THE PROPHET AND THE KING
1 KINGS 13
[The prophet] cried out against the altar by the word of the Lord: “O altar, altar! This is what the Lord says: ‘A son named Josiah will be born to the house of David. On you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places who now make offerings here, and human bones will be burned on you’ ”
(1 Kings 13:2).
The oracle the unnamed prophet delivered against Jeroboam’s false religion was one of woe. It was an example of a “covenant lawsuit.” One of the most important duties of the prophet was to stand as a prosecuting attorney for God to summon the people to trial. When the people, and especially when their king, broke the covenant, the prophet would be sent to bring God’s lawsuit against them.
One of the reasons the prophetic ministry comes into prominence during the period of the kings is that the order of the kingdom was directly tied to another function of the prophet: he was the ambassador of the High King, the Lord. Back when we studied the reign of King Saul, we saw that the essential condition of the kingdom was this: the human king must always hearken to the word of the High King, brought by His prophet.
God gave a kingdom to Saul, who tried to make it his own. Then the prophet Samuel brought the covenant lawsuit against him. God gave a kingdom to David, who sought to exploit it for his own purpose; then the prophet Nathan brought the covenant lawsuit against David. God gave a kingdom to Solomon, who then broke the three laws of kingship, assuming that the kingdom was his to administer as he pleased. God raised up the prophet Ahijah to oppose him. Next, God had given a kingdom to Jeroboam, and the first thing Jeroboam did was reject God as High King and start doing things his own way. Hence, God sent a prophet to denounce him and later sent Ahijah to announce the destruction of Jeroboam’s line (1 Kings 14:1–20).
This pattern continues throughout the books of Kings, which is why so many chapters are actually about the prophets Elijah and Elisha. These men and their followers reminded the people who the True King of the land was, and called out the “remnant” to follow Him.
In a real sense, then, the books of Kings (one book in Hebrew) are not merely about the human kings of Judah and Israel. They are about the human kings of Israel and Judah, and the High King—the Lord.
CORAM DEO
Psalms 142–144
1 Corinthians 10:14–33
WEEKEND
Psalms 145–150
1 Corinthians 11
It is the duty of the elders and pastors of the church, and of the church as an institution, to be the prophetic voice of the High King, calling nations to submit and reminding all of us that we are to live our lives in submission to King Jesus. Pray for your pastor today, that he will be strong to fulfill this role.
For further study: 2 Peter 1:21 • Revelation 1:3; 22:7
TABLETALK
from ligonier ministries and teaching and encouraging believers • september 1991
TO WHOM MUCH IS GIVEN …
Daily Studies From The Teaching Fellowship Of R. C. Sproul
publisher Ligonier Ministries editor Robert F. Ingram assistant editor Michael S. Beates art director David K. Freeland
editorial assistant R. C. Sproul, Jr. marketing Gordon Busteed, Gretchen L. Suskovic production W. David Fox, Melissa A. Prichard
writing consultant Sharon J. Anderson board of directors Bruce Fogerty, Robert Fraley, G. Richard Hostetter, Robert C. Legler, Stephen H. Levée, Jr., C.G. Mills, Archie B. Parrish, Neil Sellers, James M. Seneff, Jr., R. C. Sproul, John A. Thompson, Luder Whitlock; Charles Colson (Director Emeritus)
Published by Walk Thru the Bible Ministries, Inc. under license granted by Ligonier Ministries, Inc. Copyright 1991, Ligonier Ministries, Inc. The Bible studies are based upon teaching material by Dr. R. C. Sproul. Unless noted, all Scripture quotations in this publication are from the Holy Bible, New International Version, copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishers.
member evangelical press association
Cover: illustration by Michael Mojher
robert f. ingram • editor
Coram Deo
Some people in the Scriptures loved the Lord so dearly they scandalized themselves by lavishing love, precious ointment, and attention upon Jesus. Prostitutes, overwhelmed at being forgiven, disrupted dinner parties and washed Jesus’ feet with their tears and hair. They poured precious perfumes over Jesus without regard to the protests of those who thought of the profit that could have been realized had the perfume been sold.
These are the same type of people Moses commanded to stop giving to the sanctuary when it was under construction, because they had given too much. What a testimony to heartfelt devotion and gratitude, the twin virtues that comprise the essence of giving.
These are the people who experienced no terror when warned by Jesus that their righteousness must surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees, or else they would not inherit the kingdom of God. Not even the Pharisees’ devotion to the Law’s scruples could approximate the scope of their generosity.
There is a ratio between giving and one’s love for Christ. He who is forgiven little, loves little is how Jesus stated it. By implication he who is forgiven much will love much.
Regrettably, Christians have not been the least bit obedient to the tithe. National figures suggest that giving averages less than four percent. Worse yet, the tithe is only one small portion of the larger need to exercise stewardship over all creation. The giving rate here may not be any better.
Properly understood, the stewardship principle, like Coram Deo, involves all of life. Actions, thoughts, attitudes, finances, vocations, worship, and witness fall under the scope of stewardship. If we are to live our life Coram Deo, which itself means to bring all of life under God’s authority and unto His glory, we desperately need to learn the principles of tithing and stewardship. Since there is an amazing correspondence between these two terms, this issue of Tabletalk is devoted to encouraging a greater measure of accomplishment in each.
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