Gary North and Gary DeMar discuss the benefits and biblical application of the Five Point Covenant Model.
The Tower of Babel, the first “Tower of Power,” is a good place to start in understanding the nature of political power. These early empire-builders wanted to make a name for themselves (Gen. 11 :4) by supplanting the government of God and replacing it with a centralized, bureaucratic system where all of life would be controlled from Babel. Making a name for themselves, like naming in general, is an act of sovereignty (Gen. 2:20, 23; Dan. 1:6-7).
In Genesis 11 we find the purposeful attempted overthrow of God’s order and the elimination of God’s name. Those involved in this conspiracy (see Psalm 2) were humanistic, man-centered kingdom-builders who wanted to consolidate their efforts and establish Babel as the political center.
The symbol of centralized power was the tower: “I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of the assembly in the recesses of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High” (Isa. 14: 13-14).
God’s government is the only centralized government. He is the Planner. The builders of the tower wanted to be what God is. The tower represented the seat of power—God’s throne. Those who built the tower wanted to rise above “the stars of God” (Isa. 14: 13). In Scripture, stars often represent rulers and/or kingdoms (Judges 5:20; Dan. 8:10; Matt. 24:29; Mark 13:25). According to Babylonian mythology, the gods made their throne and counseled together in the far north. In effect, the dictators in Babel wanted to rule the world. Their centralized kingdom would be located in the “land of Shinar.” Power-hungry rulers, through the agency of civil government, would become like God as they ascended the Tower of Power, grabbing for more and more control over God’s created order, centralizing power and subjugating the people to do their bidding.
Liberty at Risk
Without a proper understanding of civil government's biblical function and limited jurisdiction, Christians can be trapped into believing that civil government should promote policies beyond its designed purpose as long as they are for ‘the good of the people.’ This reasoning can lead many to choose security no matter what the cost to liberty.
Buy NowIn this short interview with the late Dr. Gary North, the two Garys discuss the benefits and biblical application of the Five Point Covenant Model. Dr. North shows that the covenant is unavoidable and always flows out from the very first point: “Who’s in Charge?”