Why You Want A King (Part 2)

So you want a king? I think we all desire a king or a sovereign if you will. But the truth is everyone must have a sovereign, because everyone must have a law system. In order to have a law system, you must have someone with authority that gave and supports that law system. Hence the need for a sovereign - otherwise known as a king.

The need is very real in all of us. Even the hardest of hearts has determined who is going to be their sovereign. Yes, even they operate under a law system.

But getting back to the point of this post- why do we want a king? Why did the Israelites want a king? Why did they prefer a mediator in Moses over direct communication with the living God?

The answer I believe is rather simplistic. We don't want to take any personal responsibility. Think about it, if I am simply following the directives of my pastor, president, boss, etc., and I fail, then who is to blame? Me or my leader?

I heard someone once say, "If the pastor told me (and my family) to move to the mission field (any country) I would do it?" I asked, "Wouldn't you pray about it first?" Their reply was "No." They explained that they (/we) were to submit to authority and not question any directive. Huh?

As I thought about that conversation, and turned the question introspectively, I came to the conclusion that was what I too was desiring. Someone to come along and tell me what to do. To give me identity and purpose. Wouldn't it be so much simpler if the pastor told all of us what we were supposed to do?

But then there is the thing that rages in us, that screams: "Who are they to tell me what to do?" So which response is correct? Either?

The reason I wanted someone to tell me what to do was because it removed personal responsibility from me. Forget the pain of trying to figure it all out. No longer did I have to pray and listen to find out God's will, I could just get it from a man! And if that man turned out to be wrong, then it was his fault not mine. After all, he was the one who was supposed to hear from God!

We want to take all of the credit for our successes, but pass all of the blame for our failures. It is an issue of cowardice and sloth. Blame it on our fast-food, drive through culture if you want, but we want a king. Because a king will give us something to pin our personal failure upon. That way if God gets angry with us for our moral failure, we can shift the spotlight to someone else. What is it about personal responsibility that we all avoid it like the plague?

How many pastors have been nailed to the cross, for the sins of the flock? How many sheep have gone astray only to point their finger back to their local shepherd? "Well, if the pastor had been more involved in my life, I wouldn't have fallen into sin."

The truth is you want a king, because it's so much easier. It was so much easier for the children of Israel to hear God's words through Moses. It was faster and required much less of them personally. They wanted to take credit for the victories they experienced, but who got the blame when things went wrong? Moses.

Accept personal responsibility. Acknowledge the true King as your own. Take the time and effort to find out what He's been trying to say to you - no matter how difficult His words may be.

*In Progress*