![]() Magistrates are the mighty in authority for the public good. The result is always tyranny in the lawmaking of man, and the establishment of kingdoms like those of Cain and Lamech, Pharaoh and the Canaanites, Ahab and Jezebel, and Herod and the Judaizers. Saul’s rejection by God also resulted from an “Adamic” refusal to submit. The perennial temptation for those in authority is to do what Adam did: evade the requirement for submission to heaven, sacrificing longevity for short term gain. Even if they are benevolent, secular rulers can be dangerous simply because they lack spiritual discernment and godly wisdom. In every human office, submission to God’s Law results in spiritual discernment and practical wisdom, and this is demonstrated both in man’s laws and in man’s judgments. This is why the sacrificial “matrix” sequence is a process of transformation that begins with God (Creation/Initiation) and ends with the godly Man (Glorification/Representation). The Elohim in heaven requires elohim on earth who will rule faithfully in His image. Rulers and legislators were installed by God for the restraint of wickedness and the betterment of the world (Romans 13:1 1 Peter 2:13-17). We were freed from the “childhood rules” of the Law in order that we might serve as images of God the Father as “fathers” and “gods” to those in our care. Western culture was founded upon the Bible in a similar fashion. When Israel lost its “church-state” status, it was necessary to interpret the letter of the Law for a new situation, discerning the “spirit” or fundamental principles behind it, thus developing greater judicial maturity and gaining a better understanding of the heart of God. God’s laws were good (Transcendence), but even they required a mediator (Hierarchy) to discern the heart of each man (Ethics), administering both justice and mercy (Oath/Sanctions), and becoming wiser and more fruitful in the process (Succession). ![]() In Israel, God ministered and exercised His authority through priests, kings, and prophets, but along with the Law he also established judges (Exodus 18:25 Deuteronomy 16:18). This process is how He gives His mind to us.īut solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. He delights in our judicial maturity, often veiling His intentions (even His justice and mercy) so that we must consider things deeply, discern the truth, act wisely, and become His justice and mercy as judges on the earth. As a “god” in God’s court, Abraham advocated for the righteous in Sodom, testifying “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” God put Moses and David in similar situations as advocates for the nation of Israel. God prepared Abraham through various trials until he was mature enough to reason and dispute with Him as a legal advisor. Since God always works through qualified mediators, the same pattern can be found throughout the Old Testament. Adam listened to history’s first false prophet, then misjudged the true intentions of both God and the serpent. The Lord’s intention was always that Adam and Eve would become “as gods, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5), but via submission to God’s laws, not in violation of them. The erroneous claim that this psalm addresses a “divine council” of angels overlooks the fact that it deliberately recapitulates God’s pattern of qualification for human representatives, a sequence first observed in Genesis 2-3.Īdam was not only given a law but also required to develop wisdom and discernment. Thus, this prophetic song is as applicable to the authorities of our own day as it was in any previous era in history. Psalm 82 begins with the Lord in his “house of lords,” but He is there because they have been doing what is right in their own eyes.
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