1 Samuel 10: What Makes a Great Nation?

"But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your troubles and afflictions.  You said to Him, 'You must set a king over us.'"

1 Samuel 10:19a

God really doesn't like the fact that Israel wants a king.  He gave them a system which is far superior to a monarchy - one in which the people are free and are judged by their peers for their wrongdoing.  A good modern-day example of this would be to imagine the men and women of the United States of America begging to have a single man rule as king, replacing the whole system we currently have.

Why is this a horrible idea?  What if you have a truly Godly man in that role, leading the people with the guidance of the Lord?  Why wouldn't that be a good idea?  Because every individual has individual needs, and every community has its own needs.  Top-down governments always fail because the upper tier of government has no idea what the true needs of the smaller communities really are, nor how to best meet them.

This is why America was created to be a bottom-up nation, in which the federal level would have the least governmental power, while the local community would have the most.  In this original setup, families and individuals were empowered to lead their own lives the way they saw fit, whereas the top-down scenario which our country has been shifting towards does the opposite - it undermines and oppresses the individual.

Some argue that undermining individual liberty is acceptable if it's for the greater good.  Others (like our founding fathers) argue that giving up a little liberty in order to gain a little security will end up causing you to lose both.  Personally, I look to God's Kingdom for an understanding of what the best option is - freedom.  The structure of God's rule over His people has always (both Old and New Testament) been one which emphasized individual freedom, with the oversight of a system of judges.

In the Old Testament, judgement was carried out by the whole community.  Cases which were too difficult for the community to figure out were taken before one of the prophets, who would serve as God's judge.  But ultimately, the Israelites knew that they would eventually have to face the Good Judge.  The Good News of the New Testament is the culmination of that Judgement.  Although we are guilty and our crimes must be punished, we find freedom yet again in the Savior who took our punishment for us.

That ultimate judgement must remain, however, at the Spiritual level between God and man.  Until such time as a man dies or is Raptured into Heaven, our communities must judge as honestly as possible, and we should try to make our leadership mimic the plan the Lord laid out for earthly kingdoms.  This would mean that our great nation should be seeking to restore its foundational roots in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, both of which seek to increase personal liberty and empower individuals and families.

Question of the Day:

In what ways do your governing bodies protect your personal liberties?  In what ways do they violate your personal liberties?  What can you do to maintain the liberties you currently have and reclaim those which have been taken away?

Prayer of the Day:

Lord, bless our leaders with wisdom and understanding about Your ways and what's truly best for the people of this country - not only as a whole group but as individuals.  Help the people of this nation to understand what Your desire for Your people's governance is - to have freedom, a system of judges to decide when someone has taken another's freedom, and You as High King over us all, the final Judge.  Help us to recreate a society which mirrors Your plan for a great nation.  Amen.