The Iowa caucus today marks the official beginning of the 2024 election for president of the United States. By polling, the majority of Americans do not want to see a rematch of the 2020 election, and yet it seems likely. As unsettling as this may be, there is a truth that gives me comfort and confidence in this and every political season. It’s found in the last verse of an exuberant hymn of praise, Psalm 47.
“The shields of the earth belong to God.” (Psalm 47:9)
What do “the shields of the earth” have to do with an election? Let’s unpack it a bit.
A shield is a defensive tool to block the blows of a sword or stop a flying arrow, preventing injury and preserving life. The psalmist frequently identifies the LORD as his shield:
But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. (Psalm 3:3)
For you bless the righteous, O LORD; you cover him with favor as with a shield. (Psalm 5:12)
For the LORD God is a sun and shield, the LORD bestows favor and honor. (Psalm 84:11)
But there are also psalms in which the anointed king of Israel is identified as the shield of the nation as in,
Behold our shield, O God; look on the face of your anointed! (Psalm 84:9)
In this verse, “our shield” and “your anointed” correspond to one another. The shield of the people and the anointed of God refer to the king, and “looking on the face” is another way of saying, “show him favor.” This then is a prayer for God’s favor to be on the king, with the understanding that this same favor would flow through the king to his subjects.
A shield is a good metaphor for a king because the primary role of the king was that of a defender. The king maintained and often led the army in defending the nation from foreign invasion, providing national security. In addition, ancient Hebrew kings were also responsible to protect the weakest and most vulnerable of society as evidenced in this prayer for the king at his coronation:
May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor! (Psalm 72:4)
The role of government is that of defender of the nation, whether from foreign attack or from injustice within. Our elected leaders swear an oath to protect and defend the constitution of the United States, a legal framework for the protection of every citizen’s rights. As commander-in-chief, the president is entrusted with national security.
So as we begin the process of choosing “our shield” for the next four years, it’s good to know that “the shields of the earth belong to God.” God is the ultimate sovereign of planet earth and every king, prime minister, president, tyrant, and tin-pot dictator belongs to him. We would do well to remember that “the king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will.” (Proverbs 21:1)
Because of this, the Apostle Paul urges us to make praying for world leaders our first priority,
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:1-4)
Throughout biblical history, God has directed the hearts of kings to do his will. He softened the heart of the Egyptian pharaoh in Joseph’s day to favor God’s people. Then He hardened the heart of another pharaoh in Moses’ day who showed them contempt. God humbled the Syrian general Naaman and the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar, and although “pagans”, they each became witnesses to His greatness. God moved the Persian King Cyrus to return the Jewish captives to their homeland, and He used a decree of Caesar Augustus to move a young couple from Nazareth to Bethlehem, the city of David, to fulfill a prophecy of the messiah’s birth there. The actions of King Herod would send the infant messiah to live in Egypt, fulfilling another prophecy, and the words of a Roman procurator would condemn that same messiah to death on a cross, ultimately fulfilling God’s mission to offer salvation to the world.
God is at work in human history through human leaders. How God’s complete sovereignty and human free will are entangled remains a mystery to me, but of this I am sure: God is writing the story, and He’s already told us the ending.
All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O LORD,
for they have heard the words of your mouth,
and they shall sing of the ways of the LORD,
for great is the glory of the LORD. (Psalm 138:4,5)
So when you pray and participate in our democracy, you can be confident that whatever the election result, the “shields of the earth” will always belong to God. And you can find assurance in God’s promise that “when the earth totters, and all its inhabitants, it is I who keep steady its pillars.” (Psalm 75:3)