Tags
1 Timothy 6:14-16, Deuteronomy 11:22-25, Every Knee Shall Bow, God Is King, Is HE your king?, John 12:12-13, John 3:16-18, Judges 17:6, Judges 21:25, Judgment, King or Judge?, Matthew 15:17-20, No King? But Why?, Philippians 2:8-11, Proverbs 21:2, Revelation 17:14, Revelation 20:11-15, Romans 12:1-2
Bible Ballistics: Vol. 16 No. 02 No King??? But Why???
“In those days there was no king in Israel,
but every man did that which was right
in his own eyes.” Judges 17:6
“In those days there was no king in Israel:
every man did that which was right
in his own eyes.” Judges 21:25
These are two of the passages that are key in the book of Judges, “there was no king in Israel”, and yet I want to take a different slant on these familiar verses, for as I was reading and pondering on these verses this morning, I was drawn to a fact that I had never considered before (or if I had, I don’t remember it). Like us, there are many around us who know about the king but don’t want to personally “know” the king or be “known” by HIM. In Matthew 7, Jesus makes it clear that just talking about Him, and claiming to know Him aren’t enough; we must have a personal relationship with Him and be born again into HIS kingdom by HIS blood! And to be a part of HIS “kingdom”, means that we recognize HIS ‘kingship’ over HIS kingdom and ‘me/you’!
Israel had God as their king, and were called to serve, obey and worship HIM only, yet, like us, they were distracted, deluded, and disobedient to their King, and were going their own way, not recognizing that while they had no “earthly” king, they had always had a KING! What about me? What about you? Do we have “no king” in our heart, our living, our choices, and our testimony? Or are we willing to recognize our failures, repent and be restored to the useful place of God’s child in the place where HE has planted us! HE is King, and HE is in charge.
“The king’s heart
is in the hand of the LORD,
as the rivers of water:
he turneth it whithersoever he will.
2 Every way of a man
is right in his own eyes:
but the LORD
pondereth the hearts.” Proverbs 21:2
Even as Jesus reminded us:
“Do not ye yet understand,
that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth
goeth into the belly,
and is cast out into the draught?
18 But those things
which proceed out of the mouth
come forth from the heart;
and they defile the man.
19 For out of the heart
proceed evil thoughts,
murders,
adulteries,
fornications,
thefts,
false witness,
blasphemies:
20 These are the things
which defile a man:
but to eat with unwashen hands
defileth not a man.” Matthew 15:17-20
I spend a lot of time grieving over the language that I hear and read around me—out in public, in the neighborhood, on social media, especially when the ugly language comes from those who claim the name of Jesus. But Jesus reminds us here that what comes out of our mouths, originates out of the heart. We must have a transformed heart before we will have a transformed mouth. And even when we have a new heart transformed by Jesus saving blood, we have to do due diligence to guard our hearts and not allow the vile culture around us to influence our choices, words and character! We are called to “be” holy and “be” a reflection of God’s character to a lost and dying world around us; rather than reflecting the world before our KING!
“I beseech you therefore, brethren,
by the mercies of God,
that ye present your bodies
a living sacrifice,
holy,
acceptable unto God,
which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed
to this world:
but be ye transformed
by the renewing of your mind,
that ye may prove
what is that good,
and acceptable,
and perfect,
will of God.” Romans 12:1-2
God was King in Israel, whether they acknowledged it or not, and HE IS King of Glory. But are we willing to acknowledge Him “as” King? Like Israel, who went their own way and found themselves in a quandary every time, we find ourselves in much the same situation. So, what will we do about it? The message is clear!
“For if ye shall diligently keep
all these commandments
which I command you,
to do them,
to love the LORD your God,
to walk in all his ways,
and to cleave unto him;
23 Then will the LORD drive out
all these nations from before you,
and ye shall possess greater nations
and mightier than yourselves.
24 Every place whereon the soles of your feet
shall tread shall be yours:
from the wilderness and Lebanon,
from the river, the river Euphrates,
even unto the uttermost sea
shall your coast be.
25 There shall no man be able to stand
before you:
for the LORD your God
shall lay the fear of you
and the dread of you
upon all the land
that ye shall tread upon,
as he hath said unto you.” Deuteronomy 11:22-25
Just as God is King, so is The Son, Jesus! He was, is and ever shall be the promised king, messiah, redeemer, sacrifice, and deliverer that God promised in Genesis 3:15, and He is still in the life-changing business; but we must choose to come to Him in repentance and faith in HIS substitutionary, atoning sacrifice for “my” sin and “yours”! He is our soon-coming Lord and King; are you ready to meet Him?
“These shall make war with the Lamb,
and the Lamb shall overcome them:
for he is
Lord of lords,
and King of kings:
and they that are with him
are called,
and chosen,
and faithful.” Revelation 17:14
So, what I see is that Israel had a “king” but because they choose to go their own way, they forgot and abandoned the commands and call of their God, so they experienced this cycle of rebellion, judgment, repentance and restoration. A cycle much like what we are seeing around us, but I can’t help but grieve that we are seeking every solution but the way of repentance, perhaps because we aren’t listening to the voice of God’s Spirit convicting our hearts and calling us to an old-fashioned altar of prayer and repentance. Are we behaving like the people who lauded Jesus on Sunday, yet cried “crucify HIM” four days later?
“On the next day much people
that were come to the feast,
when they heard that Jesus was coming
to Jerusalem,
13 Took branches of palm trees,
and went forth to meet him,
and cried,
Hosanna:
Blessed is the King of Israel
that cometh
in the name of the Lord.” John 12:12-13
They missed their King Jesus. Are you missing Him, or have you bowed before HIM in repentance and faith? And if you have come to Jesus, are you yielding to HIS Spirit’s work in your heart, that the world may know HIM too?
“That thou keep this commandment without spot,
unrebukeable,
until the appearing
of our Lord Jesus Christ:
15 Which in his times he shall shew,
who is the blessed
and only Potentate,
the King of kings,
and Lord of lords;
16 Who only hath immortality,
dwelling in the light
which no man
can approach unto;
whom no man
hath seen,
nor can see:
to whom be honour
and power
everlasting.
Amen.” 1 Timothy 6:14-16
The choice is yours to make, but remember, the question is not “will you bow”, but when “will you bow”? Will you bow before Him now as your Redeemer, Lord and Savior, by His blood; or you will bow before HIM as your judge?
“And being found in fashion as a man,
he humbled himself,
and became obedient
unto death,
even the death of the cross.
9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him,
and given him a name
which is above every name:
10 That at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow,
of things in heaven,
and things in earth,
and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:8-11
There is a KING, even as God reveals in the Revelation:
“And I saw a great white throne,
and him that sat on it,
from whose face the earth and the heaven
fled away;
and there was found no place
for them.
12 And I saw the dead,
small and great,
stand before God;
and the books
were opened:
and another book
was opened,
which is the book of life:
and the dead were judged
out of those things
which were written in the books,
according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead
which were in it;
and death and hell
delivered up the dead
which were in them:
and they were judged
every man
according to their works.
14 And death and hell
were cast into the lake of fire.
This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found
written in the book of life
was cast into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:11-15
Is your name in The King’s book of “life”? It can be, won’t you bow before Him and call on HIS name to be saved. And if you are already HIS, won’t you seek His face and walk in HIS presence and HIS ways!
“For God so loved the world,
that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish,
but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world
to condemn the world;
but that the world
through him
might be saved.
18 He that believeth on him
is not condemned:
but he that believeth not
is condemned already,
because he hath not believed
in the name
of the only begotten Son of God.” John 3:16-18
I pray that you will bow before your KING, not have to face HIM as your judge with no recourse! HE truly IS KING—always!
Amen and Amen!
Bible Ballistics 