1. Exodus 18:20-21 (full text: 1-25) (esv), 20.and you shall warn them about the statutes and the laws, and make them know the way in which they must walk and what they must do. 21.Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. 2. Deuteronomy 16:18-20 (esv), 18.“You shall appoint judges and officers in all your towns that the LORD your God is giving you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment. 19.You shall not pervert justice. You shall not show partiality, and you shall not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of the righteous. 20.Justice, and only justice, you shall follow, that you may live and inherit the land that the LORD your God is giving you. 3. Deuteronomy 28:1-25 (esv), Blessings for Obedience 1.“And if you faithfully obey the voice of the LORD your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. 2.And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the LORD your God. 3.Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. 4.Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. 5.Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. 6.Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out. 7.“The LORD will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before you. They shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways. 8.The LORD will command the blessing on you in your barns and in all that you undertake. And he will bless you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. 9.The LORD will establish you as a people holy to himself, as he has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the LORD your God and walk in his ways. 10.And all the peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they shall be afraid of you. 11.And the LORD will make you abound in prosperity, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your livestock and in the fruit of your ground, within the land that the LORD swore to your fathers to give you. 12.The LORD will open to you his good treasury, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hands. And you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. 13.And the LORD will make you the head and not the tail, and you shall only go up and not down, if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, being careful to do them, 14.and if you do not turn aside from any of the words that I command you today, to the right hand or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them. Curses for Disobedience 15.“But if you will not obey the voice of the LORD your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you. 16.Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the field. 17.Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. 18.Cursed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. 19.Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out. 20.“The LORD will send on you curses, confusion, and frustration in all that you undertake to do, until you are destroyed and perish quickly on account of the evil of your deeds, because you have forsaken me. 21.The LORD will make the pestilence stick to you until he has consumed you off the land that you are entering to take possession of it. 22.The LORD will strike you with wasting disease and with fever, inflammation and fiery heat, and with drought and with blight and with mildew. They shall pursue you until you perish. 23.And the heavens over your head shall be bronze, and the earth under you shall be iron. 24.The LORD will make the rain of your land powder. From heaven dust shall come down on you until you are destroyed. 25.“The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You shall go out one way against them and flee seven ways before them. And you shall be a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth. (Note: This is a small sample, it goes to verse 68) 4. Judges 8:23 (esv), 23.Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; the LORD will rule over you.” 5. 1 Samuel 8:6-22 (esv), 6.But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the LORD. 7.And the LORD said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8.According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. 9.Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.” Samuel's Warning Against Kings 10.So Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking for a king from him. 11.He said, “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. 12.And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. 13.He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14.He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. 15.He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. 16.He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men and your donkeys, and put them to his work. 17.He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. 18.And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the LORD will not answer you in that day.” The LORD Grants Israel's Request 19.But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, “No! But there shall be a king over us, 20.that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.” 21.And when Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the LORD. 22.And the LORD said to Samuel, “Obey their voice and make them a king.” Samuel then said to the men of Israel, “Go every man to his city.” 6. 1 Samuel 12:12-15 (esv), 12.And when you saw that Nahash the king of the Ammonites came against you, you said to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us,’ when the LORD your God was your king. 13.And now behold the king whom you have chosen, for whom you have asked; behold, the LORD has set a king over you. 14.If you will fear the LORD and serve him and obey his voice and not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, and if both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the LORD your God, it will be well. 15.But if you will not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then the hand of the LORD will be against you and your king. 7. 1 Chronicles 11:3 (esv), 3.So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the LORD. And they anointed David king over Israel, according to the word of the LORD by Samuel. 8. 2 Chronicles 7:14 (esv), 14.if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 9. 2 Chronicles 20:6 (esv), 6.and said, “O LORD, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you. 10. Ezra 7:26 (esv), 26.Whoever will not obey the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be strictly executed on him, whether for death or for banishment or for confiscation of his goods or for imprisonment.” 11. Psalm 9:7-8 (esv), 7.But the LORD sits enthroned forever; he has established his throne for justice, 8.and he judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with uprightness. 12. Psalm 22:28 (esv), 28.For kingship belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations. 13. Psalm 33:1-22 (esv),The Steadfast Love of the LORD 1.Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright. 2.Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings! 3.ing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts. 4.For the word of the LORD is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness. 5.He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD. 6.By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host. 7.He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap; he puts the deeps in storehouses. 8.Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him! 9.For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. 10.The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. 11.The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations. 12.Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage! 13.The LORD looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man; 14.from where he sits enthroned he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, 15.he who fashions the hearts of them all and observes all their deeds. 16.The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. 17.The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue. 18.Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, 19.that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine. 20.Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. 21.For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. 22.Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in you. 14. Psalm 67:4 (esv), 4.Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. Selah 15. Psalm 94:20 (esv), 20.Can wicked rulers be allied with you, those who frame injustice by statute? 16. Psalm 103:19 (esv), 19.The LORD has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all. 17. Proverbs 8:15-16 (esv), 15.By me kings reign, and rulers decree what is just; 16.by me princes rule, and nobles, all who govern justly. 18. Proverbs 19:21 (esv), 21.Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand. 19. Proverbs 21:1 (esv), 1.The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will. 20. Proverbs 25:5 (esv), 5.take away the wicked from the presence of the king, and his throne will be established in righteousness. 21. Proverbs 25:26 (esv), 26.Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked. 22. Proverbs 29:221 (esv), 221.When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan. 23. Isaiah 9:6-7 (esv), 6.For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7.Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this. 24. Daniel 2:20-21 (esv), 20.Daniel answered and said: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. 21. He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding; 25. Daniel 4:30-32 (esv), 30.and the king answered and said, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” 31.While the words were still in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you, 32.and you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” 26. Amos 9:8 (esv), 8.Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from the surface of the ground, except that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob,” declares the LORD. New Testament 27. Matthew 22:17-21 (esv), 17.Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” 18.But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? 19.Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. 20.And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” 21.They said, “Caesar's.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” 28. Mark 3:24 (esv), 24.If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 29. Mark 10:42-45 (esv), 42.And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43.But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 44.and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. 45.For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” 30. Luke 10:19-20 (esv), 19.Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. 20.Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” 31. Luke 20:25 (esv), 25.He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” 32. John 18:36 (esv), 36.Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” 33. John 19:11 (esv), 11.Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.” 34. Acts 5:29 (esv), 29.But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. 35. Romans 13:1-7 (esv), Submission to the Authorities 1.Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2.Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3.For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4.for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. 5.Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6.For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7.Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed. 36. 1 Corinthians 14:40 (esv), 40.But all things should be done decently and in order. 37. 1 Corinthians 15:24 (esv), 24.Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 38. Ephesians 6:12 (esv), 12.For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 39. Colossians 2:15 (esv), 15.He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him. 40. 1 Peter 2:13-17 (esv), 13.Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14.or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15.For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16.Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. 17.Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor. 41. 1 Timothy 2:1-15 (esv), Pray for All People 1.First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2.for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3.This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4.who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5.For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6.who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. 7.For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. 8.I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; 9.likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, 10.but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works. 11.Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. 12.I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. 13.For Adam was formed first, then Eve; 14.and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. 15.Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control. 42. 1 Timothy 6:1-16 (esv), 1.Let all who are under a yoke as bondservants regard their own masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled. 2.Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful on the ground that they are brothers; rather they must serve all the better since those who benefit by their good service are believers and beloved. 3.If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, 4.he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, 5.and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. 6.But godliness with contentment is great gain, 7.for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8.But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9.But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10.For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. Fight the Good Fight of Faith 11.But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. 12.Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13.I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, 14.to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15.which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16.who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen. 43. Titus 3:1-5 (esv), 1.Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, 2.to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. 3.For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. 4.But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5.he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, |
