Old Testament prophecy: Was Jesus subject to the government?

Was Jesus subject to the government? Yes, He was. Kind of. Sort of. Does Old Testament prophecy say this was going to be the case? Well, we can say yes, in a way. Yet again the Nelson's Topical Reference we're using for this Advent study has a New Testament verse for Jesus being subject to the government. Therefore, once again we'll take the context of that NT verse and see what the Old Testament says about it.

This particular reference also points back to something we looked at earlier. That is, Jesus came as a man. That's because the passage Nelson's refers to was a requirement for all Israelite men (fast forward to Jewish men). Therefore, since Jesus did come as a man, He would be subject to the government in this, and other ways.

There is a catch here. It has to do with how we view government today as opposed to back then. But let's hold on to that thought until we know more about what the reference verse is. The image might give you a hint.

What is the government?

Before we get into the passage, we need to understand something about the difference between government back then and government for much of the world today.

Today we have things like Democracies, Republics, Oligarchies, Dictatorships, and some Theocracies. I expect the Theocracy is the least understood to most people who don't live under one.

All the others have a "political" government of some sort, whether it's elected, by birth, by military takeover, or whatever. The thing they have in common is that they generally don't say much about religion. Although, I have to say that the U.S. is in the midst of a move by some to make it more about religion. To me, this is not a good move.

Which brings us to the Theocracy. They are generally a system of ruling where the traditional government functions and religious laws are merged into one. Here's a description of the Theocracy concept in Biblical times.

Theocracy. Form of government which acknowledges God alone as the highest political authority, whether or not he is represented by a human ruler such as a king. Thus Deuteronomy 17:14–20 argues that a human king rules only as one designated for kingship by the Lord.

In ancient Israel, the concept of theocratic government developed through several historical stages. A fundamental theological conception of the sons of Israel in Egypt involved the belief that Yahweh, their special God, cared enough about their plight to become personally involved in redeeming them from slavery and establishing them in freedom from all earthly rulers (specifically the pharaoh). They would then be able to serve him alone (see Ex 3:7–10; 8:1; 9:1, etc.). It is necessary to remember that the conditions of oppression described in Exodus were everyday features in the life of Egyptian peasants. Living under the rulership of the pharaoh as a peasant implied oppression, unreasonable work assignments, loss of freedom and self-respect, and many other things. By contrast, life under the rulership of Yahweh came to signify freedom, justice, and equality.  ¹Elwell, W. A., & Beitzel, B. J. (1988). Theocracy. In Baker encyclopedia of the Bible (Vol. 2, p. 2049). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.

Here is the referenced passage from Deuteronomy which argues that a human king rules only as one designated for kingship by the Lord in the Theocracy of the Biblical time of the Exodus.

The King

Dt 17:14 When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, “Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,” 15 be sure to appoint over you the king the LORD your God chooses. He must be from among your own brothers. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not a brother Israelite. 16 The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the LORD has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.” 17 He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.