A King

            This is an election year in America. One would need to live under a rock to not be aware of this. It is a disconcerting election year too. I find it more than a little difficult to believe that out of 318 million people, the 2 very best candidates for leadership have been located. We may see more than 2 names on the ballot but we all know it is near impossible for any of those to actually be elected. It is a bit frightening.
            As a Christian I believe that God is in control and he will bring about his will. However, I submit for your consideration 1 Samuel 8 beginning at verse 6 “But when they said, ‘Give us a king to lead us,’ this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. And the Lord told him: ‘Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you…”  A little background here; the Israelites wanted to be like other nations and have a king, they had issues with trusting God even though he had always provided for them. SO God decides it is time to give them what they want. He tells Samuel to state clearly what will happen when they get an earthly king. Verses 11-17 (paraphrased) tell them a king will claim over you as his right ... your sons as soldiers, keepers of his animals and fields, your daughters as perfumers, cooks and bakers, he will take the best of your fields and vineyards, your servants and livestock, and you yourselves will become his slaves.
            Then verse 18 caps it off with the consequences of their choices: “When that day comes you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.” They were sufficiently warned but ignored the warning. Isn’t that what we have done as a nation? We are very quick to blame God when things go wrong but fail to admit our own culpability for the situation. Have we, as a nation, turned our backs to God to the point of him giving us our way? We eliminated him from schools, from our justice system, and people are still trying to eliminate him from the pledge of allegiance and from our money.
            I do believe God is in control; I just can’t help but wonder if he is just giving us what we think we want. How does that saying go? Hoisted by your own petard. Our nation is in need of spiritual revival; let us pray and pray and pray!



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  1. harleyMay 29, 2016 at 10:22 AM

    Stephen Hawking is the king of his field, Astrophysics. Germanwings 9525 crash victim Milad Eslami, as of March 24, 2015, is "King of the Alps."

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