This is sermon follow up from my sermon from August 13, 2023:
In the sermon on Daniel 6, I mentioned that Daniel’s civil disobedience was fully justified and serves as an example of interposition. The doctrine of interposition teaches that a lesser civil magistrate can stand up to the tyranny of a higher civil magistrate on behalf of the people. This doctrine has a longstanding history among Christians. The Magna Carta of 1215 was based on lesser magistrates (nobles) standing up to King John on behalf of the church and the people. The Magna Carta established limits on the power of the king and protected the liberty of the church and individuals. In the sixteenth century, the Reformation only survived because of interposition. Emperor Charles V had ordered for Martin Luther to be apprehended and forbade anyone in his empire from helping Luther in any way. Prince Fredrick (a lesser magistrate in the realm) defied Charles’ unjust order, provided Luther a safehouse to continue his work, and thus the Reformation survived. Thirty years later, Lutherans at Magdeburg, Germany defied Charles’ Augsburg Interim which would have brought the region back under the sway of the Pope. In Magdeburg, pastors and magistrates defied Charles’ religious tyranny and fought for religious liberty. John Calvin developed the doctrine of interposition in his famous work The Institutes of the Christian Religion and John Knox did the same in his works. The American War for Independence can be understood as an example of the doctrine of interposition at work. The lesser magistrates (colonial governors and legislatures) stood up to the tyranny of King George and the British Parliament. Examples could be multiplied, of course, but if you are interested in learning more about this doctrine, check out the work of Matt Trewhella.
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Some thoughts on Daniel 6 in relation to Charlie Kirk’s memorial service last Sunday:
Darius’s decree, sent out to his entire empire, in Daniel 6:
“I make a decree that in every dominion of my kingdom men must tremble and fear before the God of Daniel.
For He is the living God,
And steadfast forever;
His kingdom is the one which shall not be destroyed,
And His dominion shall endure to the end.”
Darius declared to his whole empire – about 5 million people – that Daniel’s God is the true God, he is King, so fear him.
Compare Darius’s decree in 600BC to the decrees our civil leaders made to about 100 million people at Charlie Kirk’s memorial last Sunday.
J. D. Vance’s decree last Sunday: “Most of all, Charlie brought the truth that Jesus Christ is king of kings and all truth flows from this first and most imporant one.” In other words, Charlie’s God is the king of all.
Pete Hegseth‘s decree: “Charlie was a true believer: Only Christ is King, our Lord and Savior. Put Christ at the center of your life, as Charlie advocated…Fear God and fear no man.” In other words, Charlie’s God has all dominion, Charlie’s God is king, so tremble before him. Sounds a lot like Darius.
Marco Rubio’s decree: ““We were all created by the hands of the God of the universe, who loved us created us to live with Him in eternity. But then sin entered the world and separated us from our Creator. So God took on the form of a man and came down and lived among us, and He suffered like men, and He died like a man. But on the third day He rose unlike any mortal man … And when He returns, there will be a new Heaven and a new earth and we are going to have a great reunion there again with Charlie.” In other words, Charlie’s God is the only Creator and Redeemer.
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