We often look across the pond to England and view the royals when we think of kings and queens. We see them as figureheads more than anything else. We see them ride in chariots and Rolls Royce’s; vacationing in exotic places, and throwing lavish parties that would cost us a lifetime of paychecks to pay for. If you recall just a few months ago, Prince Charles was attacked because of the people rage against the privileged royal family while the rest of England struggles to survive.
Deuteronomy 17:15-20 gives us a good list of what was required by God for the king of Israel:
· Chosen by God vs. 15
· Shall not multiply horses for himself vs. 16
· Shall not multiply wives vs. 17
· Shall not increase silver and gold for himself vs.17
· He shall write a copy of the scripture and keep it with him always and to obey it vs.19
· Shall not be lifted up above his countrymen vs.20
· Shall not turn away from the commandments vs.20
So what is the picture of a Christlike king? What would his traits be?
First he would have to be willing to make himself a servant-leader. Servant-leader? Seems like an oxymoron doesn’t it? I thought we were talking about being a king? In Matthew 20:25 Jesus warns us of worldly kings wielding their authority over us. In vs. 26-28 He lays it out for us, “It is not this way among you, abut whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” If you beat your wife over the head with your authoritative position as king you’ll never know what it’s like to be loved and respected by her. You may be feared but is that your goal? The end of vs. 28 tells us plainly “to give His life”. Our culture frowns on servant hood but it’s truly a high calling. Please don’t confuse this with slavery. Neither the husband nor wives are to be slaves, remember Eve came from Adam’s side not his foot.
Lets hit the second part of servant-leader. Leadership seems to be lost in modern families. With shows like “the Simpsons”, “Home Improvement”, “According to Jim”, and many others; fathers/men are looked at as buffoons. Men can’t do anything right and they’re always acting immature and selfish. No wonder we have a bunch of messed up kids growing up, they’ve never seen a real man act like a real man. Leadership is not being some kind of a tyrant but it is ruling your house. Like it or not guys we are responsible in the sight of God for what goes on with our wives and kids. I’m not saying adults aren’t responsible for their own choices, I’m saying that it is our job to make sure we taught and trained them well. 2 Samuel 22:3-4 says “…He who rules over men righteously, who rules in the fear of God, is as the light of the morning when the sun rises, a morning without clouds, when the tender grass springs out of the earth, through sunshine after rain.”
So what does a leader do? HE LEADS! Duh! He doesn’t follow his wife to church; he leads her to church. He doesn’t listen quietly while she reads the Bible to him; he takes her by the hand, sits down with her, and leads her in Bible study. He doesn’t stare at the floor while she corrects the children; he steps up takes their wrath and leads his kids in Biblical discipline. I was guilty of all of this. I sat by and let my wife do everything. I found she lost respect for me, I lost respect for me, and I wasn’t following God’s plan for being a man.
A Godly king will: look to God and the Bible for guidance and wisdom, serve his wife and family, encourage them to seek after God’s plan for their life, provide for them both physically and spiritually, protect them, and lead and train them in Godly teachings.
Let’s follow Christ in being the Prophets, Priests, and Kings to our families that God has called us to be.
~Walter E. Homan
________________________________________
Man Up Men! Live Christlike!
Walter
Email me!
No comments:
Post a Comment