The Lord removes kings and sets up kings
Michael Veitch
Expected it was not. It is true that rumours about her possible departure at some point have been circulating for a while, but the news that Scotland’s longest serving First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, was set to resign, when it came on Wednesday morning, was a genuine shock even among seasoned observers. Sturgeon had been First Minister for more than eight years: where there has been much turnover, and at times, turmoil in Westminster, that has not been the case in Holyrood until now.
It is inevitable that over the coming days, vast volumes of newspaper columns will be devoted to analysing her decision, both in Scotland and beyond. How though do we as Christians make sense of it all?
A wise starting point is surely the opening of Romans 13:
“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.”
Paul reminds the church that political leaders have been put in place by God – whether they acknowledge the fact or not – even if we do not always (or ever) agree with them.
God establishes governments as his servants (v. 4), and encourages us to give to everyone what we owe them: “if you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honour, then honour.” But inevitably, any human leader, and particularly those who do not know God, will make decisions with which we disagree, and as citizens of heaven we yearn for those in power to make manifest a semblance of righteousness that emanates from ‘home’ (2 Pet. 3.13) so that we might witness goodness in society.
As she admitted herself in her resignation press conference, the First Minister had become a polarising figure. While this is of course true of most politicians, her alignment with the cause of Scottish Independence unquestionably heightened this in the eyes of many. This perhaps makes it more difficult to objectively assess her time in office as distinct from the constitutional question that has defined Scottish politics for the past decade.
This is not the place to discuss her political successes and failures as our own individual politics shall undoubtedly colour our views. What we can say is that she has provided Scotland with a level of stable leadership, for which we should thank God. This was perhaps most apparent during the dark days of the Covid pandemic when her steady handling of public information won her wide-ranging respect well beyond her own supporter base. Stable government is not something we can take for granted, and so mindful of Romans 13:1, we should surely thank God for his steady hand upon the life of our nation.
As Christians, we believe that every political leader is capable of enacting good in the world. We believe in the concept of ‘common grace’ (or ‘prevenient grace’), whereby God, by grace, empowers anyone – regardless of whether they follow Jesus or not – to be capable of acting well towards others. God has always used people who do not believe in him to bring about good: through King Cyrus He brought about justice the nations. It was because the God of Israel had ‘put my spirit upon him’ (Isa. 42.1) that Cyrus could rule in such a way.
But over recent months especially, there have been significant developments emanating from both the Scottish Parliament and Government that have rightly grieved the Lord’s people, not least the dismal and appalling passage of the Gender Recognition Reform Bill just before Christmas. While there is much to lament that has come before it, this particular Bill, which effectively dismantled the God-given reality of biological sex, surely represented the darkest of days in the history of Holyrood. That the truths of God’s Word, once so central to Scottish civic life, have been all but shut out, is undeniable. And while politicians very obviously attempted to keep a lid upon the issue as the Bill was debated in the run up to Christmas (even necessitating the cancelation of the annual Holyrood Christmas celebration), the wider issue of ‘self-identification’ has undeniably blown up in the face of the senior politicians during these early weeks of 2023.
Ultimately, legislation reflects the heart and ideals of our outgoing First Minister and her Government.
“For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”
Her political agenda reveals she is operating under a different worldview to the kingdom of Jesus. For almost 24 years Sturgeon has represented the people of Glasgow and/or her Southside constituency. But only politics motivated “by the preaching of his word and the praising of his name” can truly enable human flourishing as God intended it.
Until fairly recently, Nicola Sturgeon appeared unassailable and in near total control of the political agenda north of the border. Now she has gone. This most dramatic of turn arounds underlines the oft cited scriptural truth that time is short and that our control over our own circumstances is illusory. As Daniel once prayed,
“Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings.”
We remember Jesus’ words to the Roman governor Pilate: “You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above” (Jn. 19.11). Leaders may seem confident and in control: but Sturgeon, just like Pilate, has not been truly in control at any stage of her high office, as no leader ever is. God is the one who has been preparing His Kingdom from the foundation of the world (Matt. 25.34).
It is impossible to assess, at such an early stage, what led to Nicola Sturgeon’s decision to leave office. Inevitably, many are already linking her exit with the backlash over the Gender Recognition Reform Bill, although she has repudiated that suggestion. Her stated words, at least, indicated a willingness not to cling onto power unnecessarily and a desire to not outstay her welcome:
“Since my very first moments in the job, I have believed that part of serving well would be to know – almost instinctively – when the time is right to make way for someone else. And when that time came, to have the courage to do so – even if, to many across the country and in my party, it might feel too soon.”
A refreshingly rare trait in our politics these days, such a sentiment (regardless of whether it is true or not) is something to which we should aspire. Leaders are to be stewards and servants; should a time come when a leader is no longer serving, or is even proving harmful to their people, that is the time for them to think about stepping back from leadership.
It is known to God alone why the events of this week ultimately took place, and we must be careful not to over speculate. Certainly He remains in ultimate control over the authorities, and it is to Him that we direct our worship and praise.
And so now, perhaps more than ever, is a time for Christians across Scotland and beyond to soak Scottish politics in prayer. So often a bastion of hubris, there is now a gaping vacuum at Holyrood, and we must pray that God will provide Scotland with wise leadership for such a time as this.
And let us pray especially for Nicola Sturgeon herself, that God would be pleased to humble her, to sustain and prosper her in her remaining time in office, and ultimately to reveal Christ Jesus to her.
To close, we can surely do not better than to recite the timeless words of King David, which we know shall ultimately come to pass:
“Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, And rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.”