There is no King Like My King
“he will appoint…He will take your daughters…one-tenth…”
The nations are ignorant when they blindly and gladly follow evil rulers and cruel tyrants. Hitler was acclaimed in all of Germany, even by the liberal church. At the end of World War II (his “brilliant” idea), Germany was in shambles.
Something similar has happened in many different countries. Leaders such as Napoleon, Stalin, Mao, and now Castro and Hussein, have brought shame and destruction to their people and exported terrorism into other nations.
A king of this caliber was ardently desired by Israel. Theocracy (rule by God) was not good enough for them; thus they endured great hardships under their monarchies (rule by kings).
What prompted this unfortunate change?
The Israelites wanted a human king “like other nations” (v.5). According to them Theocracy was old-fashioned and out-of-step with their “modern” societal structure. If Israel would have a king—they reasoned—the other nations would respect them, and this ruler would lead them into war. In other words, the Israelites and every other culture, prefer to be ruled by evil men, rather than to be governed by God.
Their future rulers would be very different from their present KING. Saul Solomon, and others, ransacked Israel with taxes, hard labor, and by depleting the availability of eligible maidens. Let us learn a lesson from history and trust only in Jesus, as our Savior, Lord, King, and Owner of our lives!
Is Jesus your King?
