for kings and all that are in dignity, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all piety and gravity;
Commentary for this Verse
Verse 1 commands prayer for everyone, including kings. This verse gives the reason, and it raises a question: why pray for rulers we cannot choose or control?
Why the prayer is aimed at rulers
The prayer asks God to so control rulers that His own people are left space to live. One writer links this to an older instruction. God's exiles in Babylon had to pray for the city that held them captive:
Hamilton SmithWe are to ask God to use His sovereign goodness over the rulers of this world. Then His people may lead "a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way". This world is hostile, and God's mind is that His people pass through it quietly. They are not to push themselves forward as if they were citizens of this world. They stay calm and keep out of the world's disputes. Long ago the prophet Jeremiah sent a letter to God's people who were captives in Babylon. He urged them to pray to the Lord for the peace of the city that held them prisoner. The prophet said, "in its welfare you will find your welfare" (Jeremiah 29:7). In the same spirit we are to seek the peace of the world, in order that God's people may have peace.
Good rulers and bad rulers alike
When Paul wrote, a man who had murdered his own mother and wife sat on the throne. A ruler does not have to deserve our prayers first:
A J PollockWhether in our judgment rulers are good or bad, our privilege is to pray for all alike. In fact, in the early days of the church, Nero was on the throne. He was the cruellest and most lustful of the Roman Emperors. He murdered his own mother and his own wife, and he persecuted Christians.
Bad government, then, is not a reason to fall silent but a reason to pray harder:
D. G. PullmanSome believers live in countries where those in authority misuse their power. That is even more reason to pray that they will use their authority responsibly.
Prayer rather than agitation
Writers see two things here: obeying rulers and praying for them, not campaigning against them. The prayer also reaches past our own borders:
J T MawsonGod has placed the Christian under his rulers. So it is unchristian to make trouble for them, to join a campaign against them, or to rebel against their authority. That is resisting what God has set up (Romans 13:2). It is the Christian's duty and privilege to pray for them. Not for the rulers of one land only, but for all who are in authority (1 Timothy 2), so that God's people in every land may be left in peace to live as Christians.
Standing back from political life does not leave the Christian powerless:
A J PollockChristians may choose to stay out of politics, yet their prayers are powerful, because heaven takes account of them.
What the quiet is for
We do not pray for peace just for our own comfort. We pray for it because believers grow best in settled times, though hardship has its own use:
F. B. HoleOur prayers for those in authority have a lot to do with ourselves. We pray so that we may be allowed to live godly lives in quietness and calm. God can use times of persecution to build courage and endurance in His people. Even so, it is in times of quiet and rest that they are most often built up and made strong, as Acts 9:31 records.
Godliness and dignity
The ESV reads "godly and dignified in every way". Older translations use "honesty" or "gravity" for the second word. It means a serious manner. The two words face in two directions, and neither can cover for the other:
William KellyOutbreaks of persecution pass, and God's people are left to live in peace, godly and serious. Nothing makes up for a failure in godliness before God and in serious conduct before other people.
The first of those words carries the weight of the whole letter:
Hamilton SmithGodliness is confidence in the living God we know. It leads the believer to walk in holy fear of God through every circumstance of life. It recognises and honours God. So it is the very opposite of putting on a show of holiness to lift up self.
Summary
- Ask — Prayer for kings is a duty and a privilege, and it covers rulers of every land, not only our own.
- Anyone — Nero was on the throne when this was written; a ruler's cruelty is a reason to pray more, not less.
- Aim — We ask God to control rulers so that His people are left undisturbed. Jeremiah told the exiles the same thing: seek the city's peace and you share in it.
- Absence — We do not ask for power or protest. Commentators see the believer stepping back from politics while their prayers still count in heaven.
- Attitude — The peace we pray for has a purpose: godliness before God and seriousness before people. Quiet seasons are where believers grow most.