Devo 29
11/20/00
"Subjects of the King"
Hola! Hello! Howdy! Guten Tag! Hope things are going well this week and that your Thanksgiving goes well as well. Well, I thought instead of the usual inane chatter at the beginning of the devo, I'd jump right in.
Those of you who know me know that I don't get into politics that much. There are several reasons, none of which I want to get into now. Even so, the current state of the presidential elections have inspired some thoughts that I thought I would pass on. Actually, though, these thoughts had begun germinating before election night.
Just two weeks ago, we witnessed, and most of us partook of that which makes this country so special--the ability of the people to elect its leader. America, in fact, is so proud of this, that we actively seek to establish this practice in other countries. The idea of democracy is noble and has served our country well. By giving the people the power to effect changes in the government, we can prevent any one leader from amassing an inordinate amount of power. Who else knows better what the people want and need than the people themselves? Since 'people' make up the vast majority of the country's population, it only makes sense that these people should also define the character of the nation. Our country was founded on the ideas that power lies with the people, and over the last two centuries, America has proved a very prosperous and successful nation. While being only an infant compared to many other nations, our way of life, and standard of living have few comparisons.
All that aside, though, I think I might prefer living in a Monarchy instead. No, I'm not talking about moving to England--even they don't have a true monarchy anymore. The Queen's power there, is at best, ceremonial. I'm talking about living in a true, Biblical style monarchy. I say all of this because I think living in America, the land of the free, has begun to give us a wrong impression of who God is in relation to us. I'm afraid we're beginning to see God as a president, not a King.
Do you realize that in a true monarchy, the king has the final word on any issue? That's not true of our president. Even if he vetoes a bill, the congress can still override it. A king also has the power to execute any judgment he deems necessary for any given circumstance. In him alone rests the authority to extend punishment or mercy. And once that word is said, the decision is final. That's not so in America; any convicted criminal has the right to a trial. And if he loses, often there is the opportunity to appeal the ruling to a higher court. In the end, it is not just one person at one time who pronounces the judgment, but several people over a long period of time who render the judgment. Once a king pronounces judgment on a man, that's it, no appeal, no if's and's or but's.
A king can appear very cold and distant from the people. But this is necessarily so, since the matters of the kingdom sometimes override the matters of the individual. Listen to Samuel's description of a king in I Samuel 8: "This will be the behavior of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them for his own chariots and to be his horsemen, and some will run before his chariots. He will appoint captains over his thousands and captains over his fifties, will set some to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and some to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks and bakers. And he will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, and give them to his servant. He will take a tenth of your grain and your vintage, and give it to his officers and servants. And he will take your male servants, your female servants, your finest young men, and your donkeys, and put them to his work. He will take a tenth of your sheep. And you will be his servants." (11-17 NKJV) An American president could never get away with such a thing!
Now, I could go into potential abuses of a king's power and how to avoid them, but since the king I'm talking about here is none other than the King of Kings, I'll instead focus on what our response should be. After all, if anyone knows how to rule a kingdom fairly and justly without any hint of corruption, it is God. It makes sense then, that any trouble that arises between man and God, the fault doesn't lie in God's ability to rule, but in our ability to follow.
First off, though as humans, we live in a democracy, as children of God we live in a monarchy. You've all heard of the 'American Dream' haven't you? The idea that anyone can become someone. This dream drove thousands of immigrants across the ocean to our shores. In fact, all of American culture and ideology is built around this idea; anyone who tries hard enough can become anyone they want to be. Unfortunately, there is no such dream in God's kingdom. Don't get me wrong, God does want us to succeed, but He wants it to be on His terms, and not by our strivings. God has a plan for all of our lives, and a purpose for all of those who call Him king.
Here enters another important distinction; the American's energy is spent toward the betterment of himself and his social standing. God's energy is spent towards the betterment of His kingdom. And as subjects of our King, His goal is ours. God's intent is to build a kingdom on earth populated by the humans He created all praising His name and loving Him as He originally intended. His attention isn't so much on the here and now as it is on the 'what will be'. The American mind, if it does think ahead, if often doesn't get much beyond retirement and ensuring a comfortable old age. For the American, with the emphasis on each individual's personal abilities and potential, the thought of other people and there needs rarely enters the kingdom. Not so in God's kingdom. Instead, with all the kingdom pressing towards one goal, interaction becomes vitally important. In the light of the future good, present concerns and problems take suddenly don't look so daunting, and if they help the cause, so be it.
So what am I saying? Living under Christ is not the same as living in America. America says, 'if you try hard enough and work hard enough you can get anything you want.' Christ says, 'Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to You.' America says, 'you can be anyone you want to be.' Christ tells us that certain people will fill certain roles and to try and change this will cripple the cause as a whole. It's hard to keep these ideas from infiltrating our Christianity. All too often we try to do things our own way. We try to rationalize and appeal our sinful habits when God's verdict is put down in stone. It's also hard to see past the other abused monarchies we see in history. More often than not a kings concern has not been for his land and his people, but on his own personal success--and these kingdoms eventually fail. But God is a just, wise, and merciful ruler who cares for His people deeply.
As we come to thanksgiving this week, do stop to thank God for this country He's given us to live in. Here we have freedom's that few other nation's enjoy. But remember, these aren't freedom's to use for our personal gain, as Christian's, they are to be used as tools for glorifying God.