The Old Baptist Reflects Upon the Political Philosophy of Psalm 146
The hurly-burly of another political season is behind us. The chest-thumping from the winners is beginning to die down, while the losers' crying-towels are almost dry. As The Old Baptist ponders the significance of the 2006 mid-term elections (the outcome has been described as "historic"), he offers you - gentle readers - a bit of powerful political punditry from Psalm 146.
Psalm 146:3-6 read: "Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever" (ESV). The psalmist - presumably David - sets up a sober contrast between Man as a false hope and God as the only sure ground of security. Indeed, David does not choose a worldly weak and humanly insignificant subject as his foil for God; he picks the best of men in order to establish the truth of human frailty and futility when compared to the constancy and fidelity of the Deity.
Verse 3 begins with an imperative: "Put not your trust in princes..." David himself being a prince, and a mighty prince at that, knew of whence he spoke. He knew the seduction of political power; he was familiar with the pomp and circumstance that accompanied royalty. Despite the impressiveness of their regal array, King David warns us against placing our hope in them. As the venerable Matthew Henry opines, "Though we suppose them very wise and as good as David himself, yet we must not be too sure of their ability and continuance, for they are sons of Adam, weak and mortal." The psalmist concludes verse 3 with the most obvious rationale against investing ourselves fully in the strength of human princes: "...in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation." The best of men are men at best. The mightiest prince - when all the trappings of power are stripped away - is merely a son of man, born in infantile helplessness and destined to die like any commoner. As a man he does not possess the very thing that he and all other mortals most desperately need - salvation. David here highlights the folly and futility of trusting in one whose existence is marked by human finitude and whose princely treasury and armory are bereft of saving power.
Verse 4 builds upon this theme of imperial impotence. David proffers two illustrations of the ultimate weakness of any earthly prince: he cannot abide forever (v. 4a) and, therefore, his influence, accomplishments, and future strategies cannot avoid the threat of obsolescence (v. 4b). Politics and hence polititians are emphemeral; no one holds power forever. One of the most traumatic scenarios within the ancient world was the passing of a monarch; it threatened the stability of every aspect of society. The best for which one could hope was a smooth transition of power. But even then, those most closely associated with the former ruler were often imprisoned or executed. The power and protection of princes cannot reach beyond the grave and their best laid plans are often destined to total neglect and oblivion with their death. How foolish, then, to trust in someone and something so transitory!
Verses 5 and 6 extoll the blessedness of those who hope in God, whose omnipotence and faithfulness are set in stark relief to the transcient creatureliness of man. The one who trusts in God will not be frustrated because he has invested himself in One whose power cannot be checked; God here is described as He "who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them" (v. 6a). Surely this Being cannot be thwarted! His help is without limits and remains sure despite the failure of all else. Also, the person who sets his hope upon God will never see that hope betrayed; his God is the One "who keeps faith forever" (v. 6b). Unlike earthly kings and princes whose respective influence fails with a change of regime, the Lord God is eternal, and so "keeps faith forever." Furthermore, unlike an earthly monarch who might be notorious in his fickleness, God keeps covenant to the thousandth generation (cf. Exodus 34:7). Blessed and happy indeed is the man who trusts in Him!
The relevance of this text to our own immediate political context is, I trust, painfully obvious. Whether you voted for a Democrat, a Republican, or a "third party" candidate, the events of 7 November emphasized the unpredictable and often raucous nature of our electoral process. A "throw-the-bums-out" sentiment was dominant at the polls, as the Democrats swept the congressional and gubenatorial races. But what of those who were heavily invested in the Republican political machine? What of the pro-life movement, who looked to a majority Republican congress and a Republican White House to realign the Supreme Court and thus overturn Roe v. Wade? What of denominational groups and so-called para-church organizations, who have been enthusiastically accepted federal dollars through President Bush's "faith-based initiatives" program? Will those dollars dry up now the Democrats control the House and thus the federal purse strings; will the ministries that depend upon these dollars become defunct? How will Republican evangelicals, who have followed the likes of Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson since the early 1970's, confront an emerging reality in which the tide of their ascendancy has been apparently turned back? Where will they go; to whom will they turn? Perhaps they will heed the advice of Psalm 146 and return to the only source of power and influence that remains constant in the face of changing political fortunes; perhaps they will abandon their foolish flirtations with facile and fickle Federalists and look to a transcendant and sovereign God for guidance and strength.
Only time will tell.
Grace and peace.
