The Lord is to Rule Over You
It has always been God's desire for His people to submit to Him as their Ruler. We see it all the way from Abraham up to King Saul. Before Saul was appointed king over Israel, God told Samuel to warn them that it was not His will for them to have a king. However, the people did not listen, so God relented and allowed them to have their will, instead of His perfect will. The reason for this is that God wants to have a close personal relationship with His people, so they will look to Him for all of their needs, and He can meet those needs in His way. He knows this is best. We see this reality in Gideon's life, too. (Judges 8:23) Once Gideon was empowered by God to defeat the vast Midianite army with just 300 men, the people wanted to make him their king. Gideon refused to be their ruler. He told them that his son would not rule over them either. Gideon made it clear that the Lord would rule over them. I wonder if we resist this reality the way the Israelites did in their day?
People tend to want to have another person rule over them. They want someone else to be responsible for the decisions that need to be made. They want to go about their lives without having to take time for all of the details of how to best order their society. That is why we have earthly kings, presidents, prime ministers, and even dictators. I am afraid the same is true for believers. Christians want to look to the pope or to a pastor to be their ruler. They often feel inadequate to know what to do and how to do it in their lives. This is not God's will today, either. God has a personal relationship with each believer, and He wants to be the Ruler of each one of His children. God wants them to submit to Him and follow His leadership in everything. He knows this will strengthen their relationship, and it will result in the maximum satisfaction in our lives. It doesn't happen, because many Christians are not diligent enough to grow in the Lord, so that they follow Him closely each day. Therefore, they just want to listen to another human tell them what to do. Please, do not let that happen to you. Yes, we learn from others in the church body, but God is to be our One and Only Ruler, when it comes to the things of ultimate importance. Then, God will have us follow our earthly leaders, unless they contradict what He is telling us to do.
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Tomorrow, I intend to read Judges 10-12.