“It is the kingdom story that the Bible is telling all along…” Joe stated in his post “A Kingdom of God Church.” From the very beginning we see YHWH in relationship with humanity and giving instruction to them. From the first stories of scripture there is evidence of a committed and hands-on ruler – involved in the lives of the faithful and calling them to join together. Even from Adam and Eve, the intention is clear – God, and God alone, is to be the leader of the people that God created.
When discussing the Kingdom of God, there is a story that always sticks out to me addressing how God’s people act regarding having a divine king. The ever present danger for God’s people is the desire to be like everyone else. This is not new to our generation. In 1 Samuel 8 Israel, who were God’s chosen people, asked Samuel for a king. Israel already had a king, YHWH was their king. But Samuel takes their request to the Lord. The Lord’s response is this “they have rejected me from being king over them.” (vs. 7) The Lord told Samuel to return to Israel with a warning, but the people would not listen, they replied (vs. 19-20) “we are determined to have a king over us, so that we also may be like other nations.”
The call to be God’s people, the call to holiness, means that we are to be set apart and different. Unfortunately, the desire to “be like other nations” is the repeated story of humanity throughout time. Like Israel, we have continued to place other people, other leaders and other authority on God’s throne. And over and over again, these leaders have failed or have fallen away.
The danger for God’s Kingdom Church is the human desire to “be like others.” Being a kingdom church means very intrinsically that we cannot be like others. We are part of a kingdom that is wholly unique; we have a King who is unlike any earthly authority. The Kingdom of God is both here and now and will reign forever because it boasts the only king impervious to time or situation. The reigning King in God’s Kingdom is the one true king.
When Jesus came, he proclaimed God’s Kingdom come. He made it clear that the kingdom was not what people thought it was going to be. Jesus declared that he was not the King the people had expected, but rather the King they needed. We are wise to consider this story from Samuel as a warning and to live as Jesus called us to, as citizens in God’s Kingdom. God’s people are to be ruled by God. What we see in Jesus is the way for the kingdom to be within us rather than something outside of us – what Israel sought in 1 Samuel. When God rules our hearts and our minds, God’s Kingdom reigns on earth.
Excellent thoughts and challenge.