However, extra sensitivity to their rights, especially in the face of governments that are easily suborned by the powerful, does not warrant prejudice in their favor. This is not to say that results are unimportant. Biblical kingship, however, means something different from today's secular government. Moreover, such a broad injunction tells us nothing about public policy. A good society cares for the disadvantaged, but nothing in Scripture requires one or another public program.
Scripture also restricts how the state can act.
The most important limitation flows from the First Commandment. This century has been marked by secular rulers and systems making pretentious claims of near-divinity. Today, the government purports to set moral standards, meet personal needs, and even give life meaning. The Bible suggests that an expansive state is also bad because it will reflect the sinfulness of its participants and therefore routinely mistreat its citizens. Man is a fallen creature all too willing to do wrong.