The Greatest King

“A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him - the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord - and he will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.”
Isaiah 11:1-5

What makes a great king? A search of the World Wide Web produced a short list of what characteristics make for a great king. A great king should: stand firmly on his convictions, be just, show mercy when necessary, care for the people he rules over, be teachable and humble, love peace, and be a great warrior when warranted. There have been great kings throughout history. Greatness does not mean perfect, David and Solomon are good examples of great kings who made huge errors in judgment and did some awful things, what separated these and other great kings from the many tyrants found in history, is that when they were called to account for the wrongs they had committed they acknowledged their failings, asked forgiveness and learned from their mistakes and displayed all the other characteristics of greatness.

There was a time long, long ago when there were no kings until someone either claimed the title for himself or a group of people appointed someone to rule over them. Even the Hebrew people chosen and cared for by the Creator of the universe would call for a king and God appointed one. The first Hebrew king turned into a tyrant so God appointed David to be the next Hebrew king. Once kings were in place, all other kings were born into the line of succession. God had promised King David that his family would always sit on the throne of Israel - but some of David’s sons were not great kings and so the throne was lost…but not forever.

This week’s passage speaks to a heir to the throne someone who will be born into the line of succession and who will bear all the characteristics of a great king. The Child born 2000 years ago in the city of David, Bethlehem is that king; in fact He is the Greatest King. Scripture tells us that one day at the name of Jesus every knee will bow - some out of awe and reverence and some because they have no choice. He will judge the hearts of all mankind with righteousness. He is at work already, restoring His subjects to right relationship with Himself and restoring His entire realm. 

This Advent season join with the shepherds and wise men in bowing your knee to honor Jesus the greatest King - the King of all kings. 

A Prayer
Father - Thank you for not only restoring us as subjects of your divine kingdom but that through the work of Your son we are also called sons and daughters. Each day help us share in the awe and reverence shown by the shepherds and wise men so many years ago at the birth of Jesus as we wait with great anticipation for the return of The Greatest King, when every knee will bow. In the name of Jesus, who is our King - Amen.