Welcome, friends, to another
broadcast from Zion Spirit. Anyone who has studied the scriptures
and the history of Israel as a nation knows that there have
been numerous kings which have occupied her throne. Yet there
are only three truly significant kings which have sat upon her
earthly throne during the time of her rise to power as a kingdom
of flesh and blood before she became a kingdom divided. The first truly installed king
was Saul, the son of Kish. He was the answer the Lord gave
to Israel when they rebelled against him and demanded a king
like unto the other nations. Until that time, Israel was a
theocracy which was ruled by prophets which God saw fit to
raise up. Samuel was just such a prophet
who warned the children of Israel against seeking an earthly king.
He told them of the oppressive nature of earthly kings and their
desire to tax and demand service from their subjects. Yet in the
Lord's purpose He ordained the actions which precipitated the
very rejection of His own rule over the house of Israel in order
that He might demonstrate the utter futility of the rule of
the flesh and the ultimate end of all of those who reject His
prophet. We see every action which was
undertaken by the prophet of God, as well as the people of
Israel, to be that which was ordered by the Lord to fulfill
His exact purpose. Oh, the depth of the riches both
of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His
judgments and His ways past finding out! Saul was a fine specimen
of a man who stood head and shoulders above his fellow Israelites.
He was anointed by God to be the ruler over Israel so that
the Lord might illustrate man in his fleshly state as he has
descended from Adam. The Lord made Adam exactly like
he purposed, nor did Adam walk in any fashion which was not
according to that purpose. Nor was Saul any wise less than
that one whom the Lord ordained to demonstrate the wickedness
of that man who was of the earth. We are not surprised, therefore,
to see Saul rejected from being king by the same God who appointed
him as king. For Saul was a disobedient ruler
in his own house, just as in like fashion was his ancestor
Adam, driven from the garden in which the Lord had placed
him. Though men will seek to place their guilt upon anyone
but themselves, they can blame no one for their wicked ways,
and are each one accountable unto him who makes vessels unto
honor and unto dishonor, as it hath pleased him. The kingdom
of Saul came to an end as he was slain, even as it is appointed
unto men once to die, ending the proud rule of Adam. Then
with the demise of Saul, David came to reign in Jerusalem as
king, destroying the stronghold of the Jebusites and uniting
the children of Israel who had been scattered. As such a conquering
king, he is illustrative of the Lord Jesus Christ, who has led
captivity captive and given gifts to men, and does rule and reign
without rival. Though David's reign is in many
ways illustrative of the reign of Christ, yet David, a man after
God's own heart, was also even as Saul, a man of the flesh,
and beset by his own sinful lusts and prone to disobedience. Yet
David was not merely a man of the flesh, as was Saul, but his
reign is illustrative of that man who is born again by the
Spirit of God. who wars constantly with the
sinful flesh in which he dwells by nature. David could not continue
as king by reason of the same death which befell Saul. Yet
while Saul died in despair as a man of the flesh, David died
with the hope of God's promise before his eyes, as he was unable
to see Solomon, his beloved son, whose name literally means loved
of Yahweh, installed as king. Thus Solomon's reign is illustrative
of the enjoyment of peace and the hope of the resurrection,
which is experienced by the sons of God as they are enabled to
behold the Promised One, the Prince of Peace, even Jesus Christ
the Righteous, upon whose shoulders is the government of his kingdom
placed. For he is the King of kings and
Lord of lords. May his name be praised. If you would like a free transcript
of this broadcast, email us at 4the4 at windstream.net.