Put them in fear, O Lord, that the nations may know themselves to be but men. (Psalm 9:20)

David’s Foreign Policy

The king of Israel knew very little about the world outside his domain. Israel had been a nation for just over four hundred years, with only three kings ruling over a united country. It would be another thousand years before the Roman Empire would rule the world, and the Son of God would come. Knowledge of the nations was limited, but David understood that one important characteristic of all people is that no matter how great the nation or powerful the army, every nation is made of men.

David battled the Philistines throughout his rule. He had read of the ancient Egyptians through the writings of Moses. The threat of the Assyrians and Babylonians was hundreds of years away. God would use Gentile nations to punish His people for disobedience. During the time of the Roman Empire, the eternal plan for the salvation of humanity was established, and the kingdom of God began in Jerusalem. The church has been in existence for two thousand years. It will continue without interruption until the coming of Jesus. Nothing will destroy the kingdom of God. That is not the case with the kingdoms of men.

Nations are the representative power of a collective people forming a united purpose and mind under a common belief. Great nations have ruled the world. The world has been engulfed in flames from nations that desired global power. At the end of the day, every nation is nothing but dust in the bucket from the eyes of God and formed by man with all the weaknesses and frailties of the human spirit. God allowed nations to be formed following the failed attempt to build a tower to the heavens. The Tower of Babel is so named because it was where the tongues of the nations were created, and each tongue began its own distinctive society. All the nations of the world derived from the land of Shinar.  

David ruled over the greatest nation in the world because God was the king. When the people of Israel obeyed the will of God, no nation could stand before them. Solomon took the nation to the greatest it had ever been, and even the Queen of Sheba was awe-struck. After the death of Solomon, the nation divided, and the Assyrians destroyed the northern ten tribes. The Babylonians conquered the remaining Jews, and Israel was never independent again until the final destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Israel forgot God, and God broke His covenant with them.

Every nation is made up of men who serve at the will of God. The Lord raises nations to His will, and He destroys nations. There are no “superpowers” because at the greatest height of a nation’s glory, God reminds them, they are “superpower dust.” Every nation should fear God because they are but men. Despots have tried to rule the world and failed because God is greater. There will never be a time when one nation will rule the world. God will not permit it because nations are made up of men.

Sometimes, men fear what the future will hold in the politics of the world. David gave the answer three thousand years ago. Any nation that forgets God will perish. All nations are made up of men who will fail without God. Only when a people fear the Lord for His righteousness and truth will a nation be exalted. History is the great storyteller of all the nations that thought themselves greater than God and found themselves to be men. There is comfort in knowing how great God is and how small man is. God’s love is to care for His people. He wants to exalt them. Nations are nothing but dust, but the dust God used to create man is His objective. He sent His Son to die for the man of dust. Thank God for His love.