The King of My Eyes
Men desire to be ruled over, but this begs the obvious question—why? Being the kind of man
who explores the dark side of a rock to see what’s under it, I rediscovered an Old Testament
story told in First Samuel 8. The Israelites cried, “Give us a king to judge us” (vs. 6). A
lamenting Samuel is then told by the Lord, “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say
to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over
them” (vs. 7). Through Samuel, the Lord explained to the Israelites that their chosen king
would draft their sons into the military and send them off to war, set them to plowing and
harvesting the royal farms, and making weapons of war. He would take the best of their sons
and daughters as servants, steal their best property and give it to others of the king’s choosing,
and impose high taxes to support the king’s government. But, the people refused Samuel
saying, “No, but we will have a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, and that
our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles” (vs. 19-20). So, why would
the Israelites renounce their personal and natural liberties, as granted by God, to become
subjects to an imperfect earthly king? Because the Israelites wanted someone tangible to fight
their battles and provide for them, and it’s easier to bow before a fallible king that you can
see rather than being ruled by a perfect God that you can’t. But, when sin corrupts men,
corrupt men become corrupt kings, and we suffer the consequences of our choices.
Over 1,000 years later, human nature remained unchanged. As Jesus rode a donkey into
Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, the people laid their clothes and palm fronds on the road before
Him, a custom reserved for kings. Their cries of “Hosanna” (save us) were not solely based
on Jesus as the prophesied Messiah. It was because they were looking for an earthly king to
break them free of the tyranny of Rome. To them, Jesus was a means to their earthly ends.
Sinful nature being what it is, are we really any different now? We make kings out of human
ideology, perceived safety, personal comforts, and stability. We crown human achievement
by seeking and imitating it instead of Jesus. But, in God’s perfect plan there is eternal liberty
and joy for those who trust Him. If we hold steadfast in our faith and obedience to Him,
trusting Jesus becomes a beautiful promise we get to live out. And, tested as His promises
may be, Jesus will never fail us. It’s when we trust in ourselves that we get into trouble.
Darren Bowls
Copyright © 2014 Wildwood Calvary Chapel
Scripture taken from the New King James Version.
Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.