Was Lee Kuan Yew the Lord’s anointed?

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Was Lee Kuan Yew the Lord’s anointed?

Much is being written in warm memory and earnest appreciation of Lee Kuan Yew (LKY) who was Prime Minister of Singapore 1959-1990. However, he was much more than a long-serving prime Minister. He made nothing into something. He inherited a small island that was a former British colony (the ‘little red dot’ of President Habibie) and which was soon to be on its own after separation from the new Malaysian federation.  This little red dot is now a nation that punches above its weight in just so many ways.

It is no surprise that the death of LKY drew a large response both locally and internationally. He was a leader who deserves respect, even from those who do not agree with his every word and deed. I am personally glad for the opportunity to live as an expatriate in Singapore for 11.5 years and enjoy the fruits of his nation-building. Had I been in Singapore, I would have been glad to queue and pay my respects.

For Christians, the death of LKY is an event to ponder.

One question is easy to answer. LKY did not profess to be a Christian and should not be spoken of as one.

In his own words:

Different societies have different philosophical explanations for life and the hereafter.

…

I wouldn't call myself an atheist. I neither deny nor accept that there is a God. The universe, they say, came out of the Big Bang.

But human beings on this earth have developed over the last 20,000 years into thinking beings, and are able to see beyond themselves and think about themselves. Is that a result of Darwinian evolution? Or is it God? I do not know.

So I do not laugh at people who believe in God. But I do not necessarily believe in God - nor deny that there could be one.

(http://ionsg.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/lee-kuan-yews-views-on-life-and-death.html).

For all his remarkable achievements, LKY was a man like any other. He was created in the image of God and his life held great value even before any of his great deeds (Gen 1:26-27). Like every person, LKY was a sinner who rebelled against God and who fell short of his glory (Rom 3:23). Like every person, he needed a saviour and, like every person, he had the invitation to believe in Jesus who is the only one who has opened the way to eternal life (Jn 3:16; 14:6; 1 Tim 2:5). So far as the world knows, he never accepted that invitation. There is no reason to say (as was seen on social media): Heaven has opened its door to receive him our Great Leader. God bless his soul.

It is immeasurably sad that so great a man appears to have died without believing in the far greater One who alone could save him.

What assessment then can Christians make of LKY? If he is not a hero of faith (Hebrews 11) is he then to be dismissed of no particular interest to Christians? No!

The Old Testament figure of Cyrus gives a lens through which to form a positive Christian view of LKY.

Cyrus (d529BC) founded the Persian empire and led it to the status of a great power in the ancient near east (http://www.iranchamber.com/history/cyrus/cyrus.php). He respected the local customs and religion of his subject peoples and enabled the return of the Jews from exile with a large treasure trove in 538BC. He is mentioned 23 times in the Jewish and Christian Scriptures (2 Chron; Ezra, Isaiah and Daniel).

The Isaiah references are especially significant:

                .. who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd,

and he shall fulfill all my purpose’;

                        saying of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be built,’

and of the temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid.’ ” (Is 44:28)

And again:

 Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus,

whose right hand I have grasped,

                        to subdue nations before him

and to loose the belts of kings,

                        to open doors before him

that gates may not be closed:

                ²         “I will go before you

and level the exalted places,

                        I will break in pieces the doors of bronze

and cut through the bars of iron,

                ³         I will give you the treasures of darkness

and the hoards in secret places,

                        that you may know that it is I, the Lord,

the God of Israel, who call you by your name.

                ⁴         For the sake of my servant Jacob,

and Israel my chosen,

                        I call you by your name,

I name you, though you do not know me. (Is 45:1-5)

Note the terms used of Cyrus: he is the Lord’s shepherd and anointed before whom the Lord goes to subdue nations, open doors, level places receive treasures. These are high titles and this is strong language for an earthly king. Shepherd and anointed are titles that Christians more commonly think of as applying to King David and to the Lord Jesus. Anointed is especially striking, for the underlying Hebrew word in Messiah and the Greek equivalent is Christ. Cyrus is given the same titles that were later applied to the Lord Jesus.

What is the Bible saying of Cyrus? It is not saying that he was a worshipper of the Lord. The mostly likely guess about his religion is that he was a Zoroastrian who followed the magi of his court (http://www.cais-soas.com/CAIS/History/hakhamaneshian/Cyrus-the-great/cyrus_the_great.htm). However, Cyrus was used by the Lord to achieve his purposes for a time. These purposes included judgement on the Babylonians and freedom for the Hebrews to return from exile. When the Lord’s purposes through Cyrus were achieved, he too died and his empire was replaced by that of the Greeks.

God providentially used Cyrus for both common and special grace. In common grace, he brought a large measure of stability to the geopolitics of his day. In special grace, he was used in the transition from the old covenant centred on national Israel and the anointed shepherd-king David to the new covenant centred on the greater anointed shepherd-king Jesus and the new Israel of Christian believers. This is so even though Cyrus did not participate in either the old or new covenants and their blessings.

I believe that it is right to speak of LKY as the Lord’s shepherd and anointed in the same sense of Cyrus.

Through LKY the Christian church found a safe place in Singapore, with a large measure of religious freedom, social stability and economic prosperity. Indeed, through LKY, the prayer of 1 Tim 2:1-2 has been generously answered. This has enabled the gospel to flourish both within Singapore and in its regional role as a ministry-training and missionary-sending nation. In all this, civil peace and quiet in Singapore has served the plans of God who desires that all people should be saved through knowledge of the one mediator Jesus Christ (1 Tim 2:3-6).

It is therefore right for Christian people to mourn the death of LKY and to thank God for his anointed shepherd. To do this is not to deny LKY’s own words of disbelief in God and make him some kind of Christian believer with a secure place for eternity. However, it is right to give thanks, to acknowledge and to mourn this man whom God gave to Singapore for such a time as this.