Proverbs 20:2
The terror of a king is like the growling of a lion; whoever provokes him to anger forfeits his life.
The rulers of men are of great power and thus, to those they rule, the source of great fear. Nobody likes it when the ire of a judge, a lord, a dictator, a state prosecutor becomes personal. They have the power to harm us significantly, sometimes even to the point of terminating our time in this world, and we know it. This practicality holds for those men who have power outside the state, but the civil government possesses a particular centralization of power, in the modern day, which we cannot disregard while regarding reality.
The civil government really ought to inflict fear upon men, in a certain way. Scripture is clear on this point, not just in the recorded investiture’s implication (for “From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man” cannot but issue some fear to the one it condemns (Gen. 9:5-6)), but in other places. Deuteronomy 13:11 establishes a part of the purpose of the capital punishment awarded to those, professing Him, seek to call His people to clear idolatry: “And all Israel shall hear and fear and never again do any such wickedness as this among you.”
Romans 13:1-7 famously teaches us on what relationship the Christian should have with the state and thus of what relationship the state ought to have with Christians (because relationships go two ways). The civil magistrate, when he acts with true authority, is “not a terror to good conduct but to bad” (v3). He thus has a duty to inflict fear upon (a certain class of) sinners, to those whose ‘bad conduct’ is within his jurisdiction. When he acts thus, “he is God’s servant for your good” (v4), and the Christian need not fear him, need not feel the “terror of a king” (Prov. 20:2), for he does “what is good” and thus “receive[s] his approval” (Rom. 13:3).
Nearly as a rule, those entrusted with the office and thus the power of the civil government abuse that position’s power. They use their office against with His authority and fail the description Paul gives of them in Romans 13:3-4. These men set their power and its terror not against the wicked, who are their delight, but against the righteous, who are a stench to their nostrils, a reminder of Him and a way to strike Him.
Sic semper tyrannis is a brilliant response, to those who know the history (and the sad fall of that great state). But we need a little more than bravado. Ought we to fear these men? How do we respond when we do fear them?
On the one hand, we need not fear them; they are but dust before Him (Ps. 2, 82). We serve the Prince of Peace (Is. 9:6), who is above all powers and authorities on earth, who died only by His own will (John 19:28-30) and rose again (20:11-18), who reigns (Dan. 7:13-14). On the other hand, we are men and the sons of men: we will fear those arrayed against us. They promise great pain, and we know that often this pain will indeed be our lot (Job 1-3, 38-42; Heb. 12:5-6). So fear is a natural response, and caution is certainly warranted. God’s command to us is faith, not blind faith but faith which births prudence.
Prudence, however, stands before God always; the prudent man takes counsel in the light of the Almighty. (I say this who struggles daily and with particular difficulty these past few days.) The tyrant rages and rushes around, causing great damage and dealing deep pain, and this we guard against. But the tyrant often leverages his terror in another direction, as a means of command, as a way of extending his power. Then, when the tyrant commands not just the painful but the immoral, when he would have us stand by silent at an injustice despite our power to speak (Lev. 5:1), then we must ken a greater fear, the fear of the Lord which is the foundation of wisdom (Ps. 111:10). Then we must remember the terror of His countenance and the beauty of His love. Then we must, with fear for the Almighty and for His agents (whom we fear only as His agents, without terror of their side-job as robbers and thieves), say with the apostles: “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).
God bless.
Sanctuary Functional Medicine, under the direction of Dr Eric Potter, IFMCP MD, provides functional medicine services to Nashville, Middle Tennessee and beyond. We frequently treat patients from Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, and more... offering the hope of healthier more abundant lives to those with chronic illness.
Colson Potter writes copious fiction and nonfiction, including a weekly Proverbs post and his blog at Creational Story.
