“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.”