Hearing and Fearing

People who fear God will respect and observe the authority He has sovereignly put in place.  I read an article recently a school teacher was pepper-sprayed by a student after he confiscated her phone.  While I do not know anything about the student or what transpired beforehand, behaviour like this primarily demonstrates a departure from the fear of the LORD.  The student could profess faith in Jesus Christ as Saviour and LORD, yet at face value this assault on the teacher is an affront to the God who rules over all.  Brothers and sisters, we must be circumspect not to do the same.

When Paul was brought before the council and was ordered to be struck on the face by Ananias the high priest, Acts 23:3-5 tells us what happened next:  "Then Paul said to him, "God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! For you sit to judge me according to the law, and do you command me to be struck contrary to the law?" ⁴ And those who stood by said, "Do you revile God's high priest?" ⁵ Then Paul said, "I did not know, brethren, that he was the high priest; for it is written, 'You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.'"   The unjust, hypocritical directive by the high priest did not release Paul from his responsibility before God to keep the Law of Moses, to refrain from speaking evil of rulers.  Paul was bold to rebuke the man for breaking God's law, yet he acknowledged he spoke without realising the man's office.  Abusive speech is not fitting for the child of God--regardless whom we address.

The rules around obedience to the priests and Levites is described in Deuteronomy 17.  When there was a difficult judgment to be made that was unclear in the Law regarding degrees of guilt, punishment or controversy, the Jews were to go up to the place where God chose and the priests and Levites would provide a binding judgment.  Deuteronomy 17:11-12 reads, "According to the sentence of the law in which they instruct you, according to the judgment which they tell you, you shall do; you shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left from the sentence which they pronounce upon you. ¹² Now the man who acts presumptuously and will not heed the priest who stands to minister there before the LORD your God, or the judge, that man shall die. So you shall put away the evil from Israel."  This statute is likely difficult for people to accept, as the scripture illustrates human judges are fallible people who can be biased and make errors--like Ananias and Paul.  But God's people were to do according to the judgment of the priest and Levite as unto the LORD, knowing willful disobedience carried the sentence of death.

Jesus is our great High Priest, and it follows we ought to do as He says.  Amazingly, God has not placed born-again believers under the yoke of the Law that demands the blood of evildoers, for Jesus has provided atonement for our sins and delivered us from death.  In the conversation of Jesus with Peter, we see Him appeal for love to govern Peter's actions:  "Peter, do you love me?  Feed My sheep,"  Compelled by the fear and love of God, Peter and all believers are to heed the word of Jesus as if our lives depend on it because He died so we could live.  Instead of establishing His kingdom upon threats of punishment or death, Jesus laid the foundation of His eternal kingdom with love, grace, mercy, compassion and justice.  If we confess our sins God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

The world is full of people who have little or no respect for authority, but as Jesus told Peter:  "What is that to you?  You follow Me."  Our responsibility before God is clear, and Jesus has provided an example we are to follow:  to love God and one another as He loves us.  Let us put away the evil from our hearts that would murmur, complain and speak evil of those God has put in authority--even if they take your phone, fairly or not.  It is in hearing and fearing God we find security and rest as we submit to His love.