An Earthly King

An Earthly King

3/11/17

Are there any advantages to having a king that has a physical connection with their subjects?  Are there a flawless representative and a perfect individual that can prove adequate for all the demands that humanity requires?  Why do we ignore the standout status and choose the standard model instead?  All of these questions are given to us in the Bible when Israel chose the earthly path instead of obeying and following God.  We must be careful to understand what is harmful even though it may look succulent to our eyes.  God’s one and only desire declares that His children understand that there is no other higher King than Him and when we choose (settle) for a lower standard, our lives can only be further complicated and not simplified.

All of us would like to believe that our best friend when growing up is the one that knows us the best.  Most of us have had friends that we said that we would never leave or never be away from yet in almost every contest in our existence we have for one reason or another left those surroundings to pursue other devices that we deem more important.  While the separation from these friendships hurt for a moment our long-term goals are back on track within a short amount of time and off into the distance we ride without those previous vows being fulfilled.

Being a preacher’s kid I have had the great opportunity to be around some great people who I considered to be my close friends.  I have always led with my heart and held nothing back when establishing this type of relationship.  It did not matter what period of my life I could refer to, this pattern of mine I take very serious and could not break or change if I wanted.  But instead of me developing those friendships to a godly level I made them so superficial that the moment I left the area those connections walked and ended just as far as I left in the opposite direction.  I regret not pursuing friendships better and when I stop and think about how I viewed God in my younger years I can see the reflection of how I held those friendships in my life as well, with a haunting similarity I must state.  Over the years I have learned through the difficulties of my own and in good times as well, that when God is not placed first in every aspect of my life and our lives also we can know no peace, tranquility, or holiness because when God is not first in every aspect of personal humanity the world rules and that truth can only bring chaos.

We must consider all of the aspects of a relationship and how all parties involved will be effected with the leadership package that comes into power.  There were many times over my youthful days that I would befriend a person but mom and dad would have a check about that person for a reason unknown to them.  But to my amazement, and my anger sometimes, those unfriendly type relationships would prove out to be bad on some level and those “friends” would prove that God was speaking to them so that my life would not be harmed.  How can this kind of safety net be intact when the king of an individual, a group, state or nation does not recognize an authority that cannot represent anything but holiness and perfection?  How many times have I heard about good families being destroyed for no what seems like good reason yet watch them fall apart because who they have in charge over their households; then when the truth comes out it is easy to understand why they were shredded to pieces.  It does not matter on what level one wishes to make this case and use as an example, if God is not the focus of the governance and countenance of that entity, it shall fail on all levels it is associated with from within.

I Samuel Chapter 8 gives us a great example of how things change which in this case is on a nation level but it can be provided on an individual level as well for nations are made up of many individuals.  I know that this chapter and the few previous ones before it have been used a couple of times recently but there is an entire concept here that God wants us to understand and to figure something out before it is too late for our nation.  What we must remember about God is that He will allow people to either choose Him or their own way, but when we choose our own way God will not just give up and be silent from that point onward, He will do anything possible to plead His case against a wayward choice.  Then and only then if we still wish to be away from His Light, then God will be silent in the despair and allow the choice to completely unfold.

I find it quite amazing that Israel had come to the conclusion to separate them from God instead of cleaning the house that they recognized to be corrupt.  It is obvious from previous passages in this specific book of I Samuel that not only were the judges of Israel corrupt but the High Priest Eli was just as bad for allowing the judges to still hold their positions.  Yet, the people chose to leave God and not clean up the house that could have continued to point them in the correct direction; this tells us that the people themselves while verbally complaining enjoyed their “freedom” with the concept of worldly living.  We see this pattern come alive in the end portions of this chapter and it is this displayed knowledge of God about His children that serve as the foundation for Israel’s destruction.

We are going to start out with verse 10 which states: “And Samuel told all the words of the Lord unto the people that asked of him a king.”  If we remember back a few chapters of this book we find a young Samuel being woken up in the middle of the night by the voice of God and eventually listening to God speak a prophecy concerning Eli and his house.  At this point, the prophecy has been fulfilled in its entirety and the Ark of the Covenant has been returned to the Israelites after a very long captivity yet the children of Israel, who have witnessed all of this come to pass, still want to separate themselves from God and join the rest of the world.  Samuel did not hold anything back because while he was upset that Israel wanted this change he still had the obligation and desire to obey God even when bad news was being presented.  All aspects of their future troubles God addressed to Samuel and thus Samuel to them, so they were warned and they knew what was going to occur, nothing was hidden.  God is a consistent God and if He does things once He shall do them the exact way in the future as well.

Verse 11 addresses the most feared aspect of life known to man and that is war.  Samuel states that an earthly king will drive their sons to the production of war, war itself and then suffer the consequences of such actions.  God even gives a description here that some of their sons will be horsemen and others run into the battle as foot soldiers, all of which are frontline personnel who will suffer greatly when combat arrives.  Verse 12 reiterates these scenes by informing them that many of their sons will be placed into positions of command where they will act as the ones who send troops into battle, then cry from the loss of loved ones through the setting and law of sowing and reaping all in the name of the earthly king.

Verse 13 states that the conscription of sons will not be the only problematic setting either for the daughters of Israel the ones who give life to that nation shall be used in multiple ways to supply such new demands that the king commands.  A total reversal from what God has ordained for Israel and one that Israel is willing to leave in order to furnish flesh for their worldly acceptance. What Samuel is portraying here is the heart of God stating that every aspect of their existence will be changed and the ways that Israel will behave and believe will change when they make the final choice for their king.  God is leaving nothing out and Israel will have no excuse when this day arrives.

Verses 14-15 states that personal fields of survival shall be taken and used for the king and his purposes instead of feeding the family and those who the keepers wish to provide.  It is difficult to produce such articles of food and drink just to have them confiscated for others’ usage without proper compensation in return.  It was common to have household servants to help with all the chores and workings of the land, but God states in verse 16 that the king will commandeer these workers for his own pleasure which will leave the average person and their house short of help and force them to work harder and longer for less.  Does this sound like a good deal to you?  It sounds like through the wanting and acceptance of other nations' settings it cost Israel dearly and after this realization, they continued their pursuit of others instead of God.  

Verse 17 is a powerful statement from God and sets the stage for verse 18 which sums up all of the issues that Israel want instead of God.  Verse 17 confirms that the king will even require the animals of their fields for his feedings and requirement of all other commitments of his government and house.  No area of their lives was not going to be touched for the last portion of verse 17 states that even those that are left and have not been taken away already shall become servants to the king.  This means that the king can order any person of Israel to go, do, or say anything that the king demands from them.  Their freedoms shall strictly lie in what the king decrees and if one decides not to obey they shall be punished according to the king’s laws and not God’s Ways.

The most telling portion of this act by Israel comes in verse 18 when Samuel states the following: “And ye shall cry out in that day because your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the Lord will not hear you in that day.”  This verse serves two points here.  The first is that Israel has reached a point that they want nothing more to do with God and His Ways because they believe that the other nations have it better due to their own ways and kingships.  Secondly and most importantly, since Israel has made up its mind and God is going to grant them their wishes, God shall not hear them when all of the troubles hit their lands and homes.  It is this statement by Samuel from God that should have struck sense into their hearts for the God of all Creation will not hear them WHEN their troubles arrive.  This means that God is not going to intervene when Israel becomes entangled with their “friends” or their enemies, but allow them to play out their choices of worldly acceptance.  God is giving them one last opportunity to hear the voice of truth and purity before He grants them their wish but they continue on course and choose an earthly king.

With this statement to the people of Israel is God is formally declaring the acceptance of their choice of having an earthly king. God has done His holy work by warning Israel of what will occur when this process is put into motion.  It is clear that the collective heart of Israel does not care what God wishes for their lives and that they want what the world offers instead.  God agrees to allow this choice to occur and in Chapter 9 we see that Israel chooses her earthly king and the troubles of that nation soon begin on an upgraded scale as never witnessed before.

Now, God poses this same process and ideas to us today and since God has placed His Word into motion in this story that means His Word is still in motion today and IS relevant to our lives at this very moment.  God has placed this nation, the beacon of the world, in a position of decision.  It is clear that we have toyed with the concept of having no boundaries and to be accepted as one unified entity with the world and other nations.  Just as Israel was created to be separate from the world so was this nation. However, just as Israel chose to become like the world this nation is screaming for this same demand.  We are at the door of “worldly opportunity” according to the majority of this nation’s vote and are pushing against that door for allowance in.  This is the exact same position Israel was in when I Samuel 8 was demonstrated and God has given us a chance to step back from our non-boundary status and to reset boundaries for our own protection under God.

God is once again making His case clear that what we are salivating after is a total and deadly lie.  God recognizes that our eyes have been turned away from His Ways and that we are lusting after the beautiful fruit that the world provides.  God also understands that we were created with boundaries in place and we have had the taste of worldly goods when it comes to stepping over those boundaries.  Israel chose the world and paid a heavy price for that decision.  Here is what is at stake for this nation and for the world.  No one can or will deny that this nation is the sounding board for the world and that every other nation wishes to be close to our standards yet we are driving in the opposite direction all in the hopes of meeting those coveting nations somewhere in the middle.  Does this setting ring any bells in your mind?  It should for it was just described to us through I Samuel Chapter 8.

There is nothing godly about having our hearts governed by an earthly king.  Through this process of desiring an earthly king, Israel made God look small while elevating themselves to be an equal or better than God.  Uh, does this sound like anyone else that we have read about?  It is a direct action of Lucifer and when one looks at his end-state we can see what his beliefs got him.  Stop and think about this for a moment, if Lucifer fell from his eternal position in heaven for a similar act that Israel committed, the question can be asked if they got what they should have known was coming to them.  The answer is yes because God did not keep the story of Lucifer’s fall from Israel and He has not kept Lucifer’s story from us either.  If God allows the total destruction and then sequential captivity of His own people, why would we even think that this same pattern would not occur from a bunch of non-Jewish misfits?

It is time for us to repent Church and to turn our hearts back to God and listen to His voice only.  It is evident that our leaders are preparing this nation to completely separate ourselves from God and smile as they do it.  What they fail to understand, just as the leaders of Israel in I Samuel 1-8, is that when anyone chooses the world over God disaster can only follow.  It does not matter if you are the most powerful angel in heaven, God’s chosen people or just some ordinary man or woman walking the streets of a small community, the result shall always be the same, a disaster.  God loves us, that is a correct statement and God still loved the children of Israel after they choose the path that they did, but God also allowed them to walk in that chosen path and then go through the consequences of not choosing His Ways.  God’s Word says that we should choose this day who we will serve and that day is now!  We must remember that if we look at God from a distance heart He may look as an equal or small in stature but when we realize His true nature we will recognize that He is so far greater in size than we are, and only then can we come into contact with Him in truth.

DLB