God Is God – The Law of God and Public Policy

God Is God
The Law of God and Public Policy

God is God in all matters, including public policy.

“And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests. And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them…” Deuteronomy 17:18, 19

God is God

The first law of the logic of public policy is that governments serve God for the well-being of the people they serve, and not for their own well-being. Those who hold public office must beware of the opportunities for self-aggrandizement which such positions entail, and they must resist every temptation to use their office for personal gain. Rulers are God’s servants for good on behalf of the needs of the people they serve, and not their own interests.

The second law of the logic of public policy underscores the point that the people are not God. The vox populi must not be regarded as the final bar of appeal in matters of public policy. Yet this is what we see happening increasingly in our day. Those who are entrusted with public office are prone to following public opinion polls in crafting laws and statutes. In so doing they show either that they regard the demands of the people as of ultimate authority in matters of public policy, or their own political longevity as best served by succumbing to the whims of the majority.

But rulers are not God, and therefore must not consider themselves to have the last word on what is best for the people. And the people are not God; their voice must not be the determining voice in public policy decision-making.

God is God, and rulers must look to Him for unchanging standards of goodness and justice. The second law of the logic of public policy is thus that those public policies will be good which conform to God’s standards.

In ancient Israel this meant that rulers had to be students of the Law of God, reading and meditating in it daily. Not only the kings of Israel but also the local elders and judges who ruled from the gates of the city were expected to be conversant with the teaching of God’s Law and skilled in applying it to the needs of the community.

In the early years of the American experiment, rulers understood that the wisdom of God’s Law should not be neglected or transgressed in making public policy. Granted, rulers did not always demonstrate the best understanding of God’s Law, or even the fairest and best use of it—as witness their views on slavery and Native Americans, among other matters. Nevertheless, it is clear from perusing colonial statutes and even the general framework and contents of the Constitution that the Founding Fathers of this republic understood that God’s Law and Word is a source of wisdom not to be excluded from discussions of public policy.

Visit our website, www.ailbe.org, and sign up to receive our thrice-weekly devotional, Crosfigell, featuring writers from the period of the Celtic Revival and T. M.’s reflections on Scripture and the Celtic Christian tradition. Does the Law of God still apply today? Order a copy of T. M.’s book, The Ground for Christian Ethics, and study the question for yourself.

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In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T. M. Moore, editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001, 2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.