Divine Right of Kings

(Pro 16:12 KJV) It is an abomination to kings to commit wickedness: for the throne is established by righteousness.

I teach world history. One of the themes I keep coming back to is the struggle between the crown and the plow. There have always been strong men who took power. There have always been working people who wanted to be left alone to raise their families. The elites have always tried to control the multitudes. At one point you had the idea called the Divine Right of Kings. This said that the king was appointed by God and so everyone else had to listen to him. This is a verse that the kings who believed in the Divine Right of Kings did not read or consider. This says that even kings are capable of being wrong. Abuse of power for personal pleasure is an “abomination” (8441), even when a king does it. This would be one of the verses that finally began to limit the power of kings. Even the head of state is to be under the law.

Political leaders have a responsibility before God. Here it talks about kings, but this would also apply to prime ministers and presidents. I might even apply to CEOs and police chiefs. We seem to divorce God’s values from our own. To many people define actions by leaders as “wickedness” (7562) when they are of the opposite political party instead of by the truth.

For those in positions of authority and power, heed this warning. The rest of us need to remember that our allegiance is to God and His Word.