How should a Christian relate to governing authorities? This vexing question has resulted in countless debates within the church. For some, the goal is for Christians to take over governments and run countries based (usually loosely) on God’s model for Israel’s government. Some may even think that if the government is not run on Christian principles, then we have a valid excuse for civil disobedience or attempting to overthrow the government.

To add further confusion to the issue, our modern-day democracies are nothing like the monarchy of Israel, which was meant to be a theocracy — i.e. a king serving as the representative of God. To my knowledge, most Christians who take the view above still want democracy, yet they would like an elected president to somehow play the role of an Israeli king.

Among Christians who do not believe that we should take over governments, we have to ask, what about unjust governments? What about the ones that actively persecute Christians, like North Korea or (allegedly) Nigeria? Under such circumstances, are Christians allowed to become anarchists and throw off the oppressive regime? Should we take up arms to defend ourselves, or should Christians from other countries go to war with such regimes?

These are incredibly complex matters that relate to current events. Does the Bible give us guidelines for what to do? And if so, how do we interpret the parts of the Bible that refer to authority? Which bits apply to Israel’s kingdom only, and which bits can be used to guide the church? This is a huge topic, yet here I will limit myself to the aspects covered in Ecclesiastes chapter 8.

Why should we submit?

In verses 2–3, Solomon says: I say, “Keep the king’s commandment for the sake of your oath to God. Do not be hasty to go from his presence. Do not take your stand for an evil thing, for he does whatever pleases him.” (NKJV), or in the ESV: I say: Keep the king’s command, because of God’s oath to him. Be not hasty to go from his presence. Do not take your stand in an evil cause, for he does whatever he pleases. (Ecc.8:2–3).

There seem to be a number of translation differences in Ecclesiastes 8, and this is one of them. Are we to do what the king says because of our oath to God, or because of God’s oath to him? Further, in the context of this verse, Solomon is the king of Israel and therefore represents God, so does this verse have anything to say to Christians in modern countries?

I think the second question must be answered first, since this is an important consideration if we are going to apply this at all to our lives. I think it does apply to us because these same points are expanded upon in Romans 13:1–7 (I encourage you to read the whole passage) and in the many passages in the epistles where servants/slaves are told to obey their masters (e.g. Col.3:22–23; Eph.6:5–8). In every case, the Christian is told to obey the authorities, whether these are in the form of government or direct masters.

The reasons given for obeying are also similar. In Ecclesiastes, we are told that we should not “take a stand for an evil thing” and that He who keeps his [the king’s] command will experience nothing harmful (Ecc.8:5a NKJV). In Romans, Paul says: For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. (Rom.13:3).

Peter makes the same point: Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by Him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. (1 Pet.2:13–14). The purpose of authorities, as far as God is concerned, is to limit human evil and encourage good behavior by enforcing the law.

The interesting thing in this comparison is that Solomon is instructing people who are living under Israel’s theocracy — the most legitimate government in the history of humanity. Yet Paul and Peter are echoing the same instructions to people living in the Roman Empire. The same authority that ultimately had Paul beheaded and Peter crucified. Even while they were writing their letters to the churches, there were many unjust Roman laws that resulted in the strong and politically influential oppressing the weak and powerless.

This brings us back to the first question: should we obey because of our oath to God or because of God’s oath to the king? I can see a case for both translation options. God made a covenant with David and his line, which is good reason for citizens of Israel to obey their king. Taking it in the other sense, as subjects of the Great King who have sworn allegiance to Him, we are commanded to subject ourselves to temporary earthly authorities inasmuch as their commands do not contradict His commands. This second reason is more strongly emphasized in the New Testament, where people were ruled by pagan governments.

Under what circumstances should we rebel?

I take the exception to the rule of submission in a very narrow sense. Based on examples in Scripture, we are allowed to disobey the authorities only when they are commanding us to do something (or not to do something) that God explicitly commands us not to do (or do). 

For example, when North Korea forbids Christians from smuggling Bibles into the country, Christians should smuggle Bibles anyway. This follows the apostles’ example of preaching the gospel after the Jewish leaders tried to forbid them (Acts 5). Or when Caesar commanded Christians to pay homage to him as a god, Christians rightly refused to do so, following the example of Daniel’s friends refusing to worship Nebuchadnezzar’s golden image (Dan.3).

Both Solomon and Paul make the point that rebelling against the government comes with consequences. Peter, who experienced this firsthand in Acts 5, makes the same point: Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God (1 Pet.2:18–20, emphasis mine).

Peter’s point about submitting to both ‘good and gentle’ and ‘harsh’ masters comes just after his commands to submit to the government that I quoted above. He ends that passage with simple instructions: Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king. (1Pet.2:17). The king in Peter’s time was anything but ‘good and gentle.’ It is likely that Nero was Caesar at the time — the same Nero who burned Christians alive and fed them to wild animals for fun.

The command to honor such a wicked, cruel person just because he is the king should give us pause for serious thought. In our age of ‘fighting for our rights,’ would we be willing to honor Nero? What about honoring a president with anti-Christian values? Or one that has a different view of economics than our own?

Maintaining an eternal perspective

I think the key to our difficulty with submitting to problematic authorities is our perspective about who is ultimately in charge of everything. When we take a step back and view life in a philosophical manner like Solomon, we start to put earthly authorities in their place. No one has power over the spirit to retain the spirit, and no one has power in the day of death.

There is no release from that war, and wickedness will not deliver those who are given to it. (Ecc.8:8, NKJV).

Even the king has no control over his day of death. That matter is up to God. This perspective allows the persecuted church to remember that their persecutors’ judgments are waiting for them. Vengeance belongs to the Lord, and it is best left in His hands.

This does not mean that we simply ignore injustice or perversely enjoy living in a country that is run by an evil despot. The rest of Ecclesiastes 8 describes the pain we feel when justice is not done or is delayed. All this I observed while applying my heart to all that is done under the sun, when man had power over man to his hurt. Then I saw the wicked buried. They used to go in and out of the holy place and were praised in the city where they had done such things. This also is vanity. (Ecc.8:9–10, ESV).

There is another translation debate over whether the wicked were ‘praised’ (ESV) or ‘forgotten’ (NKJV) in the city where they had lived. Combined with the fact that they are buried — something associated with honor in that culture — it seems again that either could apply. Rather than being executed and cast out without a proper burial, which would have been just, the wicked were held in high honor (praised) at their deaths. The people had somehow forgotten just how bad they were.

Such injustice in any country, whether theocratic or democratic, results in evil abounding. Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil. (Ecc.8:11, ESV). In this case, the government is not doing its God-given job of limiting evil and promoting good behavior. This situation still does not give us the license to become vigilantes or anarchists, because vengeance is not ours. Regardless of the mess that our society may be in, our primary job is to fear God as our Great King and work for His kingdom.

Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life, yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God, because they fear before him. But it will not be well with the wicked, neither will he prolong his days like a shadow, because he does not fear before God. There is a vanity that takes place on earth, that there are righteous people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked, and there are wicked people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity. (Ecc.8:12–14, ESV).

The apparent prosperity of the wicked is particularly jarring when all we have is an earthly perspective. Wicked people could live as good a life, if not better, than righteous people. Yet Solomon still claims that ‘it will be well’ with the righteous, but not with the wicked. Why? Because God is the Judge and He will ensure that justice is done — if not in this life, then in eternity.

How then should we live?

These musings prompt Solomon to tell his audience to just enjoy life while we have it (verse 15), echoing a theme from previous chapters. For the sake of your personal sanity, it is best not to mull over the prosperity of the wicked, especially not the wicked people who currently rule many countries on earth. In our hyper-connected world, we know more wicked rulers by name than anyone in Solomon’s day could imagine. Dwelling on their wickedness through the news and social media will do you no good.

It is similarly inadvisable to try and figure out why God allows evil governments to persist. God is certainly in charge of the universe, but for this time in history He allows the “prince of the power of the air” (Satan, Eph.2:2) and the “rulers of the darkness of this age” (Satan’s demons Eph.6:12) to give earthly rulers political power. Rather than trying to figure out why that is or expending our efforts to topple those governments and replace them with ‘Christian’ ones, we need to remind ourselves that God is in control.

Solomon, nonetheless, understands the human desire to figure these things out. When I applied my heart to know wisdom and to see the business that is done on earth, even though one sees no sleep day or night, then I saw all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. For though a man labors to discover it, yet he will not find it; moreover, though a wise man attempts to know it, he will not be able to find it. (Ecc.8:16–17, NKJV).

What then should we do about earthly governments, especially wicked ones? As much as possible, we must submit to authorities out of allegiance to our true King. If their laws and instructions clash directly with His, we must obey God and accept the consequences that they might inflict on us. While living in this unjust world, we must refrain from trying to figure out why God allows certain wicked people and authorities to flourish. Instead, we must trust His timing and ultimate judgment.