The King of Kings - 4/17/17
"Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to theLord. And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them."
- 1 Samuel 8:4-7
Israel wanted a king, and they demanded Samuel give them one. This wasn't a new request; they had asked Gideon to rule over them (Judges 8) and Gideon refused, but still the people desired a king.
In our day and age, we typically have a negative view of monarchy. That comes from our history and the negative effects we see monarchies have. Thousands of years ago, however, kings were the only form of government. When we think of a king, we typically think of a European style king that sends troops into war and enforces law; but in the Biblical age, a king was at the head of the army. He led them out into battle and his main purpose was to provide for the protection of the kingdom. As seen in 1 Samuel 8, he was also put there to judge disputes among the people (think Solomon and the two women arguing over the child). This is what Israel wanted for themselves; in their view, the judges were too unreliable, too random. They believed a king would improve their standing and help protect them from their enemies better.
However, the problem was that the Lord was supposed to be their king. As God tells Samuel, when Israel demanded Samuel anoint human a king over them, Israel was rejecting God. They were rejecting His rightful kingship and refusing His Lordship and power to protect them.
I think it's easy to understand their position. Having a dedicated protector to fight their enemies seems preferable to having to wait on a judge to save them from their enemies. However, the only reason Israel was being oppressed by their enemies in the first place was because they failed to keep God's commands. Their sin led to God handing them over into the hands of their enemies. He was being true to the words He had spoken to them in the wilderness. He was trying to teach them that He was in control, not them. Israel didn't learn this lesson well enough though. They trusted more in the strength of a human king than in the strength of the King of Kings.
We do the same thing today. In America, we don't look to a king to save us, but every four years we start a debate over who is best to lead and protect us. Often we end up believing that there is only one candidate who will do the right job, and we place a lot of faith and trust in them. In a lot of ways, we begin to look at our chosen candidate as a savior of sorts. We forget that the Lord God is Lord over all. No authority comes into place without His consent (Romans 13). He is the true King and we owe Him our allegiance. When we look more to a president, or a congressperson, or a mayor, or anything other than Him for a leader, we are rejecting God.
Let us not be deluded about the power of God. He is the one who in old days shook earth and heaven, opened the eyes of the blind, and raised the dead from their graves. There is no other name on earth or in heaven by which these things can be accomplished, but by the name of Jehovah. No authority has authority without His consent. He is our God, and we are His.
In our day and age, we typically have a negative view of monarchy. That comes from our history and the negative effects we see monarchies have. Thousands of years ago, however, kings were the only form of government. When we think of a king, we typically think of a European style king that sends troops into war and enforces law; but in the Biblical age, a king was at the head of the army. He led them out into battle and his main purpose was to provide for the protection of the kingdom. As seen in 1 Samuel 8, he was also put there to judge disputes among the people (think Solomon and the two women arguing over the child). This is what Israel wanted for themselves; in their view, the judges were too unreliable, too random. They believed a king would improve their standing and help protect them from their enemies better.
However, the problem was that the Lord was supposed to be their king. As God tells Samuel, when Israel demanded Samuel anoint human a king over them, Israel was rejecting God. They were rejecting His rightful kingship and refusing His Lordship and power to protect them.
I think it's easy to understand their position. Having a dedicated protector to fight their enemies seems preferable to having to wait on a judge to save them from their enemies. However, the only reason Israel was being oppressed by their enemies in the first place was because they failed to keep God's commands. Their sin led to God handing them over into the hands of their enemies. He was being true to the words He had spoken to them in the wilderness. He was trying to teach them that He was in control, not them. Israel didn't learn this lesson well enough though. They trusted more in the strength of a human king than in the strength of the King of Kings.
We do the same thing today. In America, we don't look to a king to save us, but every four years we start a debate over who is best to lead and protect us. Often we end up believing that there is only one candidate who will do the right job, and we place a lot of faith and trust in them. In a lot of ways, we begin to look at our chosen candidate as a savior of sorts. We forget that the Lord God is Lord over all. No authority comes into place without His consent (Romans 13). He is the true King and we owe Him our allegiance. When we look more to a president, or a congressperson, or a mayor, or anything other than Him for a leader, we are rejecting God.
Let us not be deluded about the power of God. He is the one who in old days shook earth and heaven, opened the eyes of the blind, and raised the dead from their graves. There is no other name on earth or in heaven by which these things can be accomplished, but by the name of Jehovah. No authority has authority without His consent. He is our God, and we are His.
-Jacob