Those truths have heightened my understanding of the vastness of the gap between the world’s view of ruling, and God’s.
Ruling as Providing:
From the foundation of the world, even before Adam and Eve were created, the Lord mentioned the concept of ruling. “And I, God, made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night, and the greater light was the sun, and the lesser light was the moon” Moses 2:16.
The previous verse makes it clear that the reason God made these “rulers” was to give light unto the world. In that sense the sun’s mission of ruling over the day, and the moon’s mission of ruling over the night were mission of providing, they were to give light to God’s children. That light has, from the dawn of time, provided feelings of love, comfort, warmth, food, and a multitude of other blessings to God’s children. Those great lights, acting in their capacity as rulers, truly have and continue to, provided for us. Even the Psalmist recognized those ruling lights as tokens of a merciful God, whose mercy endureth forever. Psalm 136:8-9
Jesus, in speaking of the wise and faithful stewards appointed to rule until the Master returns, mentions that their purpose as rulers was to provide, or in His words; “give them meat in due season.” Matthew 24:45.
Jesus’ loving command to Peter, who was to rule the church in Christ’s absence, was the simple yet powerful repeat of the command to provide for. Peter was told three times to feed the precious lambs for whom Jesus had died. John 21:15-17
Paul taught Timothy that failing to provide for those over whom we have stewardship, is akin to being an “infidel” I Timothy 5:8
To rule over = to provide for
Ruling as Stewardship
Soon after Adam and Eve had left the garden they were granted dominion over, (made rulers of) the earth. It is clear from the context that dominion in that case meant stewardship, a duty to care for all within their dominion. Genesis 1:26-28
In the powerful direction on what it means to have dominion, given in D & C 121, the Lord refers to the world’s view of dominion as that of exercising control or compulsion. He Labels such dominion as “unrighteous” inferring that righteous dominion would be something totally different from that exercised by a power hungry and fallen world.
In God’s directive righteous dominion by a presiding authority was to be exercised with love unfeigned, gentleness, meekness, long suffering, kindness, thus in God’s view dominion is to be based in charity the pure love of Christ. Further, the Lord teaches that any type of unrighteous use of authority would in fact destroy that very authority. Thus ruling in God’s way cannot be about power nor control, but rather must be about presiding over, being good stewards of, and serving those within our stewardship. Such leadership envisions loving care for the vineyard, selflessly seeking to bring about the joy, peace and exaltation of those entrusted to our care.
A great example of one exercising just such righteous dominion was King Mosiah, who “labored with all the power and faculties he possessed” to teach the people of God and to establish peace throughout the land. He actions for those in his care lead them to love and “esteem him more than any other man”. Mosiah 29
To rule over = to be a good steward of
Ruling as Ministering.
Through his prophet Ezekiel God reproved the rulers of Israel, who he likened to shepherds of the people for their failure to understand what it meant to rule. Their selfishness lead them to follow the world’s pattern of ruling, which was to use their authority for selfish purposes. Members of their flock had become merely a means to getting what they wanted, things to be used for selfish gains. Contrarily Ezekiel taught that ruling as a shepherd in God’s kingdom included such actions as; "Seeking the lost, Binding up the broken, Strengthening the sick". To God ruling as a shepherd meant to minister to. Ezekiel 34
Jesus reinforced the concept as ruling as a form of ministering in his powerful teaching to the Quorum of the Twelve, (those who were to be the presiding authorities over the church after his death, resurrection and ascension). On an occasion near the end of His ministry Jesus, (observing a tendency among some of the Twelve to embrace the world’s view of ruling), taught them that they we NOT to follow the Gentile’s view of exercising dominion. No, as presiding leaders they were not to be ministered to, but were expected instead to minster to others. Jesus, the supreme ruler, reminded them that He came to earth to serve, to minister to others, which included the giving of his life for the church. Matthew 20:20-28
Peter must have understood the Lord’s directive for he later taught the presiding Elders to reject the worlds’ concept of “Lordship” in favor of what he called “oversight” which function included feeding the flock willingly, and without any thought for personal gain. They were, in Peter’s teaching, to be examples, not Lords. I Peter 5:2-3
The concept of ruling by giving one’s life for the flock, always brings to mind Paul’s teaching to husbands about what it means to minster to their wives. Husbands are to follow Jesus’ example, to “love their wives, even as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it.” Ephesians 5:25
In January of 1831, Jesus spoke through the prophet Joseph Smith about the time when he would come again to rule among his saints with this sweet description; “But verily I say unto you that in time ye shall have no king nor ruler, for I will be your king and “watch over you”. How sweet to know that as the millennial ruler, Jesus’ function will be to care for His people, to “watch over” them as a good shepherd does for the sheep. D&C 38:21
To rule over = to minister to
Ruling in God’s kingdom then is not about having power or dominion over others, but rather it is about knowing who the others are whom God expects us to provide for and to minister to.