The primary problem with Israel was the failure of leaders to carry a passion for the Law. It does not require being spiritual to do that. All it requires is a sense of loyalty to the Covenant Emperor, as it were. They were not loyal, did not finish the job of destroying the filthy pagan shrines, and so were saddled with a future which would be more challenging. Still, loyalty and obedience were within reach. Some of the judges or warlords were also prophets, and they were best fit to help guide the political leaders.
The last of these judges was Samuel, a spiritual giant. It was not radically different from having a Moses again. Seeing the nature of his nation's weakness, Samuel developed a prophets' academy system. Notice some prophets are not particularly spiritual, it seems, so the system could have worked just fine on the level of the Law. Cultivation of loyalty and a trust for divine provision worked consistently when applied on that human level. While such a system, with decentralized politics and a religious architecture was not utterly unique among Semitic tribal nations, this one actually worked.
The nation's demand for a king was sin. Samuel warned them it was, and warned them of the oppressive consequences. Having a permanent king was the same as having a permanent warlord, with a permanent standing army, sucking up huge amounts of resources to feed such a large crew of non-productive people. Worse, these people would demand luxurious privileges denied everyone else. This was wrong. They rejected Samuel's advice and God's warning. God often gives people what they demand, even when it's not in their best interest. He knew this was coming, and did not head it off, but did teach them a lesson with the first king.
First off, Saul was not of the royal tribe, Judah. God can choose anybody He likes, but we get the sense He suckered the nation by offering someone who simply looked royal -- a big tall guy with some success in battle. Samuel loved the boy, too, but never forgot his God came first. So when the man persistently rejected God's Law and commands, opening his soul up for demons, it's no surprise the Lord took away the protection. Notice how Saul kept things rather primitive, without a real palace, no royal court, just a cranky old warlord wearing the title "king." He became arrogant, then greedy, then insane with only brief moments of clarity. His death and that of his sons was solely his own fault, because God could not grant victory to a man demon possessed.
The one fellow capable of soothing his moods was a young, very spiritual man, who knew how to worship. His worshipful music in Saul's "court" kept the demon weak, most of the time. Saul's deep suspicion was an accurate warning from the demon, who knew what was lawful, and knew David's spiritual authority, and somewhat of his destiny. David was a legitimate king, from the tribe of Judah. He truly loved his Lord, and was loyal.
However, David was far from perfect. This man suffered major character flaws, among them being a skirt-chaser. He also refused to execute justice far, far too often. He was rather lazy, far more interested in warfare and chasing girls. He also allowed his family ties to get in the way of justice. With so many doors open to Satan, it's no surprise his reign was tumultuous.
Still, he was useful in beating down the nation's enemies. The Lord had maneuvered things so there was no great imperial power anywhere nearby. Egypt was weak, the old Hittite Empire had faded, yet still strong enough to keep Assyria in check. Still, he enjoyed it entirely too much. The one best thing he did was organize and stabilize the Temple system before the Temple was built. The priesthood was renovated and a mass of musical instruments and psalms prepared. Of all the things we see in David, it was the one thing he did right. Jehovah was frankly moved by the level of devotion and loyalty David bore.
We see much in Samuel about vows and covenants. This emphasis on commitment stands in stark contrast to our modern Western world. We do have legally binding contracts, but only if there is someone willing to enforce them. There is nothing of the person in them, and the entire economic system of the West is based on impersonal requirements on property, not persons. In Samuel, the personal commitment is more important than the performance. This remains utterly foreign to us, and is one of the first things Israel learns to discard as she drifts farther from the Hebrew cultural matrix which gave her birth.
Under God's Laws, wise men do not quickly and easily make vows. They seek God's face as the primary Guarantor of all things. Barring anything indicating it's not a good idea, they make vows as a commitment of the self. They take upon themselves a binding promise to God Himself, whether it involves another person or not. The Laws of God protect those who keep such vows regardless of losses, because His greater promise under the Law is to eventually make it all work out. This is not about lawyers, but about loyalty to an Eastern Potentate. In our journey to Light, we must understand all mankind can reap the benefits of keeping God's Law Covenants, but only to the degree they are loyal to His rule. It's not necessary to be spiritual to keep the Laws, nor even to have a knowledge of God. A strong sense of loyalty and duty to justice will do, backed by a properly informed conscience. These things are available to all fallen souls without the Spirit.
Evil choices among leaders invite the demons to obfuscate the demands of the Laws. The system of understanding quickly becomes overrun, awash in false notions of what's right and wrong. Every wrong choice invites more demonic activity. This activity takes place on multiple levels, but it begins by government sin. Having a king over Israel was an invitation to weakness, regardless of all the good some individual kings did. They struggled against subjects continually returning to sin. Whole noble houses at the tribal and clan level were devoted to a political agenda to reassert idolatry and other sins at every opportunity. When the kings went wrong, it simply made everything worse. Only the Covenant plans of God saved Israel on many occasions. Yet at no time was Lawful righteousness out of reach.
When we do not promote God's Laws among the fallen, we put our hands to keeping sin alive, and demons in power. It is by His Laws His Truth is revealed to the fallen, and it by this revelation He chooses to bring some to spiritual life. Demons cannot restrain God's Spirit, but they can surely make our lives unnecessarily miserable, along with all those to whom we share our Light. Today, as demons rule on a global level, we have little hope of making God's Laws come to life and reap those promises on any significant scale. Yet this does not remove from us the burden of at least making the truth of His Laws known by refusing to engage in, or support, conduct against God's Laws. By our life lived in His Spirit, we will execute the Laws faithfully by His measure of things, but it is required for us to understand those Laws by His Word and Spirit, not by some feeble, corrupted Western materialist, empty legalistic, standard. The Spirit gave the Laws, and knows them better than any man can, so let us walk by the Spirit on our journey to a better understanding.
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By Ed Hurst
28 April 2009
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