They have rejected me from being king over them
Doug has written a very good post called “give us a king.” If you’re not familiar with Doug, he wrote a guest post for me last year called “Guest Blogger: Not salary but support,” and he completed his first half marathon around the same time that I completed my first half marathon (see his post “My 1st Half Marathon“). (I even interviewed Doug about running on my running blog: “Interview with Doug who recently started running.”)
This post probably caught my attention because we are studying through 1 Samuel right now. That book is amazing in it’s contrast between obedience and disobedience, trusting God and trusting something/someone else.
Here is a small part of Doug’s post:
The people were firmly warned that they should NOT look toward a ruler to set things straight in the land. Non-the-less the people got what they wanted – a king. Now that Saul was set in place all would go well. This guy looked the part and would surely have all the answers. But things didn’t go that way at all.
What they should have done is the same thing that we as Christians should do. We should consider Jesus our King. His body should be modeling, explaining, and demonstrating the principles of His kingdom. Only He can solve racial problems. Jesus alone is true and faithful.
I’m not sure why Doug focused on “racial problems” in that last paragraph (I asked him on his blog). In fact, only Jesus can solve any real kingdom problem.
Interestingly, when God told Samuel to appoint Saul as king over Israel, he also told them that they were not “getting off the hook.” What do I mean? Regardless of what the king did or did not do, the people (including the king) were still to trust God and God alone.
I think this lesson is important in politics, yes. But, it’s important in so many other areas of life as well.
Alan, Yes! This king principle is found all throughout the scriptures, isn’t it? Headship, has been on my mind for a while now, as headship answers the problems with Israel, and the Captive Ekklesia. If we understand that the mission Jesus(as the last Adam)was on, was to complete the spiritual return to the garden then we can have a good lens to view His eternal purposes through. The Father’s purpose has always been for us to be His children, His family. God’s purpose in Jesus was to have that family beget a Bride for His Son. When we as the Lord’s children, come under another headship, coming into unity and agreement. We violated all of the God given laws of spiritual relationship with Himself. We are designed for communal intimacy with our heavenly Father and His Son alone as the head. In that coming together of the Divine and the human, the original garden relationship is reestablished. Spiritual children are born; any interference with that union constitutes spiritual adultery. Any other agreement, intimacy, or spiritual union begets children of the slave woman. And so we have today, wheat and tares all growing alongside each other in a household called church. An imposter spirit appearing as an angel of light runs this show, we timidly counsel her to do better, but she scoffs. She and her kings, popes, priest, and many pastors, attempt to keep the show going, their jobs and livelihoods are at stake. Soon and even at this hour, she and her false prophets, will come to an unhappy ending. Those within her walls, who have not bowed their knee to Baal, will hear His voice calling them to come out of her and to not share in her sins.Then the true sons of the most High God will shine like the sun in the spiritual kingdom of their Father.
I have seen people doing this with their pastors. The pastors often put themselves up as ‘kings’ over their congregations, but the people further fuel this by asking him to do all the praying, asking him to make their decisions, relying on all that he teaches, depending on him to tell them God’s will for them and essentially living vicariously through him.
Having once been told to do what the pastor says and I would be “covered”, I know that there are some who put themselves in that position, but they would have no power were it not for (actually, lazy) people who fawn over their leadership, relying on them for all that they could very well go directly to the Lord for.
Didn’t the Hebrews blow this one? When Moses went up to the mountain and they had the opportunity to go up, too, they told Moses, “No, Mo, that’s okay. You go on up and fill us in when you get back. We’ll just wait down here.”
They, like many others in various churches, would rather stay where they think it’s safe. They did not want to go through the effort or experience the awe of hearing from God for themselves. They would rather have a leader do it for them. They would rather have a king.
“Oh, pastor, pray for this and that.”
“Oh, pastor, tell me what God wants me to do.”
“Oh, pastor, lead me.”
“Oh, pastor, should I buy this house?”
“Oh, pastor, how should I spend my money?”
This could be a looong list. But, I trust there is a point made without exhausting this any further.
Marc,
Yes, the true sons and daughters of the king shine today as well, regardless of what word they use to refer to the gathered body of Christ. 🙂
John,
I agree that organizational leaders among the church (like the kings of Israel) can hinder others from following their real king.
-Alan