Feast of Christ the King
One
The People’s Request for a King
In the first book of Samuel, when the prophet Samuel is judging and ruling the Israelites, we read that the people come to Samuel with a request. They want a new system of government. They want a king. They say to Samuel, “We want a king to rule over us, and fight our battles like the other nations have.”
Not surprisingly, Samuel is hurt by this request. He’s been a faithful prophet and a good leader. He feels rejected by this request for not only a new leader but a new kind of leader. A King. Just like the other nations. But God sets Samuel straight. God says, don’t feel bad, Samuel. It’s not you they’re rejecting by this request for a King. The one they’re really rejecting is Me.
But why is that? Why would asking for a particular political system equate to a rejection of God?
Two
The Political Structure vs. the Relationship with God
Now notice that God never says that having a King is a bad thing in itself. In fact, God will show His special affection and support for Kings like David and Solomon. Actually, back in the time of Moses, in the book of Deuteronomy, God had even foretold the institution of a king.
Christ Himself frames the entire Church as a Kingdom, the Kingdom of God. So God doesn’t have anything against kingdoms as such. Just because a people has a king it doesn’t mean that they reject God. What does count as rejecting God is whenever you think some political change will solve all your problems.
When you think a mere political change will bring prosperity, establish perfect justice and peace, or make people happy, then you have made an idol out of politics and you have rejected the Lord.
Three
No Political Structure Can Ensure the Flourishing of Humanity
The human race has tried an endless number of political systems. All of them have advantages and disadvantages. But they are all manmade systems. That means that clever people will always be able to find loopholes in them to exploit.
There have been good kingdoms and bad kingdoms. There have been good presidents elected into office and bad presidents elected into office. Congress has passed just laws and unjust laws, and the Supreme Court has made right judgments and false judgments. What makes kingdoms, congresses, and democracies good or bad is ultimately the people who make them up.
The system does not determine our character. Our character determines whether the system is a moral success. But even Christians forget that. We think if we tweak the system, everything will be all right.
We thought, for a long time, that our problems in this country mostly came about because the Supreme Court had overreached its authority with Roe vs. Wade. It wasn’t the Supreme Court’s job to legislate from the bench. Well, true enough. But now that the Supreme Court has overturned Roe vs. Wade and sent the abortion issue back to states, what’s happening? State after state, with a few exceptions, is confirming abortion as a legal right in their constitution.
You see, if the people are vicious, if they want the option to have their own children and grandchildren murdered, then tweaking the political system isn’t going to solve the problem.
The human problem, the problem of injustice, of unhappiness, it can’t be solved by a political change. It can only be solved by salvation at the hand of God.
Four
Elected Officials Don’t Bring Righteousness
It’s not just political structures that don’t bring righteousness. Political rulers can’t bring righteousness either. Part of the reason is that political rulers are sinners, just like everyone else. Political rulers are in need of salvation so they can’t be the source of salvation.
Israel had some good kings, although it had a lot more bad kings. And the good ones did make a difference, for a while. For a while, they could delay the calamity that Israel had brought upon itself. They could delay the calamity, but they couldn’t stop it. Because the calamities that came upon Israel were the results of Israel’s sin, the sins of each of the chosen people. Sins of lust and idolatry and, yes, of child sacrifice.
Even if we get a saint for president one day, and don’t hold your breath, that president can’t stop each and every one of us from contributing to the rot of our nation by our repeated sins. That rot will eventually bring about collapse from within unless something miraculous happens.
Only God works miracles, and only God works the miracle of conversion, repentance, and reformation. That’s why only God can offer salvation to any individual, and to the country that those individuals constitute.
Five
Right Relationship with God Brings Righteousness
Political structures and political leaders do matter. To the extent that we have some influence, we should use that influence to reform our structures and get good leaders into office. But we don’t put our trust in princes. We don’t put our trust in the rulers of this world. We don’t let our peace become dependent on the outcomes of elections.
We put our trust in Christ the King, The King of the Universe. We have the Lord who reigns on His Throne. The Lord who directs the fate of nations, and who offers salvation to peoples only if they turn to Him in repentance.
We may celebrate or lament our earthly kings and governors and presidents. But we don’t worry too much about it either way. Because Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made Heaven and Earth. We will save our land and our families to the extent that we bring everyone, starting with ourselves, more under His rule.