“For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; it is He who will save us.” - Isaiah 33:22
The 18th century leaders who convened to frame our Constitution were at pains to be sure that the government they created would both rule over the people and rule over itself. This they did by establishing certain checks and balances so that no one branch of the government would have total power. They divided the government into three branches: the executive (the President), the legislative (Congress), and the judicial (the Supreme Court). The executive would lead the nation, the legislative would make the rules by which the nation would be governed, and the judicial would oversee the propriety and enforcement of those laws. The concern was that power, concentrated in the hands of the few or the one, would be such a corrupting influence that the government would become evil. Underlying this fear was a realization of the sinfulness of man, which can turn any Eden into a defiled place worthy of condemnation.
Not so with the heavenly government. Look at the verse from Isaiah 33 which I have cited above. Here you see all three branches of government concentrated into the hands of One Almighty Ruler: “For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; it is He who will save us.” Let’s take this list in reverse order. The Lord, the God of Israel, is worthy to be our King… righteousness is the scepter of His throne, and everything He does is perfect. He has absolute power, and wields it absolutely perfectly. His power does not corrupt Him any more than do any of His other attributes: His love, His mercy, His knowledge, His patience… none of these qualities of God ever corrupt Him, for He is pure and holy. So also is the way He wields His power. The Lord is also worthy to be our Lawgiver, to write the laws by which we will be governed. His laws are a perfect extension of His own holy character, and they perfectly express His loving purpose for His people. Some human laws are unjust or self-serving. But the heavenly legislative branch is wholly concentrated in One pure mind, and each of His commands are “perfect” and “trustworthy” (Psalm 19:7). Finally, the Lord is worthy to be our Judge, to assess each one of us concerning His perfect laws and according to His own perfect justice. He cannot be perverted by a bribe, nor can He be fooled by flattery or deception. When He judges, His judgment is just and perfect, for it flows from His holy character and His perfect understanding.
"There is no perfect government conceived of and executed by sinful men, but there is a perfect government in heaven."
Thus, are these three branches of heavenly government concentrated into One, the One true and eternal God, within whom there is no movement or changing like the shifting of shadows. There is no perfect government conceived of and executed by sinful men, but there is a perfect government in heaven. Let us give praise to Him and honor Him for that perfection, for in it is our safety and our salvation.
