( We Have ) 'No King but King Jesus!'

And the Lord told him: 

Listen to all that the people are saying to you; 

it is not you they have rejected, 

but they have rejected Me as their king.

I Samuel 8:7

'The crisis of the ages demands that we renew the historic battle-cry of our Christian Forefathers: 'We Have No King But King Jesus!' 

The way things are going, that this is 'the crisis of the ages' could almost be said of the current situation in this nation, which IS and was founded under God! When our forefathers made this their battle-cry, we must understand that the context was freedom from the tyrannical rule of the despotic king of England. As the forefathers were, for the most part, at least heavily influenced by Christian principles, naturally this would be their revolutionary motto!

In the quoted passage, I Samuel 8, God, through the prophet Samuel, told the errant children of Israel what they should expect of the king they asked for. This was not because all men are necessarily evil, though the point could be argued, but because He knew that, humanly speaking, power corrupts! He knew, that because of their rejection of Him as their true King, any human king would eventually become corrupted by power and would fall into despotism. As we can read throughout the history of Israel, in fact, throughout the history of the world, this happened sooner with some than with others!

Arguably, it IS necessary for the people to have a leader, someone who's example they can follow, and understanding this, and the nature of man, our forefathers instituted a set of rules by which to set up such a government. This set of rules, known as The Constitution of the United States, was ordered and principled, again, for the most part, after God's Laws ( as they understood them ). Though this was the case, because it was a human document, it still allowed for the corruptibility of man, and as time went by, even though amendments were hastily made, it became almost passe', and subject to change, or at least disregard!

When this nation was awakened, almost 250 years ago, the president was a representative of the people; he bowed to the people's wishes ( so long as they accorded with our charter ) and was their servant! As things stand in America today, though we still have representatives in Washington, DC, our president has become more of a ruler than a representative ( though one must admit that he is representative of the people's wishes ! )!  Because the people of this nation have not been careful to follow the principles of, not only our founding fathers, but more importantly Scripture as well, those we have chosen to represent us have taken the reins themselves, and have driven us to the depths of tyranny ( though we have long been blind to this sad fact ) and, in some cases, despair!

In essence, our problem in this country is no different than the dilemma which Israel of Old faced; we want a king, a ruler that we can see, one that will guide our affairs, and lessen our own responsibilities. Although it would seem, now that we have a king like the other nations, our responsibilities have been lessened; we cannot afford to ignore those responsibilities much longer! With every responsibility that is ignored, or relegated to someone else, there also goes more and more of our freedom! Our responsibilities ARE our freedom, just like our freedoms are our responsibility; we cannot have one without the other!

Our current situation in this country, especially as regards the most recent elections, may seem to be cause for despair, and even for some, a call to arms! While there IS call for alarm, and though the call to arms may prove necessary, as Christians, who should have 'no king but King Jesus', we cannot despair, for 'This is Our Father's World', and 'though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet'!
'The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them'; 'I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill', He says in that most famously comforting Psalm 2! They have no power except it is given them: they are mere mortals like we! Why do we shudder and shake at their every whim, their every false command? Should we not acquit ourselves like the men ( and women ) of God that we are, and accept the responsibilities and thus freedoms that God has given us?!

Let us all forever say, like our fathers of old, 'No king but King Jesus!'

Let us rule our own lives according to the Revelation of His Word, and spread that rule of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness to all those around us!

Charles Haddon Shank