Government Shutdowns and God’s Blueprint for Smaller Government
Considering the government shutdown as an opportunity to reduce the overall footprint of the Federal Government.
Well, here we are again—another government shutdown. Every time it happens, the news cycles roll, the talking heads yell, and Americans everywhere wonder: “What does this mean for me?”
Let me make a suggestion: maybe instead of panicking, we should pause and ask, “Could this actually be an opportunity?” An opportunity to rethink how much we’ve asked the federal government to do for us in the first place.
Believe it or not, the Bible has a lot to say about the purpose and limits of government. And—spoiler alert—it looks a lot more like “small footprint” than “bloated bureaucracy.”
Here are six biblical reasons why government shutdowns might actually remind us of God’s original design.
Let me make a suggestion: maybe instead of panicking, we should pause and ask, “Could this actually be an opportunity?” An opportunity to rethink how much we’ve asked the federal government to do for us in the first place.
Believe it or not, the Bible has a lot to say about the purpose and limits of government. And—spoiler alert—it looks a lot more like “small footprint” than “bloated bureaucracy.”
Here are six biblical reasons why government shutdowns might actually remind us of God’s original design.
1. The Limited Role of Government
Romans 13:1–7 (ESV):
Paul says human government exists to punish evil and reward good. That’s the lane. But today we’ve got government involved in regulating everything from what’s in your hamburger to how many gallons of water your toilet can flush. No wonder when Washington “shuts down,” it feels like the whole country might collapse. Maybe that’s the problem.
“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. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.”
Paul says human government exists to punish evil and reward good. That’s the lane. But today we’ve got government involved in regulating everything from what’s in your hamburger to how many gallons of water your toilet can flush. No wonder when Washington “shuts down,” it feels like the whole country might collapse. Maybe that’s the problem.
2. Sphere Sovereignty
Matthew 22:21 (ESV):
Caesar doesn’t get everything. Families raise children (Ephesians 6), churches shepherd souls (Ephesians 5), and the state keeps justice. When D.C. tries to take over all three, you wind up with a bloated beast that no shutdown can slim down. Maybe the shutdown is a chance to return some responsibilities back to where they belong.
“Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
Caesar doesn’t get everything. Families raise children (Ephesians 6), churches shepherd souls (Ephesians 5), and the state keeps justice. When D.C. tries to take over all three, you wind up with a bloated beast that no shutdown can slim down. Maybe the shutdown is a chance to return some responsibilities back to where they belong.
3. Subsidiarity (Power Closest to the People)
Exodus 18:21–22 (ESV):
“Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. And let them judge the people at all times. Every great matter they shall bring to you, but any small matter they shall decide themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you.”
Moses learned the hard way: don’t centralize everything at the top. Push responsibility closer to the people. That principle—subsidiarity—suggests that not every problem in your community needs a federal solution. If the shutdown forces some responsibilities back to states, counties, or even families, that’s not a crisis—it’s biblical.
“Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. And let them judge the people at all times. Every great matter they shall bring to you, but any small matter they shall decide themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you.”
Moses learned the hard way: don’t centralize everything at the top. Push responsibility closer to the people. That principle—subsidiarity—suggests that not every problem in your community needs a federal solution. If the shutdown forces some responsibilities back to states, counties, or even families, that’s not a crisis—it’s biblical.
4. The Danger of Centralized Power
1 Samuel 8:11–18 (ESV):
Israel asked for a king. God warned them: taxes, bureaucracy, confiscation, enslavement. In short: “You wanted big government? You got it.” Every shutdown is a reminder that maybe we’ve given Washington far more power than it was ever meant to have.
“These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men and your donkeys, and put them to his work. He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”
Israel asked for a king. God warned them: taxes, bureaucracy, confiscation, enslavement. In short: “You wanted big government? You got it.” Every shutdown is a reminder that maybe we’ve given Washington far more power than it was ever meant to have.
5. Personal Responsibility and Charity
2 Thessalonians 3:10 (ESV):
James 1:27 (ESV):
Here’s the difference: the Bible calls families and churches to care for the truly needy, while calling the lazy to personal responsibility. When the government takes over welfare, it tends to confuse the two. A shutdown reminds us that compassion doesn’t stop when D.C. pauses—it never should have been centralized there in the first place.
“For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.”
James 1:27 (ESV):
“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”
Here’s the difference: the Bible calls families and churches to care for the truly needy, while calling the lazy to personal responsibility. When the government takes over welfare, it tends to confuse the two. A shutdown reminds us that compassion doesn’t stop when D.C. pauses—it never should have been centralized there in the first place.
6. Don’t Worship the State
Daniel 3:4–6 (ESV):
Revelation 13:16–17 (ESV):
When government gets too big, it doesn’t just get inefficient—it gets idolatrous. It wants worship, loyalty, and even control over your buying and selling. A shutdown is a helpful reminder that Washington is not our savior, and it shouldn’t pretend to be.
“And the herald proclaimed aloud, ‘You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. And whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace.’”
Revelation 13:16–17 (ESV):
“Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name.”
When government gets too big, it doesn’t just get inefficient—it gets idolatrous. It wants worship, loyalty, and even control over your buying and selling. A shutdown is a helpful reminder that Washington is not our savior, and it shouldn’t pretend to be.
Conclusion
So yes, shutdowns can be frustrating. They mess with paychecks, flights, permits, and parks. But maybe, just maybe, they’re also a moment to remember that God never designed government to carry every burden.
Shutdowns expose the truth: if we need Washington open 24/7 just to function, then Washington is doing too much. Perhaps the path forward isn’t just reopening the government—but reducing its footprint so that the next “shutdown” doesn’t feel like the sky is falling.
After all, the Bible’s model of government is limited, local, and focused on justice. And let’s be honest: the fewer forms I have to fill out at the DMV, the holier I feel.
Shutdowns expose the truth: if we need Washington open 24/7 just to function, then Washington is doing too much. Perhaps the path forward isn’t just reopening the government—but reducing its footprint so that the next “shutdown” doesn’t feel like the sky is falling.
After all, the Bible’s model of government is limited, local, and focused on justice. And let’s be honest: the fewer forms I have to fill out at the DMV, the holier I feel.
The Maximum Life Blog
My name is Zach Terry. The thoughts and opinions expressed in this blog are my own, with occasional interjections from my bride of nearly 25 years, Julie. This format of publication is meant to allow for engagement and interaction. Feel free to comment. But please, be nice.
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