: Israel sins; God allows them to be plagued by enemies; they cry out; and God appoints a charismatic leader. The language that caught my attention was about God’s sovereign use of pagan nations. Here are some examples:

Judges 3:1 These are the nations the Lord left to test all those Israelites … 8 The anger of the Lord burned against Israel so that he sold them into the hands … 9… But when they cried out to the Lord, he raised up for them a deliverer…12… the Lord gave Eglon king of Moab power over Israel … 15 … the Israelites cried out to the Lord, and he gave them a deliverer. (NIV)

But it’s not just in Judges where we see this language. Assyria was one of the cruelest empires in the history of the Ancient Near East, and yet we have this:

Isaiah 10: 5 “Woe to the Assyrian, the rod of my anger,
in whose hand is the club of my wrath! (NIV)

They were replaced by the Babylonians, who were little better than the Assyrians. And Habakkuk was deeply troubled by this message from the LORD:

Habakkuk 1:6 I am raising up the Babylonians,
that ruthless and impetuous people,
who sweep across the whole earth
to seize dwellings not their own. (NIV)

Eventually, Babylon fell, and the LORD was behind their fall. It came through the Persians led by Cyrus.

Isaiah 45:1 “This is what the Lord says to his anointed,
to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of
to subdue nations before him
and to strip kings of their armor,
to open doors before him
so that gates will not be shut … (NIV)

This is remarkable language! These are words usually reserved for Israel’s best Kings and for her future Messiah. Cyrus likely never thought he was the LORD’s anointed. Nevertheless, he was.

This suggests that there is always an interplay between God’s sovereignty and human freedom. On the human side, we see sin, despair, crying out, and repentance. Through all of that, God works out His purposes.

So, here we are in the midst of a highly contentious political campaign. Each side is using extremely charged language that suggests that our country’s very existence will be determined by the results of this election. My point is not that the election is unimportant, but that our future does not ultimately rest in our elections, but in our Divine Election. Just a few bullet points.

  • America is not Israel. Our country has been richly blessed by God, and we should pray for her well-being. But no nation-state is true Israel, not even Israel. God’s people from every nation comprise true Israel (Galatians 6:16).

  • By its nature, and especially now, partisan politics is divisive. If we allow it, such loyalties can eat away the unity we should have in our true King, the Messiah Jesus.

  • Yes, God is concerned about the nations of the world, but we should not ignore the Biblical messages about God’s wrath. We dare not find false assurance in seeing our nation as God’s nation, which is one that He will always bless and protect. History teaches a different lesson.

  • Our ultimate citizenship is in heaven, where God rules and never stands for election and doesn’t need our vote. Our future is secured by His purposes. These purposes will bring the fullness of His New Creation.

I am thinking now of this old Gospel song by Jennie Wilson:

Time is filled with swift transition.
Naught of earth unmoved can stand.
Build your hopes on things eternal.
Hold to God’s unchanging hand.

Tim Kelley