The Divine King
Throughout 2020 we will be reading through the Bible together using the 2020 Reading Plan, which is broken up into 16 sections, each of which follows the narrative thread of the Bible by incorporating both Old Testament and New Testament passages. In conjunction with the reading plan we will post blog articles for each of the 16 sections in hopes that they will help to shed light on what you are reading. As always, our prayer is that this is deeply beneficial to your soul and your personal walk with Jesus.
Blessings,
Gavin
THE DIVINE KING
The Period of the Judges
This month we read through the passages that cover the establishment of Israel’s dynasty. Last month we read through portions of Joshua and Judges - the period of time that followed Israel’s exodus from slavery in Egypt. As Israel entered the land God promised to them, their test would be one of devotion and obedience. Would they remain devoted to the Lord, the God who miraculously rescued them from slavery? Would they be willing to hear his voice through the Scriptures and obey him?
As we read, we saw that the unfortunate answer to both questions was a resounding “No.” Judges opens by informing us that Israel did not follow in the ways of their forefathers from Joshua’s time, but instead broke the covenant with God by chasing after false gods. Few things are as damaging to a relationship as infidelity, and that’s exactly what Israel became repeatedly guilty of. What Judges illustrates is Israel’s desperate need for a king - a king that God chooses.
The Wrong King
There’s a great scene in Thor: Ragnarok when a band of quirky misfits escape enslavement and attempt to band together to start a revolution. On their quest they attempt to steal a giant spaceship but run into Loki - a conniving villain dead-set on acquiring power for himself and ruling the world. Not knowing who he is or what he’s about, one of the misfits says, “Hey man, we’re about to jump on that ginormous spaceship; wanna come?”
To which Loki replies, “Well you do seem like you’re in desperate need of leadership.”
Israel was in desperate need of leadership yet, like the band of previously enslaved misfits in Thor, they were prone to selecting the wrong leader. In 1 Samuel 8:5 we read Israel’s demand to Samuel, the prophet: “Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” This is a seemingly reasonable request. Israel’s recent history of corruption, a lack of direction, and a weak military left them prone economic and spiritual disaster along with the constant threat of being obliterated by a nearby tribe. Yet, a king “like all the nations” was exactly what Israel did not need. They needed a king like God, a divine King.
The Divine King
Back when Moses was Israel’s leader, God gave him a very clear message about how Israel should pursue a dynasty once they entered the Promised Land. In Deut. 17 we read, “When you come to the land that the LORD your God is giving you, and you possess it and dwell in it and then say, ‘I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me,’ you may indeed set a king over you whom the LORD your God will choose.”
God wasn’t opposed to Israel having a king; he said “you may indeed set a king over you” the important stipulation, however, was that the king was to be a man chosen by God. As you read further in Deut. 17 it is clear that Israel’s king needed to be characterized by four things stated negatively:
Israel’s king must not be in pursuit of military prowess
Israel’s king must not be set on acquiring material wealth
Israel’s king must not be lustful and polygamous
Israel’s king must not be prideful with a heart set above his brothers
…And two things stated positively:
Israel’s king must fear the LORD
Israel’s king must be totally governed by and devoted to the Word of God
As you read this month, you will see Israel’s pursuit of the wrong king: Saul. He’s a tall and handsome man who Israel believed could rule them like the other powerful kings around them. You’ll see God’s selection of his king, King David, whose greatest characteristics weren’t external, but rather internal: a man after God’s own heart.
Yet, even David, as devoted to the fear of the LORD and the Scriptures as he was, he still experienced moments of material and military pursuit while also acquiring multiple wives and engaging in lustful practices. David becomes the model king - the king through whom God makes an everlasting covenant (2 Samuel 7). But David was deeply flawed, a fact that is further evidenced by the character and pursuit of his successors.
What this continued to indicate for Israel is that no human, earthly, sinful king could ever fix their deepest need. And their deepest need is the same as yours and mine: worship. They needed renewed hearts, forgiven of sin and totally devoted to the worship of the God of the Bible. David couldn’t provide that for them.
But the Son of David… The king whose kingdom was to be everlasting… A king like that could heal Israel. That king is Jesus Christ, the Son of David, Son of God.
I hope that as you read you are able to glean the exact same lesson. No political party, candidate, or policy will ever bring heaven to earth. This world is flawed and always will be until the return of the True King. If your ultimate hope and trust is in King Jesus, you are going to be okay. So, as national turmoil pervades and your inner angst rises, know that it is because you live in an imperfect world that desperately needs the direction and authority of King Jesus. If you know Him, point others to Him; and if you don’t know him I pray that His Spirit will move your heart in such a way that you desire to pursue Him.
All praise and glory to our True King, King Jesus!