Who’s Your King?
On this President’s Day it seems appropriate to remind ourselves of God’s plan to rule over His people. Presidents and Prime Ministers, Kings and Dictators are all under the sovereign rule and reign of God’s ultimate King – His Son, Jesus Christ.
As the Hebrews slaves were miraculously delivered from Egypt, God promised them that “if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” (Exodus 19:5-6) What an identity they were given! A kingdom of priests under God their King. But once they got wind of the kings of the other nations and saw Samuel’s sons were ungodly men, it wasn’t long before they demanded of the prophet “appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” (1 Samuel 8:5) Samuel warned them of the cost of having a king, one who would require a tax and conscript their sons and daughters into service, but they were insistent “that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.” (1 Samuel 8:20) God relented, and Israel got their king … and many more in the generations to come. Some were good, most were wicked. But a promise was made to the best of the flawed kings, David, that One would sit on His throne forever (2 Samuel 7:13-16). That Old Testament promise made clear that it would be God’s Messiah King – “And the LORD will be king over all the earth.” (Zechariah 14:9) The fulfillment of which began in the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, and will find it’s complete fulfillment in the coming days when the rider on the white horse returns and “on his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.” (Revelation 19:16) That day there will be no human rivals, all enemies will be put down, and God’s people will forever enjoy the only righteous ruler the world has ever known. Until then, we pray for our leaders (1 Timothy 2:1-2) and submit as citizens under God’s appointed authority (Romans 13:1). But we must never forget where our allegiance lies. We belong to a kingdom yet to reign on this earth, for “our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 3:20)