42 threat to Stalin’s control. Estimates vary, but somewhere around 10 million people died as Stalin exported food from the region to fuel his own ambitions. It is hard for us to come to grips with this kind of wickedness, but we must realize that wickedness on this scale was made possible by government’s organization, utilization of resources, and control over society. When we ponder government, then, we must remember that while it can be a gift from God, like all of His gifts, sinful humans can also pervert it. Without both of these realities in mind, we have an incomplete view of government. The power of the sword cuts both ways, it seems. Government appropriately wields the sword when it punishes the law-breaker. It abuses the sword when it perverts the notion of rewarding the good and punishing the wicked. Scripturally, we see this phenomenon, of government gone bad, in a variety of places, but the Old Testament places the issue squarely before us. Even in Israel, God’s chosen people, the powerful would frequently distort the legal system to deny justice to their opponents or enemies. 1 Kings 21 tells us the story of Ahab, Jezebel, Naboth, and a vineyard. Ahab, the king, wanted the vineyard, which was located next to the palace, for his own use. Naboth refused to barter for or sell the land because it had been in his family for some time. Ahab’s wife, Jezebel, upon discovering the situation, used the king’s power to frame Naboth for blasphemy, primarily by bringing two false witnesses against him. Why two witnesses? At least two were required to convict and execute Naboth, who was stoned to death outside the city. This is a simple example of those in power misusing the machinery of government to reward evil and punish good. This distortion of justice must have been a common occurrence in ancient Israel, for the prophets were consumed by the notion. In Amos 5, both God and His prophet heap scorn on God’s children for their treatment of the poor and the righteous. The wicked take bribes, trample on the poor, and they fail to establish justice. God’s solution? We find it in verse 24. “But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” Not only is the establishment of justice part of government’s responsibility according to God’s plan, justice guarantees that people are treated fairly before the law, in spite of their wealth, background, gender, or skin color.
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