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Chapter 13 Submission to the Authorities 1Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.2Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.3For 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? Then do what is right and he will commend you.
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NilezParker - (eBible Enthusiast) 11 months ago.
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God really cares about the concept of authority. If you really believe God's ultimate power over the dealings of mankind on the earth, you will understand this first verse. If God puts authorities in place, and if Pharaoh (as an example) was as a toy thing in God's hand to accomplish His purposes, it becomes evident that God wants us to obey the authorities He has placed over us. He allows them to set up trivial rules for us - sometimes I think this is just a test for us in our submission to authority as a whole. What about not eating fruit from one of the trees in the Garden of Eden? That was definitely the most trivial and pointless rules of all I could compare to! EVERYTHING Adam and Eve knew was GOOD, why would this fruit be bad? The only reason God had this rule was so that in keeping it Adam and Eve demonstrated their continued submission to His Authority.
(It's obvious that once an authority asks us to do something directly contrary to God's Word, we know Who is the higher authority and Who we should obey.)
Prov. 3:5, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding." Trusting God would have saved Eve from following her own understanding and eating the fruit. Leaning on our own understanding is precisely the enemy of trivial laws, of God and of government.
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