"He was dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven, dressed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with an iron rod, and he will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written: 'King of kings and Lord of lords'." (Book of Revelation, chapter 19, verses 13-16*)
"But one of the elders said to me: 'Do not weep! Behold the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.' (Book of Revelation, chapter 5, verse 5*)
"Safe?" said Mr. Beaver – "Didn’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about 'safe'? 'Course he isn’t safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you!" – C. S. Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
We humans are very fragile creatures individually. God created us to live in a community, to need one another, which keeps us aware of our own insufficiency. However, it is interesting that when many people come together, there emerges a natural need for a leader. The people themselves desire to elect one, so there is no chaos, so there is direction and clarity, so there is safety and peace.
This is what the people of Israel did thousands of years ago – they wanted to choose a king for themselves. Perhaps this does not seem strange or unnatural, considering how modern states operate and are structured. They always have a leader. But how did God respond to Israel’s desire to choose a king?
The prophet Samuel led the people for a long time, but he aged. He then decided to appoint his two sons, Joel and Abijah, to the role of judges, whose conduct, however, bore no resemblance to their father’s. The Bible states they accepted bribes and perverted justice. The people were disappointed and demobilized. Then they all went to Samuel and told him they wished to choose a king for them. He considered this evil and disagreed, explaining to them the authority a king would have over them, but they insisted: "No, let there be a king over us and we will be like all nations. Our king will judge us, will lead us and will fight our battles." (First Book of Samuel, chapter 8, verses 19b-20*, bold is ours)
Then Samuel stands in prayer before God and hears this: "Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them." (First Book of Samuel, chapter 8, verse 7*)
This is the story of the rise of Saul, the first king of the Israelites.
The Israelites get what they want. What is the problem here?
Their desires do not align with God’s desires. So why then does God allow something that is not according to His will to happen? Because we decide to be masters of our own. To reign in our small kingdom with the limited power granted to us, issuing destructive decrees for ourselves and the people around us. God allowed them to choose a king who could not compare to the King they had before, none other than Yahweh Himself. He allowed this to show them the difference between serving man and serving God – the one is slavery, and the other is freedom and safety.
There will always be a throne in your life, and someone will always sit upon it. Many "kings" will vie to take the throne, and your human nature will also strive to reach it. However, the truth is this: The only rightful and true King is the Lord Jesus Christ. Royal blood runs through His veins, He has earned the right to rule, and all will be subjected under His feet: "For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death." (First Letter to the Corinthians, chapter 15, verses 25-26*) In the presence of the King, there is no insecurity, fear, anger, lawlessness, chance. When Jesus reigns in our lives, all that disappears because He is in His rightful place.
Challenge of the week: Can you copy or print Psalm 18? Place it somewhere you can read it when leaving home or when coming back. Every time you feel insecure or afraid, remind yourself who the King is. Do not let the noise around you drown out God’s word, grab your Bible and read Psalm 18. God is truly with you!
*Bible quotes are according to the text of Bible, new translation from the original languages © Bulgarian Bible Society 2013.
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