Advanced Level, Block 2—Result of Entering the Good Land
Week 11
God Has Placed Those in Authority
Point to Emphasize: We should not expose or lightly criticize those that God has placed over us.
Reference Reading: Genesis 9:18-29, footnote 211; Deuteronomy 27:16; Ephesians 6:1-3; Numbers 12:2, footnote 21
Memory Verse: So then he who resists the authority opposes God’s ordination, and those who oppose will receive judgment to themselves. (Romans 13:2)
Story Sample
After the flood, some things had changed on the earth. Today we want to look at one of these things, one that is a very important thing even in our lives today. Before the flood, God was the only authority. But, after the flood, God gave the people an authority, someone to represent Him and be in charge of man. This person was Noah. Noah was the first deputy authority of God. What is a deputy? A deputy is a person who is empowered to act as a substitute for his superior. Noah was given the authority to act on God’s behalf. Noah represented God. God was still over everything, but He set up Noah to have authority over others. This is how human government started.
Years later, in today’s world, we see many forms of this government. In our city, the police are the authorities over us, and in our country and state, the federal and local governments are the authority over us. All of these represent God’s government. Now, you might say, “I already know that”. But, I have a question for you, “Have you been obeying and honoring your mom and dad every day? Do you obey all your teachers at all times?” I know you have tried and I also know you have failed. I was once your age.
But, what IF the person in authority makes a mistake or has a failure? The failure of a leader always works as a test for the ones around him. Let me tell you a story of what happened to Noah and his sons. After the flood, Noah became a farmer and he had a vineyard. One time, he drank too much wine and became drunk. It was a shameful situation. But in spite of that, he was still the deputy authority. Yes, he did something that disgraced himself and dishonored God. But, he still represented God on the earth. Noah’s failure was in his person, but in his position he still was the deputy authority. God did not fire him. Well, listen to what happened next. Noah’s younger son, Ham, saw him in that condition and reacted in a way to expose his father. But Noah’s other two sons, Shem and Japheth didn’t. Let that be an example for us. Even when you see people’s failures, you shouldn’t criticize them lightly.
Maybe you know English very well, but your parents don’t. Is that an excuse for you to expose and criticize them? Do you think of yourself as “higher” than them because they can’t speak English well? Even when you think you might know a little bit more than your parents, they are still God’s deputy authority over you. You need to obey them and show honor, and you should not expose or criticize them.
What if your teacher is presenting a subject that she does not know well and teaches something wrong? Is it your attitude to criticize her and say, “She doesn’t know anything!” and not to regard her as an authority? That happened to me. I grew up in a Spanish-speaking country. We had an English class every year. Some of the English teachers I had were not great at teaching English. I had a teacher that would teach us wrong pronunciation or wrong definitions for new words. This teacher would make mistake after mistake. So, my classmates would make fun of her and treat her badly not wanting to obey her. My parents taught me that it did not matter what mistakes she made, because God had placed her as the authority and someone whom I should obey. So, that’s what I did. I went privately and helped her with the pronunciation before she would teach new words. Even when I might have known a little bit more English than her, she was my teacher and I needed to respect her position of authority. I know this resulted in a blessing to me. [Storyteller, insert your example of obeying an authority even when they have made a mistake.]
God placed your parents, teachers, policemen, and even the president of the United States of America over us. These offices or positions of authority are according to God’s arrangement, which is why we should not criticize them. As God-fearing people, we can see that Noah’s story shows us there are consequences for such behavior. After Noah found out what Ham had done to expose him, he spoke a solemn utterance against his son. Ham’s behavior and Noah’s response negatively changed the course of Ham’s life and his descendants.
Now that you are older, I can share with you that the Bible tells us there are consequences if we rebel, expose, or speak against the people God has placed over us. On the other side, if you submit to authority, show honor, and respect them even when they are wrong or may have failures, your behavior will result in your being blessed. God will be with you and will care for you, providing for your needs all the days of your lives.