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Isaiah 45:1-7
1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
Matthew 22:15-22
Crown Him the Lord of Heaven,
Enthroned in worlds above,
Crown Him the King to whom is given
The wondrous name of Love.
Crown Him with many crowns
As thrones before Him fall;
Crown Him, ye kings, with many crowns
For He is King of all.
It’s the last stanza of the well-known hymn. He is King of all – it’s true in more ways than one.
God our King brings order to our sin-disordered universe in different ways. Lutherans talk about
two particular areas in which God works. We call the areas God’s left-hand kingdom and God’s
right-hand kingdom.
It is necessary to have order in this world. God brings order through government and laws and
boundaries and structure. We Lutherans call this realm God’s left-hand kingdom.
But God’s ultimate goal is to completely erase the disorder of sin. This is done through the life,
death, and resurrection of Jesus. This is God’s right-hand work – the work of making us his
children and heirs of heaven.
Let’s take a look at each of these kingdoms of God.
In today’s reading from Isaiah, God talks about restoring order to his people Israel through a
foreign king.
From Isaiah’s perspective, these things would happen in the future:
The Babylonians would take Israel captive, where they would be subjugated for many years.
Cyrus the Great, King of Persia would conquer the Babylonians, and subsequently decree that
the Israelites should return to Israel after their long years of captivity and rebuild Jerusalem.
And God would do all this through a non-believer, using the politics of the world to accomplish
his purpose. Isaiah 45:4
For the sake of Jacob my servant, of Israel my chosen, I summon you [Cyrus] by
name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge me. I
am the LORD, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will
strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me, so that from the rising of
the sun to the place of its setting people may know there is none besides me. I am
the LORD, and there is no other.
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God used Cyrus for two stated reasons: for the sake Israel and so that the world would know that
he is God. In regard to the first reason, Israel still needed to exist in order to fulfill God’s
promise of a Messiah – a Messiah that would be born from the tribe of Judah in Israel. And in
preserving his people, the second reason would be accomplished – they would still be able to tell
the world about him and spread the news of his love and forgiveness (which is God’s right-hand
work).
In this instance, as in all instances, God’s left and right hands were working together. Working
through the government of the world, God facilitated the spread of the word of his salvation into
the world.
This is how God’s left-hand work paves the way for his right-hand work of salvation. It creates
the conditions under which people might come to know Jesus. God works through the things of
the world to accomplish the goals of heaven.
Now it should be said that “left” and “right” can be loaded words. We sometimes think of the
“left” as being the bad side of God. Is government on the bad side of God? Christians have
struggled with the idea of government and God. Just how much should Christians be involved in
government? Should we strive for an all-Christian government? Should we stay completely
separate from government? Is it something in-between? It is true that there can be a tension for
us between these two kingdoms, but not for God. It is all God’s work on our behalf.
What does God’s left-hand kingdom look like today? It looks the same as it always has. God
provides us with governance and authorities. Some of these authorities are believers, some are
not. God provides us with employment and all that comes with it – supervisors, protocols,
rules… Some of us work within a Christian organization, some of us do not.
And how do we respond to those in authority – to governors and enforcers, to bosses and
supervisors – whether they are Christians or not? God tells us in the Bible. It’s what Jesus says
in our gospel lesson for today.
“Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” Matthew 22:21
More explanation is given in Romans 13:1-7.
Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority
except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been
established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is
rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring
judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for
those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority?
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Then do what is right and you will be commended. For the one in authority is
God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not
bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring
punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the
authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of
conscience.
This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give
their full time to governing. Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe
taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then
honor.
There is one caveat – one condition the Bible gives in regard to submission to authority. If a
government demands that we do something contrary to the word of God, we must disobey. Acts
5:29
Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human
beings!
But apart from that particular circumstance, the order God brings through government and other
authorities is a blessing to us. Since government is given to us by God, we respond with respect
and obedience. More than that, we should support and pray for our leaders. 1 Timothy 2:1-4
I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be
made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live
peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and
pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a
knowledge of the truth.
Again, the ultimate goal? That through the order brought about by earthly rules and government,
God would accomplish his right-hand work and bring salvation to the world.
In the reading from 1 Thessalonians today, we see God’s right hand at work. God has worked
faith in the hearts of the Thessalonians. Paul describes the Thessalonians like this:
We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your
labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus
Christ. 1 Thessalonians 1:3
This kind of behavior isn’t something that can be written as a rule, or demanded by a boss.
These are results that come from a change of heart brought about by the Holy Spirit. This is God
at work.
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And so we see another difference in these two strategies of God. The left-hand work is
something in which we are active. I obey the speed limit, or I don’t. I play by the rules at work,
or I don’t. I vote in elections, or I don’t. God gives me these things – a job, a government – and
I actively participate in them.
But in the matter of God’s right-hand work – in the matter of salvation – we are passive. God
accomplishes our salvation for us. God sent his Son. God gives us faith. Ephesians 2:8-9
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from
yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.
God’s hands work together. With his left he brings order, with his right, he brings life. And we
live in these two kingdoms of God. In the left-hand kingdom, we live under our earthly rulers as
good citizens. We participate in government according to our Christian conscience. We make
decisions about rules and laws in the context of our faith. And in the right-hand kingdom, we
live in God’s love. By living our faith, we have opportunity to show others God’s love – and
even more than that, to tell them about Jesus.
God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes
in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
God wants everyone to know that. With his left and right hands, God works toward that goal.
And as others come to know God, they can join us in singing the song:
Crown Him the Lord of Life
Who triumphed o'er the grave
And rose victorious in the strife
For those He came to save.
His glories now we sing
Who died and rose on high,
Who died eternal life to bring
And lives that death may die.