Tag Archives: King

Give Us A King!

Posted on by under Christian Living

               In 1 Samuel 8 the nation of Israel came to Samuel, who was the last of the Judges.  Apparently, they felt Samuel was too old to continue to be their leader, as they pointed out the obvious to him.  More importantly, they wanted a king so that they could be like the nations surrounding them.

               This was not what God had desired for them.  He was supposed to be their king.  They were to look to God for His guidance, they were to rely upon Him for their protection, and they were not to be like the nations in the land of Canaan (Lev. 20:23).  God had called them to be a holy people, who would be different and distinct from their neighbors (Ex. 19:6; Lev. 19:2).

               Likewise, God calls for us today to be holy and distinct from the rest of the world (Eph. 1:4; 1 Pet. 1:15-16).  In 2 Corinthians 6 Paul explains that Christians today are the temple of the living God, and so we are to “Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord.  Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you” (2 Cor. 6:17).  Too often we are comfortable being like the world, but God desires something better from us.  Let us realize that we have a great King, and let us walk in His ways.

Cutting of the Scroll

Posted on by under Christian Living

Jehoiakim_Burns_the_Word_of_God_(Bible_Card)     Near the end of the kingdom of Judah, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Jeremiah and he was told to put all the accusations against Israel in Judah into a scroll. The hope of the Lord was that the people in Judah would hear about all the wrong things that were done, which offended God, and that they would repent before it was too late. The scroll was dictated by Jeremiah and written by the hand of Baruch, who was a scribe. After being read in the temple, the scroll was taken to king Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah (Jeremiah 36:1-4, 16).

     To say the least, Jehoiakim did not appreciate the things that were written on the scroll. He did not like that God was criticizing his practices, nor did he like that God was telling him through Jeremiah that the Babylonians were going to invade and conquer Judah if they did not repent. Jehoiakim made a choice to ignore and disbelieve the prophecies of Jeremiah. In objection to the scroll, the king cut it up and threw it into the fire (Jeremiah 36:23).

     It is interesting to wonder how many times in the many years since this event that others have tried to cut out the parts of God’s word that they did not want to hear, and metaphorically cast God’s word into the fire. Many have a tendency to approach religion as if it were a buffet table. They take what they like, but ignore or cut out those parts of scripture that do not agree with their lifestyle.

     In the case of Jehoiakim, he was not successful in ignoring God. God commanded Jeremiah to write another scroll, so God’s word was not to be defeated or destroyed. Additionally, Jehoiakim’s son lost the path to the throne, and Jehoiakim’s body found no rest after death by not receiving a proper burial (Jeremiah 36:27-30). For a king, this is a grievous insult. Let us think for a moment about what our fate will be if we attempt to do the same as Jehoiakim. We cannot ignore God’s will if we want to lay hold of eternal life. If we want rest after our physical death, we must adhere to the entirety of God’s law for us (Matthew 7:21ff). To cut away the parts of the scroll we don’t personally like is to cut away our own soul.

Right In Their Own Sight

Posted on by under Christian Living

chinese-traffic-chaos-small     Is it acceptable for each of us to do that which is right in our own sight? Are we free to make our own rules for what is right and wrong? Toward the latter section of the book of Judges, we find that there are two phrases that that are oft repeated for emphasis. The first of these is a reminder that there was no king in Israel in those days, and the second is that everyone did what was right in their own sight (Judges 17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25). In these examples we can find the answer to our questions.

     In the book of Judges we see a repeated pattern of the Israelites falling away from God, being oppressed by a foreign power, crying out for deliverance, and being rescued by a judge or deliverer. The latter section of the book shows us just how depraved they were and how far they had wandered from God. Yes, there was no king in the land, but God was supposed to be their king. There was no king in the land, because they had rejected God, and so each man did what was right in his own eyes. This led to them doing that which was evil, for the most part.

     When we look at our own lives and at our own nation, what do we see? We are subject to the kingdom of God and the law of Christ in the same manner that those Israelites were subject to God. Rejecting God and his Lordship over our lives will lead to disastrous results, just as it did for those who fell away in the period of the Judges.

     The lesson for us is that we need to follow God if we want to receive our eternal reward and avoid punishment. God punished those Israelites with oppression when they wandered from Him. God will punish us if we are not making Him our king, and if we are each doing whatever is right in our own sight regardless of the law of Christ. Our punishment may not come in this lifetime, but God warns us that His punishment for those who do not know him or do not obey His commandments will last for all eternity (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9). Thus we need to follow the king, and not what we think or feel is right or wrong.

Choosing Our Choice

Posted on by under Christian Living, Current Events

20268595946_58bfb01361_o     Americans across the country are beginning to gather in coffee shops, local burger joints, and neighborhood hangouts and discussing who our next president will be. Those in Iowa, New Hampshire, and other early primary states have made, or are making their choices now. We see it as a great privilege within our political system that we are allowed to choose our choice candidate to be our next leader. While democracy in politics and government is a great system, we must be sure to recognize that we do not get to choose when it comes to the one who is our ultimate ruler.

     The Bible teaches us that, “The LORD is King for ever and ever: The heathen are perished out of his land” (Psalm 10:16, KJV). “The LORD sat enthroned at the Flood, And the LORD sits as King forever” (Psalm 29:10). Also, “For the LORD Most High is awesome; He is a great King over all the earth” (Psalm 47:2). God is the King. He will be the Ruler forever and ever. He is over all of the earth. Thus, we do not get to choose who our King will be. God is it. Jesus told a parable about a man who went away to receive his kingdom, which is a reference to Jesus going off into heaven to receive His kingdom after His ascension from this earth (Hebrews 1:1-4; Psalm 110:1). Even though there were those in the parable who did not want to be ruled by this man, they could not prevent him from coming into his kingdom (Luke 19:11-27). We can choose to follow Him or not. We do have that free will. However, He is the Lord, the Ruler, and the King whether we accept Him or not.

     Therefore, seeing that these things are so, let us come and acknowledge Him as the King of kings and Lord of lords (1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 17:14). Let us choose Him as our choice to rule in our lives. If He is to be our Lord and Master, then we need to obey what He says to do. He is coming back some day to judge the living and the dead (Ecclesiastes 12:14; John 12:48; Acts 17:31; Matthew 25:31-32). Those who are obedient will be ushered in to their eternal reward. Those who refuse Him will be punished. He is the Lord whether you “vote” for Him or not. That cannot be changed. So as we exercise our choice for the next president, let us also think about exercising our free will to choose to serve God while we still have the time and opportunity to do so!

Esther’s Courage

Posted on by under Christian Living

Ester_y_Mardoqueo_escribiendo_la_primera_carta_del_Purim_(Ester,_9-20-21)_-_Aert_de_GELDER_-_Google_Cultural_Institute     In the twelfth year of the reign of King Ahasuerus of Persia, Haman, the king’s right hand man, issued a decree that in eleven months all of the Jews within the Persian Empire were to be executed. Haman was looking to wipe out the Jews because Mordecai, a Jew living in the Persian capital of Shushan, refused to bow down to him. The decree was sealed with the king’s signet ring, which he had given to Haman. This meant that the decree carried the authority of the king, and under Persian law it could not be rescinded (Esther 3:7-12).

     Unbeknownst to Haman, King Ahasuerus’ wife Esther was the cousin of Mordecai. Thus she was also a Jew. What would become of Esther and her nation? Would they be wiped out by this decree? When news of the planned massacre reached the ears of Mordecai, he pleaded with Esther to appeal to the king (Esther 4:1-9). Esther had not been summoned to appear before the king for some thirty days, however. In Persian law and custom, it was illegal to appear before the king if not summoned. If Esther appeared in the king’s court and did not curry his favor by having him extend his scepter towards her, Esther could be put to death (Esther 4:10-12)! What would Esther do?

     Although she was initially reluctant to appear before the king for fear of death, Esther was finally convinced by Mordecai to go before the king. Mordecai urged Esther to go to the king by saying, “[perhaps] you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this” (Esther 4:14b NKJV).   Esther showed a great deal of courage and faith in God to go to the king’s court and inquire with the king. Esther’s bold action saved her people and exposed Haman before the king as the bitter, arrogant man that he was. Instead of Mordecai and the Jewish nation being wiped out, Haman and his whole household were destroyed. Mordecai and Esther became prominent members of the ruling class of Persia.

     Are we, like Esther, afraid to approach the King? Do we hesitate to come before our Lord and King in prayer due to feelings of fear, inferiority, or hopelessness? Like Esther we should have the courage to boldly come before the throne of God with our prayers and petitions (Hebrews 4:16). Even though God already knows what we need before we ask for it, He still desires that we come before Him (Matthew 6:8). We need not fear that we are “wasting God’s time” with our requests and prayers of thanksgiving. God loves us, and He wants to hear from us. Therefore, let us continue to come before the throne of our Lord and Ruler in prayer.