11/1/2022 0 Comments God appoints kings and rulers![]() ![]() In other words, Saul will be an agent of God’s promise to his people to live in their land safely. ![]() #God appoints kings and rulers freeIn the following chapter, though, God takes the initiative in choosing King Saul, who will free Israel from the oppression of the Philistines. They want to be “like other nations” (1 Samuel 8: 19,20). But the people do not listen and continue to clamour for a king who will “lead us out to war and fight our battles”. God is their king, and they need no other. In chapter 8, God is opposed to the idea of an earthly king. During the period that we call the Judges, in the Old Testament, Israel had no king, and we see both sides of the debate about whether there should actually be a king of Israel in 1 Samuel chapters 8 and 9. The relationship between God and kingship has been controversial from the get-go. a king, but the Gospel writers, especially John, present the bitter irony of attributing this title to the crucified one (John 19: 21,22). Jesus himself is portrayed as an anointed one (Christos or Messiah), i.e. ![]() The kingly rule of God is a theme throughout the Gospels, as the writers describe Jesus’s attempts to adequately portray what this rule, this reign, will be like how it will differ from current society and the new demands it will make on the community of faith as it seeks to embody what it preaches. The opening of Mark’s Gospel is not unlike the Accession Proclamation: God’s rule as king has now begun! (Mark 1:15). Kingship is one of the major themes of the New Testament. It might be concluded that this simply reflects the mediaeval idea that kings rule by divine right (as opposed to bishops who only have divine permission) but in fact the relationship between our religious tradition and kingship is far deeper and more contemporary than that. The announcements have all concluded with the words “God save the King,” prior to a singing of a national anthem which is, in fact, a hymn. God was mentioned several times as an orchestrator of events and, also, as the supporter and energizer of the monarchs past and (now) current. As a BBC commentator said without a trace of irony, ‘This is a ceremony a thousand years old, but this is the first time it has been shown on television.’ One of the striking things about it was the extent to which God was seen to be a player. Many people have been fascinated by our first opportunity to experience the Accession Council, as part of the process of transition following the death of HM Queen Elizabeth II. ![]()
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