The Judgment Of The Nations

Has God imposed a suzerain covenant on the nations of this world?   Absolutely, they are viewed as vassal states to Israel.       

                 Why do the nations rage

and the peoples plot in vain?

2  The kings of the earth set themselves,

and the rulers take counsel together,

against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying,

3  “Let us burst their bonds apart

and cast away their cords from us.”

4  He who sits in the heavens laughs;

the Lord holds them in derision.

5  Then he will speak to them in his wrath,

and terrify them in his fury, saying,

6  “As for me, I have set my King

on Zion, my holy hill.”

7  I will tell of the decree:

The Lord said to me, “You are my Son;

today I have begotten you.

8  Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,

and the ends of the earth your possession.

9  You shall break them with a rod of iron

and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”

10  Now therefore, O kings, be wise;

be warned, O rulers of the earth.

11  Serve the Lord with fear,

and rejoice with trembling.

12  Kiss the Son,

lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,

for his wrath is quickly kindled.

Blessed are all who take refuge in him.  (Psalm 2:1–12, ESV)

 Psalm 2 informs us that God has established the throne of David as despotic ruler over all the nations, & the Covenant of Grace in general & the Davidic Covenant in particular underwrite the power & authority of the David throne. 

David’s throne represents Christ’s throne, & through Christ’s throne above & David’s on the earth, God rules the world via covenant.    

This is also a prophetic relationship, insofar as Christ is clear that the Decalogue is summarized as “Love God exhaustively & perfectly first & others exhaustively & perfectly second,” and then states that all the Law & Prophets hang on these two principles.  The Decalogue comes to us as part of a suzerainty document.  

Obadiah judges Edom.    Micah indicts Israel then proceeds to state that the Law will go out from Zion & the nations will be judged (Micah 4).  Amos opens with an oracle about the nations.   Isaiah 13 - 17 provides oracles of judgment against Babylon, Assyria, Moab; Aram, & Ephraim.   Cyrus’ throne is authorized by the LORD (Isaiah).   

The covenant with Noah provides instruction for the use of the sword in the case of murder.   The narrative also includes a fictional story about Babel, which is told in a covenantal outline, indicating that God’s relationship is a species of suzerainty.    Although there are no direct instructions for how the penalty for murder is to be executed, given Romans 13’s statement that all civil authorities are established by God & a terror to transgressors of the 2nd Table of the Law (which is representatively in the First), we can properly deduce the general principle that murder demands justice, & the particular outworking of that principle was; at that time, fit for a less centralized governmental structure that, in terms of the outworking of human history, grew more organized over time.   God doesn’t do anarchy or chaos, but He is willing to work with less organized governing structures over time.  

God deals with His people in representative fashion.   We are all in Adam & in Christ (Romans 5, 1 Corinthians 15), just as Levi was in Abraham (Hebrews 7).   Christ is the Redeemer - Mediator whose person & work underwrites every covenant (Hebrews, 1 Tim. 2:5), who occupies the tripartite offices of Prophet (Deut. 18), Priest (Psalm 110) & King (Psalm 2) who is superior to Moses, Abraham, & Levi (Hebrews 7) & like unto Melchizedek (Hebrews 7).  

Adam was in Christ.  Christ was in Adam.  Likewise, the transitional prophets all prefigure Christ by executing the 3 offices until Christ comes.   Therefore, Adam, Noah, Abraham,  Moses, Samuel, John the Baptist, & the last one before Christ returns (Malachi 4) are all federally (representatively) in each other.    

Therefore, via the principle of federalism, all people & of every tribe, tongue, people, & nation are federally represented by these individuals.   In addition, God’s intention for Israel was/is that they were/are intended to be a prophetic nation, a priestly nation, & a kingly nation.   The same is true of the Church.   God rules the nations by & through Israel (Psalm 2), and, has a covenantal relationship with them through the principle of federalism.     The Church is just an extension/expansion of Israel.   

God’s relationship with all living things is administered covenantally.  The Abrahamic Covenant is an expansion of the Noahic Covenant.  The Mosaic & Davidic Covenants are expansions of their previous administrations.   The Johannine Covenant expands upon its predecessors. 

The Bible also teaches the 3 uses of the Law & Gospel (individual/familial, ecclesiastical, & governmental).  All the Law & Prophets hang on the 2 Great Principles, & these principles are covenantal in essence & attributes, reflecting the existence, attributes, & authority of God (Romans 1:20). Therefore, God most certainly does relate to the nations via these covenants, not merely Israel exclusively.   

I would add that God, via meticulous providence presences us from time to time by reminding us that He has covenanted with us in unexpected ways…

In NC, our Constitution recognizes that all of our rights come from God, & that if we desire to live in the blessings of liberty, wr should live in accordance with our State Constitution.    Our Declaration of Rights states begins with a Shema & historical prologue, continues with a list of stipulations, & is its own document clause, call to live accordingly, & we are its witnesses (along with God).   All of the elements of a covenant with God & each other are there.   

May God bless us all, each & every one, and “Go & sin no more.”