It’s only human to make a mess of things.
The problem is, we’ve become conditioned to try to fix them by seeking remedies from the people we’ve elected to serve us—not clean up after us!
The result? We’ve raised up “kings” for ourselves, some of whom rule justly. Others, not so much. It hasn’t helped that, by the design of soft men having been elected into these positions of authority, we’ve also created a couple of generations of passive males [1].
But even though He’s been known to clean up our messes, God has always wanted to be the only King of His people. [2]
Yet time and time again, they’ve demonstrated that they’d rather be ruled by kings of their own choosing. It’s like a recurring epidemic with devastating consequences. The Scriptures record the first major outbreak in the book of Samuel:
“Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, and they said to him, “Behold, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations…” [1Sam. 8:4-5; read also vss. 6-18] [my emphasis]
So that’s exactly what God told Samuel to do. He gave His people what they wanted: Saul. [see: 1Sam. 9:15-17] But not without first admonishing them.
And I find it interesting that the things the Lord warned His people about through Samuel are the same things we’re witnessing today from the “kings” we’ve put in place. He said, “This will be the procedure of the king who will reign over you…” [1Sam. 8:9]
Perhaps a short, paraphrased list would best illustrate the similarities:
- He’ll conscript your children to operate his affairs and serve him. [vss. 11-13]
- He’ll appropriate the best of what you produce to increase his wealth and purposes. [vss. 14-15]
- He’ll entice your employees and commission them for himself. [vs. 16]
- Then he’ll confiscate your personal property for his own benefit. [vs. 17]
Sound familiar?
What’s the most unsettling part of this reality? Is it that too many of His people are allowing their integrity and sovereignty to be violated? Or do they simply not realize they’ve unwittingly become enslaved to the modern day Saul—a tyrannical, global financial apparatus which consistently defiles God and everything He stands for?
SAULmonella may not be fatal but it’s certainly contagious. However, the good news is that I don’t have to live with it.
I can listen to and learn from the only True King.