I know the plans I have for you--Lesson 12

Yahweh works through various entities. In the previous blog, we discussed Yahweh working through the Law. Now, it is natural to discuss next Yahweh working through the earthly king [and by derivation through any earthly person who has a coordinating role on earth]. I. In the Bible, there are three views of the earthly king. a. The people [the popular view] is that we must have a king so we can be protected and well-organized like the nations elsewhere on earth. This was the emphasis of the elders of Israel and most of the Israelites--1 Samuel 8:4-5, 19-20. b. Some proponents advocate that Yahweh is the only king, and therefore it would be ungodly to have an earthly king. Gideon and Samuel advocated this view. Judges 8:22-23; 1 Samuel 8:7, 22. c. The biblical view of an earthly king is clearly that Yahweh himself initiated the idea that Israel must have an earthly king, but this king must be subject to an a true representative of God here on earth. 1. On Mount Sinai, Yahweh specifically told Moses to declare to the people of Israel that they must have an earthly king when they are established on the land of Canaan with the following instructions. Deuteronomy 17:14-20. a. Yahweh alone will choose the king. Deuteronomy 17:15. b. The earthly king must be an Israelite, not a foreigner. Deuteronomy 17:15. c. The earthly king must not acquire many horses as the surrounding nations did, because to have many horses and chariots is to have military strength. Deuteronomy 17:16. Isaiah 31:1-3 emphasizes this point. d. The earthly king must not have many wives, because it was a common practice that kings of nations would marry princesses of other nations to establishes alliances with other nations. Deuteronomy 17:17. Often, the Israelites trusted in foreign allies rather than trusting in Yahweh. Hosea emphasizes this problem in Hosea 7; 8; and 13. e. The earthly king must not accumulate much silver and gold. Deuteronomy 17:17. Ancient Near Eastern nations often made tribute to other nations to prevent them from fighting against them. Israel often did the same thing. See 2 Kings 16; 18-19. f. The earthly king must have a copy of the Law of Moses always at hand, to read it all the days of his life and to learn to fear the Lord and diligently keep God's commandments. Deuteronomy 17:18-19. Saul, David, and Solomon often violated the law of Moses, which they knew very well. g. The earthly king must not exalt himself above anyone else in the community of faith, the nation or people of Israel. Any "co-ordinator" has ONLY a function among the people of God. YAHWEH ALONE is SOVEREIGN. Like everyone else, the earthly king is subservient to Yahweh. 2. Composers of the book of Judges repeatedly emphasize that "in those days" [the period of the Judges= after the time of Joshua and the elders of Israel following Joshua], "there was no king over Israel" [Judges 17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25], emphasizing to the hearers that Israel needs an earthly king under Yahweh the heavenly king. 3. Yahweh specifically commanded Samuel to do what what the people asked--1 Samuel 8:7,22. This is NOT a "concession" to the people, but what Yahweh intended from the very beginning, as Deuteronomy 17:14-20 clearly shows. II. A careful study of the Bible emphasizes five terms to demonstrate the role of the earthly king. Here are the five terms. a. The earthly king is "the Lord's anointed one." The Hebrew word for "anointed" is "messiah." Every earthly king chosen by Yahweh is the Lord's "messiah," whether than be Saul--1 Samuel 9:15-16; 10:1; David--1 Samuel 16:1-13; Solomon--1 Kings 1:32-34; or any descendant of David--Psalm 2:1-2. b. The earthly king is "prince"=Hebrew "nagid," and not really "king"=Hebrew "melek." 1 Samuel 9:16; 10:1; 13:14; 25:30; 2 Samuel 5:2; 6:21; and often. c. The earthly king is Yahweh's "shepherd." 2 Samuel 5:2; Psalm 78:70-72; and often. The KIND or TYPE of earthly king is extremely important. The earthly king must not be an authoritative person like Pharaoh or Nebuchadrezzar II, but a shepherd. d. The earthly king is Yahweh's "servant." 2 Samuel 7:18-29; Psalms 89:20; 132:10; and often. It is a far cry from one being a "servant" to one being a "leader." Yahweh is the ONLY acceptable LEADER. All of us are "servants," while unfortunately many think of themselves as leaders. PLEASE rethink Mark 10:42-45. e. The earthly king is "son of God." Psalm 89:26-27; 2 Samuel 7:14; 1 Chronicles 22:3-6; 28:6-10; Psalm 2:6-8; Isaiah 9:6-7. Share YOUR corrections, modifications, insights, urges, and thoughts with others. Let me hear from YOU. John Willis