Behold, the LORD maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof. And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him. (Isa 24:1-2)

So — according to Isaiah, when the judgment comes from God, the rich and the poor, the famous and the nobodys ALL are in trouble. Now that doesn’t seem fair does it? After all, the movers and shakers of the world should be more important don’t you think? It’s the way the world works. The elite, the true-bloods, the intellectual philosopher kings, the enlightened, the initiated, the chosen ones, (call ‘em what you will) RULE (or ought to) and they rule because they are simply better! That’s the way it has been and SHOULD be! I mean, you can’t just let the “little people” run things because … well because they are the little people. So, surely if God is going to judge the world and send down wrath from above, then it will only happen to THOSE GUYS. Otherwise, who would be left to run things?

Or, maybe you think it’s the other way around. Yeah. When God sends wrath down, the elites will get it but the little guy won’t have to deal with it. Hoo-rah. Those nasty, mean, corrupt, manipulating, know-it-all, self-righteous… Ahem.

Nope. Not according to the prophet of God. This is a prophecy of destruction on the WHOLE WORLD.

You know how it goes, right? “God is no respecter of persons.” Yep. What that means is that your position in society, business, education, bloodline, heritage, family name, politics, church affiliation, etc., doesn’t count for a hill o’ beans when it comes to judgment for sin. There are no elite classes of persons where God is concerned. (Gee, then what’s the point of all that stuff and why do people get so worked up about it?)

So where does all this “chosen people” idea come from anyway? Doesn’t the Bible talk about that. Yep. But man, in his pride and arrogance, wants to interpret things so that the “chosen” is always the “me” and thus all the nasty stuff is dumped on someone else. And so, one group defines one criteria and another group selects a different criteria, and interestingly the criteria always seems to work out to what this or that group already is doing. How about that! Isn’t that convenient? They hunt and pick one teeny bit of scripture after another that they can twist into a reason why “we” are the righteous ones and “they” are not, and so because “you” are not like “me” you are gonna GET IT FROM GOD and I am not.

Or worse — “we” are just born to be the chosen and that’s the way it is. Suckers!

Here’s the truth: God Rules and chooses according to His will, not ours.

Does that seem fair to you? If it doesn’t seem fair, then I say you hate God. He created everything, He defines righteousness, and so He gets to define who the “chosen ones” are. If you really, truly, honestly believe that only God is good, then you have to admit that only God can define these things. To truly love God is to accept that when His judgment comes on the earth, it comes on the WHOLE EARTH. Even the righteous will have to endure the terror that will come on that day. Sorry.

Except…

When thus it shall be in the midst of the land among the people, there shall be as the shaking of an olive tree, and as the gleaning grapes when the vintage is done. (Isa 24:13)

Everything gets shaken, but God always preserves a remnant. That’s what the “gleaning” is all about. Some of the olives get left on the tree, and some grapes get left behind on the vines, just like some of the grain gets left in the field. He preserves some and uses them to start over with. But, pay attention here, the “High Ones” are not the remnant. That’s very clear. Those who would set themselves up as gods in heaven or gods on the earth are usurping God’s Rule and will be completely cast down. It’s not the proud, the arrogant, the movers and shakers, the self-appointed elite of the world that God will preserve. Get over yourselves.

And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited. Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously. (Isa 24:21-23)

You see, only God is worthy of worship and His glory exceeds everything - even the sun and moon. That’s the poetic reference in the twenty-third verse. The light of the sun and the moon are nothing compared to God’s glory. Man attempting to set up man as ruler is just spitting on God and denying His Rule. (Oh, and that’s also a nice condemnation of the false worship of physical things, too. Nothing that is created can ever equal the Creator.)

Well, the point of this silly tirade is that when you start praying for judgment to come on the earth, be aware of what you are praying for. When that judgment comes (as it eventually will) it will affect everybody, even the righteous. Second, don’t think you are some “elite bloodline” that is somehow excluded from wrath or that you can divert God from His course.

God Rules. Period.

“When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.” (Mar 5:27-29)

Have you ever known someone who suffered for years and years from an affliction? There are times it can lead to despair born out of the sense that there will never be an end to it. I suspect that is what life was like for this woman. Not only is there the pain but also the embarrassment. How many of us would want to publicly announce our weak condition? So, I can understand this woman. She desires healing but doesn’t want to be noticed.

We are not given her name; we don’t know what life was for her before or after her healing. Yet, she is specifically mentioned here in the Gospel according to Mark. Out of all the healing that Jesus did, this one was singled out for mention. I take that to mean there is something important here. I can sense this woman’s desire in the text, how she must have longed so much for healing, and cannot get near to Jesus because of the crowd around him. So, she does what she can. She gets closer, and closer, and closer until she can just barely reach out and brush His clothing. That’s all. Then she can slip quietly back into the crowd without anyone even noticing. Except…

“And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing.” (Mar 5:30-32)

Jesus knew. No matter how many people were crowded in around him, He knew of her presence. He felt her small grasp among all the press around him. That’s how it always is. We may think we are small and of no account, but when we reach out to touch Him, He notices. The silly disciples didn’t get it, of course. They were still thinking in the flesh, only aware of the physical crowd not the spiritual events taking place right in front of them. But, Jesus knew. And, He cared, and stopped, and sought her out.

Now, it says that “virtue” had gone out of Jesus. That’s the archaic sense of the word virtue, however, and what it really means is “power”. It’s the word dunamis which is kind of like our English word “dynamo.” To touch Jesus is to receive from Him the power that is in Him. It flows into us, energizes, heals, redeems. To take that from Jesus seems like maybe something we don’t deserve.

“But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.” (Mar 5:33-34)

Yes, she was “fearing and trembling” as if she had done something wrong, got caught in the act. But, Jesus did not rebuke her, scold her, or tell her to watch her step next time! NO! He praised her. Right there in front of everyone. And amazingly, said it was her FAITH that made her whole. He had the power to heal, but only those who sought it with total faith would partake of it. All those others around Jesus in the crowd, bumping and pushing and rubbing against each other – how many of them do you think touched the clothes of Jesus? Yet, she was the one who was healed by that touch. The power comes from God, but is appropriated by FAITH.

Another thing seems very important to me. There was no complicated ceremony in the healing that Jesus did. There was no analysis, and deliberation, and determination and this-caused-that, and getting a bunch of experts in the room to figure out what to do next. When faith reaches out to Jesus, He heals. Just one touch is all it takes.

One of those questions I have from time to time is, “Why isn’t everyone healed like this woman, instantly, spontaneously right then and there?” I don’t know. It would be easy to say that maybe the person doesn’t yet have the faith that God wants them to have. Perhaps, but in the end I have to trust that God knows when and how healing takes place. After all, it is the soul that is saved. The body dies in the end, and is cast aside to await the resurrection. I have an idea that sometimes the healing takes place, but not in the way or time that we perceive. We think of healing in the physical sense, but there is also healing spiritually. The spiritual healing is ultimately more important. Perhaps some need that immediate physical change to give them the spiritual renewal that is needed, while others must bear the burden a little longer for their faith to grow. What I do know with absolute certainty is that God knows our real needs. When we reach out to touch Jesus, He gives us what we need.

Whatever your need, there is no worry or shame or fear about what you are and have been. Just reach out and with one touch receive what He has for you.

“Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. … Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour. Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.” (Rom 13:1-8)

So – what are we make of this? Paul’s admonition to be subject to the “higher powers” has been used for centuries to justify the support of Christians for the authority of civil governments. It has also been problematic when governments become tyrannical. We know that civil governments can and do commit acts of tyranny and injustice and the commentators usually have to add in some statement to the effect that Paul says nothing of what to do in that situation. Others have used these verses to justify absolute obedience in all cases to civil authority, paying taxes, and other such things. I think they are missing the point.

It’s a shame that in America today there seems to be an almost total lack of understanding of the purpose of civil government. It is even more amazing when you read the American Declaration of Independence and realize that it spells things out very clearly. “To secure these rights, governments are instituted among men,” wrote Jefferson. That is the only legitimate purpose of civil government and can be summed up simply as: to insure justice.

But, do you know what justice is? Justice is “the virtue which consists in giving to every one what is his due.” That definition from Webster’s dictionary is the definition that has been used since time immemorial. In fact, it is the definition Socrates used in Plato’s “Republic.” Compare that definition of justice with what Paul wrote in verses seven and eight and you will see that Paul is using the classic definition of justice here. “Render therefore to all their dues…Owe no man anything, but to love one another.” That verse, coming at the end of the passage really explains the whole passage. Government, to the extent it preserves justice is a benefit to mankind. If we understand that God demands justice, then it should not be a problem to agree with what Paul said.

By this point in the epistle Paul has expounded on the condition of mankind that necessitates a savior. Man is not everywhere and always just. Because of that injustice inherent in mankind’s fallen condition, government is “ordained by God” in order that some semblance of justice will be possible. That’s all there is to it. No big deal, really, and Paul says little more than what a good treatise on civil government will tell you. Or, if you wish, you can go read about the Roman system of laws and you will find that many of the principles of justice that we employ today were embedded into the Roman civil law.

Reading this passage over the years I have wondered why it is even here. After all, Paul only states what everyone should already know. He does add the Christian principle that to love one another is the perfect expression of justice. Yet, other than that, I don’t see why Paul would even bother to insert this text into the epistle. That gets me to pondering. The text itself doesn’t really explain why this admonition is here, so we have to try to infer the reason from the overall context. It’s good to remember that, after inspiration, the three most important things in Biblical hermeneutics are “context, context, and context.” If you will look at the historical and literary context of Romans I think you will find a very simple explanation for the inclusion of this passage.

Try, for a moment at least, to put on your toga and sandals and see the world from the perspective of a first century Roman citizen. For years prior to Paul’s letter, and for many years afterward, the Jewish people were struggling to break free from Roman rule and reestablish an independent Jewish kingdom. The leaders in these attempts at freedom would have been called “messiahs.” The idea of a messiah, at least in the minds of many Jewish people of that time, was to see him as a king or deliverer typified by David or the later Hasmonean kings such as Judas Maccabees. These constant rebellions are described in the writings of Josephus, so we know how the Romans dealt with them. When the Romans would capture these political revolutionaries they would crucify them as an example to others. Get the picture?

Along comes a new movement, springing from that hotbed of rebellion against Rome, and it is proclaiming that a crucified Jewish Messiah rose from the dead, was divine, will free all men from slavery, and is going to return from heaven to set up a perpetual kingdom on earth. Now — what would a Roman citizen think of that? Most likely he would think that Christianity was yet another Jewish attack on Imperial Roman rule. In addition, these Christians were not honoring the gods of the Pagan society, and thus to the Romans could bring the wrath of the gods onto the people. Add to that the fact that Paul just spent twelve chapters explaining how those who follow Jesus are “not under Law” and you can see that Paul could very easily be misunderstood. Paul needs to make it clear that Christianity is not a political rebellion with the goal of destroying the Roman Empire. To me, that is the simplest and most likely explanation of why Paul inserted this passage into the epistle. And, I’m not alone in this thinking. The well respected Pulpit Commentary says about the same thing.

Given that as a premise, there is nothing here in Romans that can be used to justify or argue for one political ideology over another, absolute obedience to a particular civil authority, or encourage people to political activism of any kind. It is always important to remember that Jesus said, “My Kingdom is not of this world.” Nevertheless, what are we to do in the case of a government gone wrong? The answer is simple, really, when you understand the condition of man in this world and the true source of tyranny.

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Eph 6:12)

The principalities and powers that Paul refers to are spiritual powers. Our battle is not against the civil governments of this world. Our enemy is the accuser of God and man: Satan. That demonic power is the power that rules from behind the throne, exerting a spiritual influence on the leaders of governments. We are never to be subject to those spiritual powers no matter what form the civil government takes.
When that hidden power takes control, the government will no longer fulfill it’s obligations to insure justice. It will, instead, be used as an instrument to enslave, control and destroy. That type of power must be fought on a spiritual battlefield and not just a physical one. Thus, the most subversive thing you can do against any governmental tyranny is to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That message sets men free. That message gives man the power to resist and overcome the spiritual powers of darkness. And those who have that spiritual authority can bind the forces of darkness that lead to destruction.

Ultimately, we are only subject to the “higher power” of Jesus Christ. We are His servants and seek only to do His will while on this earth. His commandment to us is to love one another. That carries with it the requirement to seek justice for all of mankind. To the extent that the civil government seeks the same end, there is no problem following the laws that organize society.