We Desire a King
King:
1. male monarch of a major territorial unit especially one whose position is hereditary and who rules for life
2. a paramount chief
Summary (1 Samuel 8 & 9)
I encourage you to read the passage in its entirety. However, I will run through a quick summary. The prophet Samuel has grown old, and his children will not be capable of following in his footsteps. The Israelites have noticed other nations have kings. They now long for a king of their own. Samuel warns them of the vices and havoc a king can bring but the people of Israel are not dissuaded. So, God gives them a king. Enter King Saul a handsome man who stood head and shoulders above the other men. Saul is an honorable man and is anointed the first king of Israel.
What is a king?
Obviously, royalty but let’s look a little deeper at other things we associate with kings. In 1 Samuel 8:8-17, Samuel discusses all the troubles a king will bring them. A king will set up an incredible bureaucracy. He will take the best of the land, the people, and the livestock. Once the king has taken all you have to offer verse 18 says. “And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the Lord will not hear you in that day.” Both historically and currently kings have very little oversight. They often pick their inner circle with extreme care and have final decisions in all areas. Kings are judged on the wealth and strength of their kingdom. Since true wealth and strength are hard to quantify, this is usually measured by the amount of people in the kingdom, men of fighting age, and money produced. In extreme cases, an exceptionally charming or attractive king may be worshipped as a pseudo deity. Despite all the negative things kings bring we, like the children of Israel, still desire a king.
“Christian kings”
In my conservative circles nothing embodies “Christian kings” like the modern-day pastor (usually of a large congregation) or politician. Although both these groups have a king-like attitude, this article focuses mainly on pastors.
1. They are driven by power and influence
Whether we admit it or not, most pastors are judged the same way we judge kings: simply by the numbers. How many people are going to his church/attending his rallies? The answer to that question apparently tells us all we need to know. Not only is this true in the attendance sphere, but it has even crept its way into the cash flow department. Believe it or not being a pastor at one point was by no means seen as a lucrative position, but in today’s world that is simply not the case. The palace…I mean, church building also speaks volumes of the king… pastor’s stature. Power and influence are the two most valuable commodities being exchanged in the current conservative movement.
2. War is one of their primary responsibilities
War has two primary functions: to subjugate an enemy and/or to increase your territory. Neither of these are appropriate for pastors, however for a king it is completely expected. (Ephesians 6 refers to a war not of flesh and blood, so if your war is against a republican, democrat or liberal Christian perhaps you are in the wrong war). Some megachurch pastors have no problem tearing other followers of Christ and churches down merely to increase their Sunday attendance. They are constantly talking about the war on Christmas, culture, etc. The megachurch pastors especially love preacher boys who repeat what they say verbatim and ask frighteningly few questions. The first thing the passage says the king will do is take your sons and appoint them for himself.
3. Control over Accountability
A king will often surround himself with people who will bend to his will. Pastors are also unique in the fact that like kings they often not only choose their successors they often choose their inner circle. If a pastor is not careful, he can insulate himself into an echo chamber. seeks control over accountability and his praise over Gods.
Shepherd:
1. a person who tends or rears sheep
2. to guide or direct in a particular direction
What is a shepherd?
It’s very interesting that the Bible often refers to preachers as shepherds. Being a shepherd has never been the most respected career choice. Unlike a king a shepherd is not renowned or heralded.
At my previous job one place I was able to travel to was Algeria. While there, one of my colleagues wished for me to meet his family. Lo and behold they were shepherds on one of the largest sheep farms in the country. We were only going to be there for a couple of hours, so we rushed over to the farm. It was that trip that inspired me to write this article because meeting shepherds made me realize there are very few shepherds left. Here are my three biggest observations.
1. They are driven by their love for the sheep
While visiting the farm, I was confused by the countless number of shepherds walking about. Surely this must be eating into the farm’s profits.
“Why are there so many shepherds on your farm?” I asked my friend’s father. “I noticed the farm we passed on the way here barely had any at all.”
He looked at me and laughed and his son laughed as well and then began to translate:
“That is a sheep slaughterhouse, and I am a sheep breeder. He hates his sheep and I love mine.” he concluded. “Do you want to know a secret of how I find the best shepherds?”
“Sure.” I muttered.
“I hire any young man who comes and start them with 25 sheep for two weeks. I tell them if at any point they cannot meet the needs of the flock, tell me. If they handle that I send them on to the second and most important phase. Every week I give them 10 more sheep to take care of for the next two months. Now if any man comes to me in the first two weeks, I fire them on the spot. They are either lazy or a liar and not worthy of one of my flocks. If he never comes to me in those two weeks I fire him, a man can only be a truly good shepherd to so many sheep.”
“So, you don’t believe anyone could truly look after that many sheep?” I asked.
“I never said that. One could perhaps look after them, but not love them as I do. No.”
2. Protection is their primary responsibility
My friend’s father continued:
“Without that love, He will not protect the sheep as I would. Anyone could simply guide the sheep to water, I need a shepherd to protect the sheep from beasts and thieves. A man who has more sheep than he can take care of will abandon some in those situations.”
(John 10;11-15) What I gathered from the conversation is if a man desires prestige over the protection of the flock, he is not truly a shepherd. The primary job of any shepherd is to make sure the sheep are healthy.
3. Accountability over control
The last thing we discussed boggled my mind as an American capitalist. He began to speak about how the grasses in one of his fields made some of the sheep sick. I could tell that this really troubled him. Apparently one breed of sheep could not properly digest the grass in his field. The shepherd noticed and brought it to his attention.
“What did you do?” I asked.
“I gave that shepherd those sheep and he took them south. I have been down there a couple times to see them.”
“That was very nice of you” I said.
He put one hand on me and one on his son as he walked us back to the jeep. “In the name of Allah and all that is sacred it was not nice; it was my duty. It is always about the sheep. Allah forbid I be so arrogant to watch my sheep walk around sickly, so I can brag that my flock is bigger than my neighbors. I don’t care how big my flock is or how many shepherds I have; I only care about the health of my sheep. I know you are American, but to brag of many sickly sheep? That must even sound silly to your ears.” That was a long jeep ride and even a longer plane ride home.
Conclusion
1 Peter 5:1-4 “The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed. Feed the flock of God, which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.”
I understand that our megachurch pastors are not actually kings. I make the comparison merely to point out how some have left the Biblical concepts of shepherding for a kinglier approach. We need to make sure we are valuing character over charisma. We need to ask, are these men goodly or godly? We should not judge shepherds by the number of sheep, but the quality of those sheep. David left his shepherding career behind when God called him to be king, because they are two very different jobs with two very different priorities. Your job as a shepherd is not war, self-exaltation or outright control. It is simply to feed and protect the sheep. What I believe this country desperately needs is fewer kings and a whole lot more shepherds.
Epilogue: To my friend John Muhammed Abdullah, it was a pleasure to have met your father. Although I only met him briefly, he was wise, funny and charming as they come. He will always be in my heart, and you will always be in my prayers. Your Friend Always, Anton
