The Bible reveals God’s government – His divine governmental administration of the entire universe, and we especially see it in His dealings with His people, for He governs by judging.
This week in our deeper study of the book of Deuteronomy we come to the matter of, The Governmental Administration of the Righteous, Holy, Faithful, and Loving God.
Our desire as believers in Christ is, like Paul, to know God; similarly, Moses desired that all the children of Israel would know Jehovah, and He opened His heart to them again and again.
From the very beginning, God wants us to know Him and even to give Himself to us, even to give us all that He is.
However, in His eternal pre-knowledge and awareness, God knew what was ahead and the complications we would face; He knew of the damage done to the universe by the fall, and He also knew that religion will come in and would mask what He is.
To assure that we would not fall short of knowing Him and receiving Him in all that He is, God not only gives Himself to us, but He also has a system of government, a governmental administration.
There have been problems in the universe since the angelic creation, and since them the governmental administration was in place.
The system of government stood and protected against the damage caused by the satanic rebellion, which involved both the angels and man. In the establishment of His government, God had in mind that through this government what He intended and planned would be ours by the system of grace.
So there are two systems in place today – the system of government and the system of grace.
In the book of Deuteronomy we see the governmental administration of God; we see the elderly Moses, a man of God, who came to know God very intimately and closely, and who knew God both as a God of love and grace, and as a God of righteous and governmental judgement.
Moses looked to the people who were ready to enter into the good land and knew that, without a proper realization of God’s government, they would never enjoy or be able to have longevity, full experience, in the good land.
So in opening his heart to them, he wanted them to know in the depths of detail that God is indeed a God of love who has a deep heart of sentiment and affection toward His people, who want to lavish all that He is upon them and hold nothing back.
However, there are things in God’s people that will cause them to fail and compromise their inheritance, causing them to forfeit all that God intends, so God set up and devised a system of government for their safeguarding, for their protection.
God’s government is here to safeguard us; if we respond to God and heed to His government, we would have everything He intends us to have, but if we don’t, we stand to lose everything.
On one hand today we are in God’s system of grace, enjoying all that God has, being happy to receive what God has given to us, and expect the Lord’s dispensing every day to grow in life and express Him. But at the same time we should realize that God has a system of government.
God’s Government is seen in His Governmental Dealings with His Chosen People
In Isa. 9:6-7 we see that Christ as the Son given to us and the Child born to us has the government upon His shoulders, and as the Prince of peace, His government will increase, and to His peace and government there will be no end.
The entire Bible reveals the government of God, His divine governmental administration of the entire universe (see Isa. 9:6-7; Rev. 4:2; 5:6; Deut. 1:8-18).
John saw in Revelation the throne, the governmental administration of God in this universe; on the throne is God and the freshly-slain Lamb, and the administration of God stretches from eternity past to eternity future.
The government of God is the administrative center of the kingdom of God (Matt. 3:2; 6:10, 13). Just as in a kingdom there is an administrative center, which is the government of that kingdom, so in the kingdom of God there’s an administrative center, which is the government of God.
In His divine government God is both the King, the Lawmaker, and the Judge (see Isa. 33:22); He is both the executive branch, the legislative branch, and the judicial branch of His government.
In a certain country there are these three branches that balance and safeguard one another and the entire country; in the kingdom of God, God Himself is the King, the Lawmaker, and the Judge so that He may save us. He not only deals with lawlessness, but He saves us to the uttermost, bringing us into the full enjoyment of Himself.
Where do we see God’s government? God’s government is seen especially in His dealings with His chosen people.
Israel as God’s chosen people experienced God’s dealings to expose their problems, save them from these problems, and bring them to Himself; the same happens with us.
In 1 Pet. 1:3 we see this principle in the New Testament; we were chosen in the foreknowledge of God the Father in the sanctification of the Spirit and unto the obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ, so that we may enjoy God as our portion as grace and peace is multiplied to us.
For us to enjoy all that the purposing Father, the accomplishing and redeeming Son, and the applying Spirit has and is, we are being perfected, disciplined, and brought under God’s government.
Whomever the Lord loves, He also disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives (Heb. 12:6).
Because God is wise, He would not spoil His children. These days there’s a damaging philosophy telling parents that they shouldn’t correct their children so that they don’t hinder their development and thus harm them.
Actually, when we fail to correct our children, we spoil them; our wise heavenly Father, having no intention that those whom He loves so much would be spoiled, disciplines us, and He deals with us.
The reason this happens is that, as believers in Christ who have been born of God to be the children of God, we are still in the old creation (see John 1:12-13; 3:3, 5-6; 2 Cor. 5:17; 1 John 3:1).
We are not by default inclined to live as children of God, even though we are born of God, we are a new creation, and we are becoming children of God in full; so we need God’s governmental dealings (1 Pet. 1:17; 4:12).
God is not a respecter of persons – He judges each one, especially his children, so we should pass our brief sojourning on earth in awe, in respectful vigilance, in fear.
Some among us, however, may be shocked and troubled that we have such dealings, judgements, and trials happening in our life, as if something contradictory or strange has occurred and there’s the need for an explanation.
We need to see God’s governmental dealings with us, His children, and we should not consider these as strange.
Lord, open our eyes to see God’s governmental dealings with us, His chosen people. May we not consider it strange or contradictory when we pass through trials and dealings, and may we not rebel against God. Thank You Lord, Your heart is always good toward us, and You set up the system of government to safeguard us and protect us and keep us in Your way, so that we may be able to enjoy all that You are. Thank You Father for not spoiling us as Your children but disciplining us and dealing with us according to Your government to make us children of God in full!
God Governs by Judging, and the Judgement of God is for the Carrying out of His Government
How does God carry out His government? It is by judging; God governs by judging, and the judgement of God is for the carrying out of His government (see 1 Pet. 1:7; 4:17; 5:6, 9).
When something happens in our life, it not random; it may not have God involved in it as the initial source, but He is at least involved, and He carries out His judgement, so that we would profit from that and He would work all things for good.
Through various kinds of judgements, the Lord God will clear up the entire universe and purify it so that He may have new heavens and a new earth for a new universe with His righteousness for His delight (2 Pet. 3:13).
God governs by judging; He judges all things that are not according to His nature.
The universe was created for Him to be expressed, but Satan came in and corrupted it; man was created for God’s purpose, but the enemy came in and ruined man.
So God starts His judgement from His house, judging all things that are not according to His nature in His people, so that He may have a ground on earth to judge all things outwardly that not according to Him.
Everything will be judged because eventually in the new heaven and the new earth all things will be new; small or large things, God will deal with all things.
Through His government God will judge all things to bring us into the new heaven and the new earth.
God judges everything that doesn’t match His government; for this reason we, the children of God, are under the daily judgement of God (see 1 Pet. 1:17). So we should have our daily living in fear, realizing that each one’s work will be judged by God to be in line with His government.
Everything that needs to be touched by God will be touched.
God uses fiery ordeals to deal with us, the believers in Christ, in the judgement of His governmental administration, for His judgement begins from His house (1 Pet. 4:12, 17).
We shouldn’t think it is strange when we pass through fiery ordeals; we need to realize that God will eventually judge everything.
First He judged the angelic race and the rebellion, and then He judged as He needed to in the entire Old Testament, and then in the New Testament He begins from His house, with us!
In the Old Testament He used the nations to judge His people Israel, and because they were too harsh in carrying out God’s judgement, they themselves were also judged by God.
In the New Testament the judgement of God begins from His house, so that He would establish a base from which He can deal with the unbelievers, with every form of unrighteousness, and purge the entire universe.
Sometimes we may think that the more we love the Lord Jesus, the more difficulties we have; others – including our relatives, friends, co-workers, and neighbors – seem to be flourishing and doing well, but our situation seems to get worse and worse.
We may have problems with our health, our children may not go in the Lord’s way, and we may have many difficulties and trials.
The reason for this is that God’s judgement begins from us, His own household!
In Deuteronomy we see this principle of God’s governmental dealings, and we can begin to see the God who is righteous, holy, faithful, and loving; such a One has a governmental arrangement so that His people would both receive Him and know Him in a proper way.
Oh Lord, we give ourselves to You; we put ourselves into Your wise hands, and we acknowledge You as our Lord and God. You carry out Your judgement in us according to Your government. Gain the response that You need in us. Deal with anything that needs to be dealt with in us, and touch everything that needs to be touched. May everything that doesn’t match You be cleared up so that You may have a base to judge all things through the church. May we realize that even the fiery ordeals are used by God to judge anything in us that doesn’t match God, and may we be open to You and allow You to deal with anything that needs to be dealt with in us!
Read this article in the Romanian language / citiți acest articol și în limba română la următorul link, Să vedem guvernarea lui Dumnezeu în tratările Sale cu poporul Său, căci Dumnezeu guvernează prin judecată.
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, the message by bro. Rick Scatterday for this week, and portions from, Life-study of 1 Peter, msgs. 1, 21, 30-31 (by Witness Lee), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallization-Study of Deuteronomy, week 2, The Governmental Administration of the Righteous, Holy, Faithful, and Loving God.
- Hymns on this topic:
– For unto us a child is born, / Unto us a son is given; / And the government shall be upon / His shoulder; / And His name shall be called Wonderful, / Counselor, the mighty God, / The everlasting Father, / And the Prince of Peace is He. (Scripture song)
– Upon the throne, the center / Of government divine, / God reigns, and with His purpose / Brings everything in line. / God’s headship and His lordship / He only can maintain / As King within His kingdom, / O’er everything to reign. (Hymns #941)
– How could God from all His dealings spare us, / After He spared not His only Son? / Could the Potter’s hand upon the vessel / Ever leave the shaping work undone? / For the center of God’s heart’s desire / Is that many brethren we will be / Unto Christ, His precious First-begotten, / And to Him, conformed we’ll fully be. (Hymns #1210)
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