The role of the King
by Richard Hemery
A king has a two-fold role, apart from his other responsibilities – one, to search out and to reveal things, and two, to teach those things and impart wisdom to his people. (We also understand that God deliberately hides things for the king to look for). These important biblical roles have largely been lost in today`s beliefs and expectations of royalty.
Yet the books of Psalms, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes were written largely or wholly by kings.
No one else could open the scroll of Revelation chapter 5 and expound its secrets apart from King Jesus (Revelation 5:1 – 5).
God, in the role of Israel`s King, gave the Law at Sinai. Jesus, as King, gave `the Sermon on the Mount`. Solomon`s great early test, the one that legitimised his rule over Israel, was not a pitched battle with the Philistines but a display of the application of godly wisdom (I Kings 3:16 – 28).
Now, in a more humble way, we are kings too; in fact a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9). So we too should be looking to fulfill these royal functions, every one of us, in our circle of influence, in our families, in the Church, and certainly in the world at large. If we do that, men will come to us for wisdom, as they did to Solomon `Men of all nations came to listen, sent by all the kings of the world` (1 Kings 4:34).
Our `raw material`, the mine in which we find these hidden treasures, is the Bible, God`s word to us. Do we have the patience and application to find the things God has deliberately hidden there for us? And do we take seriously the royal responsibility of sharing them with others?
Prayer: Dear Lord and King, thank You for Your word. Please help us find the things You have concealed, and give us opportunities to teach others. Amen.
Richard Hemery was born in Surrey, United Kingdom and studied archaeology and ancient history at University. He has been a Christian for 20 years and has been part of the Ellel Ministries team at Pierrepont since 2001 working as the bookshop manager.
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