Don’t Tell Me What to Do!
Submission to Human Authority I
2/17/02
Follow with me as we read I Samuel 24.
This incident occurred during a very difficult time in David’s life. King Saul had listed him as #1 in the “Ten Most Wanted” fugitives in Israel. David had been running for his life.
The problem began after David had valiantly fought for Israel and killed Goliath. That victory made David a national hero. But it also stirred hatred and jealousy in the heart of Saul. Saul saw the anointing of God on David’s life. He saw the favor God had given David with the people. And Saul saw David as a threat to his position as king. Therefore he set out to kill David.
When David was at the palace Saul threw a spear at him and almost killed him. David got out of there by the skin of his teeth. (1) Saul was obsessed with killing David and had unjustly chased him all over the country.
In this chapter God providentially places King Saul at the mercy of David. Saul and his 3000 soldiers arrived at a cave in En Gedi. Not knowing that David and his men were hiding in the back of the cave, King Saul went into the cave to use the bathroom. He laid his coat aside and at that moment David could have easily killed Saul and seized the kingdom.
Why didn’t he do it? David didn’t kill Saul because David had a revelation of authority.
He understood some things about authority that protected him from making a terrible mistake. Under the prodding of his soldiers David cut off the corner of Saul’s coat.
Even that small violation of Saul brought a great conviction in David’s heart. He knew that even that act represented disrespect toward the king’s throne. And we see in this passage David repenting of that expression of rebellion.
If ever there was a person who had a right to oppose the authority over him it was David.
David had been totally loyal to Saul. He had sang for him, ministered to him, fought for him, even risked his life for him. What a horrible injustice/mistreatment it had been for Saul to try to kill David. Saul had used his position of authority to make David’s life miserable. God had already rejected Saul as king of Israel. But the wheels of God’s justice grind slowly and Saul still held that office.
Have you ever been under an authority like King Saul—perhaps a boss who used his authority for personal advantage and abused those under him. That kind of situation can severely test our hearts.
David was going through some hard testings—some serious training on the subject of authority. And because David passed the test and learned the lessons of submission to authority-God could later trust him with great authority.
I want to share with you this morning and perhaps next week: Seven Truths about Human Authority. I use the term “Human Authority” to refer to authority God has delegated to individuals over our lives. It is very easy for people to say, “I’m submitted to God; I obey God.” It’s easy to claim a nebulous, abstract, mystical submission to God. But the reality of our submission to God is tested and expressed in our attitude toward human authority.
This is not something that comes easy for any of us. The first most toddlers learn to say is “no.” Later we overhear them say to an older brother or sister “You’re not my boss.”
The in the teen years they say things like “I can’t wait until I get grown, so I can do what I want to do.” Boy, are you in for a surprise!
Whether we boldly and defiantly say it or in a subtle, manipulative way—there is something in all of us that says “Don’t Tell Me What to Do!” That voice must be answered with the word of God.
Seven Truths about Human Authority: I’m glad I can share this with you this morning during a time when to my knowledge no one is opposing my authority or the leadership of the church. This is simply something we all deal with in a variety of situations in our lives.
And our success in life depends upon a solid understanding of how to relate to authority.
I. The Appointment of Human Authority over our lives Comes from God!
Look with me at Romans 13:1-5.
In verse 1 we are given a statement that is a little hard to receive—“…For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God….”
Is that just talking about Christian Presidents and godly Senators? No. Even offices held by ungodly people are appointed by God. God raised up Pharaoh for His purposes. Nebuchadnezzar had his throne because God gave it to him. “For promotion comes neither from the east nor west nor south –Ps 75:7 But God is judge; he puts down one and sets up another.” It is God who places people in positions of authority. They may think they got themselves there, but God rules in the heavens and does whatever He pleases.
Until we accept that fact-God sovereignly places people in authority over us –until that truth is embraced in our hearts, we will have trouble submitting to human authority.
We must see God’s authority behind their authority.
David understood how Saul came to be king. It was because God put him there. He understood how Saul continued to reign. It was because God had not yet removed him from that position. That’s why David called him “the anointed of the Lord.” It was because of the office or position he held.
II. All Human Authority (although ordained by God) is Limited in its Scope!
Only God has absolute authority over your life. All human authority has limitations.
In Romans 13 we just read about civil authority. The scope of civil authority has to do with maintaining law and order, the execution of justice in society, the protection and safety of innocent people. A policeman has no authority to tell you what to believe about God. He is not to invade the private sanctuary of your home. That’s why search warrants have to be justified before any such action is taken. Civil authority is not absolute.
In Acts 5:29 Peter disobeyed the civil and religious authorities when they told him not the preach Jesus. Daniel disobeyed a civil order not to pray. There are rare times when we must obey God rather than man. I think we have to be extremely, extremely careful in those situations that we are not catering to our own rebellious nature—that if we do have to disobey we do it with a gentle, submissive spirit—that the disobedience is not just a justification to do what we want to do but a serious issue of conscience. Its amazing what a person can “prove” from the Bible if he picks and chooses verses to suit his own end.
God segments our lives so that we have different authorities over different areas of our lives. In the home there is the role of the husband and wife and parental authority. In the church there is pastoral leadership. We’ve talked about the various government agencies and their scope of authority. Then there is the authority on the job.
Read I Peter 2:13-20
Most commentators would apply the instructions to servants to the work place. Look closely at verse 18. It is one thing to be under a good, understanding authority. That’s not much of a test. But to be under a King Saul—to be under a selfish, abusive boss will really test our hearts. What do you do when you’re in that kind of situation? You learn what submission is really all about. You learn to trust God. You learn to wait upon the Lord for your deliverance. You learn to not take matters into your own hands. Is there a limit? Yes, there are other authorities we can appeal to. There are spiritual authorities. There are civil authorities. No human authority is absolute.
But many times when we find ourselves in a situation like David found himself in with Saul, God is trying to do a deep work in our own hearts—He’s not only teaching us how to be under authority but also how to be in authority. Sometimes a negative example is more powerful than a positive one. Be sure you learn what you need to learn. Because that’s the way you really win. Had David killed Saul he would have appeared to have won—but in reality he would have lost.
Here is the heart of my message this morning:
III. Submission to Human Authority is not based upon our respect for the person over us but for the Office that person has been given by God!
David was thoroughly trained in that principle in his experiences with King Saul.
The problem most people have with authority is that they see it as an indicator of superiority. Authority is not a matter of who is more capable, more intelligent, more gifted or qualified. It is a matter of God’s sovereign right to put whoever He wants to in authority. It is the position or office we honor. We may have little or no respect for the person in that position. That is not the issue. It doesn’t matter if the person is smarter than I am or dumber than I am. It doesn’t matter if the person is more spiritual than I am or less spiritual. What matter is God has orchestrated the circumstances of my life so that that person is in authority over me. I honor that because I see God behind it.
Think about David’s situation. Saul was demon possessed.(2) God had already rejected him as king, he just has not yet been removed from the office. The way Saul was treating David was totally uncalled for and unjust. There was little in Saul to respect. He was not a man of integrity. He was not a man of his word. He was a selfish, backstabbing, controlling person. That’s not what David was submitting to. What was David submitting to? He was submitting to the God ordained office of the king of Israel.
In the military when a soldier salutes an officer, he does not first analyze the officer’s personality and character to decide whether he will salute. He sees the rank exemplified by the stripes on his shoulders and he salutes in respect to that.
What enabled David to keep a submissive spirit in the midst of all the abuse he was receiving from Saul? It was David’s faith in God. Listen to what David said to Saul in
I Samuel 24:15 “Therefore let the Lord be judge, and judge between you and me and see and plead my case, and deliver me out of your hand.”
God did deliver David from Saul’s harassments- but only after He was finished using Saul to develop David as the future, compassionate king of Israel. David did not become the great king of Israel in spite of King Saul. He became a wise, capable person in authority Because of Saul—because of what he learned about authority while submitting to Saul. (3)
Let me say this: the more authority God plans to give you the more deeply He must train you in submission to authority. No one can function properly in authority who has not yet learned to be in submission to authority. David knew what it felt like to be under an unreasonable boss—that’s what made David such a good boss. He knew what it felt like to be abused by an authority and that caused him to never want to do that to others.
I read a book years ago that helped me understand what I’m sharing with you this morning. Its entitled Spiritual Authority by Watchman Nee. I don’t know if it’s still available in the bookstores or not. But if you are struggling with issues of submission
I would encourage you to read it.
Next week we will deal with the other four truths about human authority.
This morning we are going to close the service by coming to the Communion Table. At the Lord’s Table we are to discern the Lord’s Body;(4) we are to examine ourselves and make sure we’re in right relationship within that Body. In preparation there may be attitudes toward authority that you would want to talk with the Lord about. Have you embraced a Biblical concept of authority? Are you showing the appropriate respect toward those in authority over you? In the break room at work do you talk against your boss behind his back? Are you really under spiritual authority? These are the areas we want to examine as we come to the Lord’s Table this morning.
Notes:
(1) I Samuel 18:10-11
(2) Although the terminology demon possessed is technically poor choice -I am using it to emphasize the point. See I Samuel 18:10
(3) This thought came from Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders
(4) I Corinthians 11:28-31
Richard Tow
Grace Chapel Foursquare Church
Springfield, Missouri
www.gracechapelchurch.org
