Submission to Authority

Eric and I have been talking a lot about the concept of authority in the Bible. We have marveled at the story of the Centurion who had faith in Christ to heal simply because he understood the chain of authority and the power that resides in that.

I studied this topic a couple of years ago and thought I would blog about what I learned.

Submission definition: to lower oneself of your own free will. When you submit to authority, God’s blessings will seek to fill up that low place much like water seeks to fill up anything lower than itself. If you refuse to submit to authority, then you are raising yourself up and the blessing cannot flow to you anymore because there is no longer any receptacle or low place to fill up. As gravity pulls water downward, submission draws on and gives place to the blessing of God to flow down to you. If someone over you is making bad decisions, your act of submission and respect puts great pressure on that leader to change—submit even when you disagree as “unto the Lord” (as long as it is not illegal or immoral.) I like this definition: an act of faith, respecting divinely appointed authority out of respect for Christ. Since I know my KING is Jesus, it is easy to submit to the authority he placed over me…even if I am submitting and I think Eric is wrong, then I know there is someone higher than him, and HE will make it right.

From my own experience, I have found that Satan tries to attack my marriage by assaulting my thinking towards Eric. If he can get me to lose respect for him, usually because I don’t agree with him on an issue, or don’t think he is taking care of things in a wise or timely manner, then my marriage comes under attack and I open myself up to defeat in my thought life. A more funny and practical example was a few years ago. We were outside doing some yard work. We were trimming some azaleas with an electric hedge trimmer. Eric went inside and told me to trim a couple of bushes, but leave another one alone. He didn’t really give me a reason to not trim the certain one, and before I knew it, I was over there trimming it. Well, wouldn’t you know it, I dropped those silly electric blades and it grazed my finger. I had on gloves, or it would have been a lot worse. Now, I believe that I put myself out of the realm of God’s protection when I went against what Eric desired. Now here is a deep theological question…did Eric tell me to leave that bush alone because the Holy Spirit prompted him to…because I might hurt myself, or did God remove his hand of protection because I disobeyed? Silly, I know…but an example that has stuck with me. I have to really try to do as he desires…for example, he can’t stand it when I wash stray hairs down the sink. So, much to my chagrin, I wipe them out everyday. I HAVE to believe that even in the silly things there is blessing and protection when I listen to my God-given authority. I also try not to disagree with him in front of my kids very often. I REALLY try not to second guess something he told the kids to do/wear/whatever. I am constantly trying to instill in them that he is the Father, and we listen to him and always do what he says. If I am arguing with him, then my kids will have a reason to.

Here are some cool Biblical examples God showed me. I love that he showed me different examples of God given authority, not just husband and wife.

1. 1 Samuel 24 David has an opportune time to kill King Saul (after all Saul is chasing him and trying to kill him.) David humbly realizes that even if King Saul is evil, he is the God-appointed King, and he has no right to “take him out.” He realized if you don’t submit to authority, you lose your advocate (Christ).

Exodus 18:17-27 Moses has encountered the ONE TRUE GOD…and he is put in leadership over the Hebrew people. He is having trouble delegating, so he receives counsel from his father-in-law, Jethro. What is so cool about this is that Jethro didn’t recognize God as Yahweh at the time (he does later.) It would have been easy for Moses to say that he should shun Jethro’s advice since he wasn’t a “believer.”

Esther 2:7-20 Mordecai raises Esther, so he is her God-given authority. He adopted his cousin when her parents died. Esther listens to him when he tells her not to reveal her nationality to the King. Later, she still follows his instructions (v.20). She is able to save the Jews because she is obedient to authority...to the point of enacting Mordecai's plan...which could mean imminent death for her.

Ruth—she puts herself under the authority of her mother-in-law since her husband died. She listens to Naomi and does what she tells her to do. Her blessing comes---a kind husband, Boaz and she later becomes part of Christ’s genealogical line. (What a gracious blessing…she wasn’t even Jewish!)

Jesus—he submitted to his parents as a child, to the government (rend to Caesar), and ultimately to God his Father—to death on the cross.

I love that through all of the examples above, they were all recipients of huge blessing after they submitted to authority. David becomes King, Moses walks with God, Esther is Queen and saves her people, Ruth is redeemed from shame and a pagan past, and Jesus has everything under his command.

Our culture has made submission out to be some four letter foul word! The truth is that our protection and blessing lie in submitting to our God-given authorities.