Anyone who believes this United Kingdom to be a ‘secular’ nation will have been dismayed by what was read out by Garter King of Arms at St James Palace in London on 10th September 2022 marking the accession of King Charles III:
“Whereas it has pleased almighty God to call to his mercy our late sovereign lady Queen Elizabeth II of blessed and glorious memory, by whose decease the crown of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is solely and rightfully come to the Prince Charles Philip Arthur George.”
And concluding: “… beseeching God, by whom kings and queens do reign, to bless His Majesty with long and happy years to reign over us.
“God Save the King.”
That proclamation did not make Charles our king. He became king automatically and instantly on the death of his mother. It merely stated that the Privy Council had confirmed him as King. Importantly, it cited scripture:
Proverbs 8:15 By me kings reign, and princes decree justice. (KJV)
‘Help of Almighty God’
Next, the King was admitted to the room. He read out a declaration and oath before the privy counsellors. In his declaration the King said it was his “sorrowful duty to announce the death of my beloved mother, the Queen””.
Her reign was “unequalled in its duration, its dedication and its devotion,” he said, as the Queen Consort stood nearby.
He added: “I am deeply aware of this great inheritance and of the duties and heavy responsibilities of sovereignty which have now passed to me. In taking up these responsibilities, I shall strive to follow the inspiring example I have been set in upholding constitutional government and to seek the peace, harmony and prosperity of the peoples of these islands and of the Commonwealth realms and territories throughout the world.
“In this purpose, I know that I shall be upheld by the affection and loyalty of the peoples whose sovereign I have been called upon to be, and that in the discharge of these duties I will be guided by the counsel of their elected parliaments.
He added: “And in carrying out the heavy task that has been laid upon me, and to which I now dedicate what remains to me of my life, I pray for the guidance and help of almighty God.”
Christianity in Our Constitution
In his declaration before the Privy Council King Charles III revealed a Biblical understanding present in our constitution of the purpose of the monarchy and hence that of government.
It is ‘to seek the peace, harmony and prosperity’ of those under his rule. In other words, it is not to drag his subjects to needless war or into rebellion against the Almighty. It is not to preside over inequalities before the law. It is not to impoverish the people.
The Christian Voice statement of belief concludes by saying: ‘We believe all government to be under the authority of God and that its purpose is the maintenance of freedom and justice solely in accordance with biblical principles.’
That accords with the first two principles read out by the king, those of peace and harmony. But a look at the scripture shows that government is also there to advance the prosperity of the people.
The Biblical Role of Leaders
The Bible calls for an entirely different kind of leader from those our world is used to. The advice given by Jethro to Moses starts us off:
Exod 18:21 Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens:
The Bible says they should be able, God-fearing men of truth, working not for themselves, but for the common good. King David reinforced the point:
2Sam 23:3 The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.
Anyone ruling in the fear of God will be humble and will seek the Lord for wisdom. He will enact laws based on the laws of God, wherein is true justice. The Apostle Paul explains that such a ruler will do good to the righteous, remembering he is the minister of God:
Rom 13:3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: 4 For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.
It is helpful to remember the British constitution places the monarch under God. The monarch kneels before God. His ministers kneel before him.
The one under authority has authority, as the centurion in the Gospel told the Lord Jesus, recognising the Lord’s own authority:
Luke 7:8 For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say unto one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.
The one under the authority of God has the greatest authority of any man.
Seek Peace
The Lord God made this promise to king David:
1Chron 22:9 Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about: for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his days.
Peace and quietness are good things that the king should seek. They are things we must pray for, not least out of self-interest:
1Chron Jer 29:7 And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.
The millennial vision is of peace and tranquillity.
Micah 4:4 But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it.
We notice that where there is peace families may plan ahead and prosper. Peace is also conditional on respect and obedience to the Almighty:
Lev 26:2 Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD.If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them;4 Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit…. 6 And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid: and I will rid evil beasts out of the land, neither shall the sword go through your land.
Seek Harmony
Harmony speaks of unity and equality before the law. The Romans demanded that whatever religion their citizens followed should be a private matter. In public, citizens were obliged to unite before the gods of Rome. We see that as extreme, but there must be a focus of unity in a commonwealth. In our constitution that unity is found in a monarch under God, just as the Bible said of Israel and Judah:
2Kings 11:17 And Jehoiada made a covenant between the LORD and the king and the people, that they should be the LORD’S people; between the king also and the people.
Next year, Archbishop Welby will stand in for Jehoiada the priest and fulfil the same function, anointing the king just as Zadok anointed Solomon.
There will be no war fought over who should accede to the throne. Garter King of Arms made that perfectly clear: ‘the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is solely and rightfully come to the Prince Charles Philip Arthur George.’
Flowing from unity is equality before the law:
Exod 12:49 One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.
This is the reason we object to sharia intruding into our legal system. Sharia is another law and another law comes from another system of belief. The Bible does not provide for that, the Romans would not allow that and nor should we. The unbelieving Jews in Thessalonia accused the disciples thus:
Acts 17:7 … these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus.
Exactly. The disciples did not deny the point. Our king is under that same King of kings, one Jesus.
Seek Prosperity
Wherever the Bible speaks of prosperity it is a good thing to have. We saw that above in the man in his family possession, under his fig tree. The Bible speaks approvingly of Rehoboam, the rebellious son of Solomon, upon his repentance:
2Chron 12:12 And when he humbled himself, the wrath of the LORD turned from him, that he would not destroy him altogether: and also in Judah things went well.
‘Things went well’ in Judah. That is what we want as well. And the Bible shows us how our rulers ensure it happens. It is not by trusting in their own wisdom, but in the Almighty.
Information Theory teaches that no organism can even understand itself, let alone anything bigger. The human brain will never understand the human brain. How much less can we work out how society is to be organised. Politicians can pass all the laws they want in the flesh, but unintended consequences always turn up. Then it is either double down or go back to the drawing board. How much better to go in the first place to the Creator, who set out, in his word, how to organise human society?
Prov 14:12(cf 16:25) There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
We need to pray for the absence of covetousness in our leaders coupled with their adherence to the Great Commandment, expressed in the conversation between our Lord and the lawyer asking the way to eternal life:
Luke 10:26 He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.
If our leaders love God and love us, their neighbours, as themselves, they will want to prosper us, not themselves. They will certainly never set out to impoverish us, or enact measures that will have that effect.
But what if they do so through stupidity? We have come all the way back to seeking wisdom in humility before ‘God, by whom kings and queens do reign.’
PRAY for King Charles III to seek the Lord in humility for wisdom and obedience and to make sure his government does the same. ‘To seek the peace, harmony and prosperity of the peoples of these islands and of the Commonwealth realms and territories throughout the world.’
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This is an excellent blog on the role and responsibilities of government. Sadly, this demonstrates how far we have come away from all of this, and I just wonder whether the death of the Queen and accession to the throne of Charlie will bring, at least some of us, to our senses. My confidence is limited regarding this, but, as you state, all governments are under God, so who knows?
I have fast become very sceptical of governments of whatever political colour, and somewhat dismissive of all our so-called ‘law-makers’ (lawless makers more like). However, i also note, albeit with some surprise, that there is an occasional appearance of someone with at least a modicum of integrity in Parliament, so, maybe we need to be a bit more up beat re Monarchy. Again, I wonder.