“The God of Israel said,
The Rock of Israel spoke to me,
‘He who rules over men righteously,
Who rules in the fear of God,
Is as the light of the morning when the sun rises,
A morning without clouds,
When the tender grass springs out of the earth,
Through sunshine after rain.’
2 Samuel 23:3-4
Authority can be an allergic word, especially when misused. But, on the other hand, when authority is godly and biblically employed, it brings life, joy, and peace. King David, penning his final thoughts above, sheds light on the godly kind of authority we should all strive to express. It’s an authority most supremely reflected in our Lord Jesus, bringing light and life.
Yield
As spring quietly unfolds, kneading out the winter doldrums, my family and I relish the cool days brimming with the aromatic pleasures of soil accompanied by the fragrance of flowers and the brilliance of light beams stretching prismatically down to gently draw seed sprouts up to the heavens.
Over the years, we have observed some plants take off and grow while others wither and die. Outside of pests, the culprits of their demise are usually insufficient light and water. Pulling and disposing of a dead plant causes me to consider what might have been done to ensure its survival and flourishing. I know this because when a plant reaches maturity and goes to seed, its yield is exponential. One seed can quickly turn into hundreds of seeds in just one season of growth.
To thrive and yield fruit, plants need sufficient light and water, and so do we.
Yielding
As much as most of us don’t like to admit it (or maybe we do :)), we can struggle with authority. It could be that we don’t like the person we have to submit to, or we don’t like the organization they represent, or we don’t like that we’re not in authority. In any case, yielding to authority requires submission, which ultimately involves humility. It’s a first-order demand, but unfortunately, it’s so shy–as someone has said, “Just as soon as we start talking about our humility, poof, it’s gone!”
Nevertheless, humility is the foundation upon which we yield to and offer godly authority. At the same time, however, we cannot talk about humility and authority as though they were part of the good old days. Instead, authority accompanied by humility is an ongoing aspect of yielding to godly authority and expressing divine authority to others. Moreover, while the heart of a leader expresses authority with humility, he does so with at least two more aims: righteousness and the fear of God.
Ruling Righteously
The Hebrew word for righteous in 2 Samuel above is saddiq, which carries a connotation of rightful justice in respect for the community.1 It’s a type of righteousness that benefits not just a single person but a corporate entity. This makes sense coming from David as he would have understood both the abuse of authority (running for his life from Saul and sending Uriah to his death to commandeer his wife) and its blessing (raising Solomon and preparing the supplies for God’s temple).
Therefore, righteousness in the community context demands justice (as David did from Saul and Nathan on behalf of Uriah). However, to be or have justice means you must have a standard. And that standard can’t be located in any person but must be above humanity as an absolute outside of them. The only standard meeting this criteria is God. Thus, as the righteous standard is following God and His Word, it becomes eternal and unchanging.
The leader’s heart understands that his standard for authority is God’s righteousness, and thus he brings righteous authority to bear in all his spheres of influence.
Ruling in fear of God
According to David, the second aspect of godly authority is out of fear of the Lord. Now, when we think of fear, we often equate that with being afraid. Something like walking in a dark alley or seeing a mouse run across the floor. That type of fear is rooted in chaos. It’s an out-of-control type of fear and implies a lack of faith.
The godly fear David refers to here is what Moses referenced in Exodus 20:20, where he tells the people, “Don’t be afraid…fear.” In other words, Moses says there’s a difference between fearing and being afraid, and it has to do with faith.
When a leader fears the Lord and expresses his authority in such a manner, he walks in peace and order. He is a Philippians 4 man anxious for nothing because his heart trusts the Lord. When we are afraid, we are irrational, but when we fear the Lord, we are peaceful, and those that follow us know the difference.
What is the result of righteous authority that fears the Lord?
Light & Life
I know they’re happy when the light beams hit our plants. Their small photovoltaic photosynthesizing capacitors are activated, and they begin turning light into sugar needed to thrive. Here, we see how godly authority, when expressed from the heart of a leader, can bring light to those around them, leading to life and flourishing.
The light causes flourishing for the plants and the righteous God-fearing leader who brings light and life to those under their authority stewardship.
“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.”
Hebrews 13:17
1 Ludwig Koehler et al., The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1994–2000), 1002.
— May 2, 2023