Kings and Things

If one were to ask you, "describe God's character", what would you say? There are many wonderful things we could say, because there are many wonderful things about God! But there's one that we're about to talk about that many of us unfortunately neglect. What is it, you ask? Good question!

We'll start with a verse from Psalm 10:

The Lord is king forever and ever; the nations perish from his land

Psalm 10:16

Given that fabulous sentence, you might guess that we're about to talk about God's unending, unshakable reign over all things. We're going to touch on it, but we're actually going to use it to shed light on something glorious. First, let's start with talking about kings.

If we were to judge a king's fitness to be king, we'd probably judge two things. First, we'd judge their ability. Their resources are limited and their rule will eventually end, so their ability is what determines their effectiveness. We don't want a king that has no skills because it's a waste of a throne. Second, we'd judge their character. Character defines what the king wants to do with his ability. A king can have superior ability, but if the king is wicked, that ability becomes terrifying. Ideally, we'd want a king that has unlimited ability and excellent character. A king with unlimited ability but no character is frightening and a king with no ability but excellent character is maybe a nice guy, but he can't get anything done.

So, when we read Psalm 10:16 about God, we've settled one half of the equation. God is king forever and ever, and the nations perish from his land. He holds all things in His hands and holds them for all time. Nothing can thwart His ways, and He can do whatever He wants. That means all things rest not upon what God can do, but who God is. When His ability is infinite, the only thing that we can hope is that He has excellent character. So, the question is, does God have excellent character?

O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted, you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed

Psalm 10:16-18a

These words leave you speechless when you realize that the King of all things inclines His ear to do justice to the afflicted. We love a God that could choose whatever He wants, and He chooses to love the poor! He delights in binding the broken-hearted and serving the forgotten. He is a voice for those who have none.

So, if we're Christians, we must consider this about God's heart and then consider our own heart.  Do we love the poor like God loves the poor?  Or are we largely ignoring them like the rest of the world?  Do the poor turn to Christians for help or do they turn elsewhere?  These are the questions we must answer.  Then by His grace, we'll join with God and delight in loving the unloved.