We read
in the early chapters of 1 Samuel of Israel’s desire for a king. One of the reasons they wanted a king was so
that they could be like all the surrounding peoples. It seems that even nations can suffer from “peer
pressure”. There were in fact many
benefits to having a king. We read in
the latter chapters of the book of Judges that one of the negatives of not
having a central authority amongst the 12 tribes was that everyone did what was
right in their own eyes. At least with a
king, even a less than stellar one, the people of Israel could avoid spiraling out
of control into complete anarchy. The
key to kingship was that the people and the king were to remember that
ultimately, YHWH was their only sovereign.
There is
a lesson for us to learn from Israel’s initial demands for kingship. As the people of God in the 21st
century, the church needs to be reminded that Jesus Christ is our one and only
sovereign. Just as Jesus’ ministry and
kingdom building in the gospels was unexpected and counter-intuitive in the
light of 1st century messianic expectations, so should the church be
sure that whatever decisions it makes are rooted and grounded in solid Biblical
instruction and well thought out theology over and against the prevailing winds
of an overly consumerist society.
Everyone else may be doing it, but that doesn’t make it good for
us. And since, as Jeremiah 17 reminds
us, the heart is deceitful above all else, we’re probably better served to be
guided by a spiritually disciplined mind, rather than merely our immediate
emotional impulses. As Jesus himself
said, “Wisdom is vindicated by all her children.” - Shay
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