The godliest nation of all time failed
Imagine living in this country:
The nation is prosperous and at peace, the greatest it’s ever been. Other nations are in awe, eager to visit and do business. The law of God is the law of the land. The anointed and prophesied king is leading worship of God in a temple he built. The glory of God spectacularly fills the sanctuary. The people are united and rejoicing.
You’d be thinking, this is everything we’ve ever wanted. This is utopia, the climax of all history. This is the kingdom of God on earth.
Such a glorious time actually happened. I described the kingdom of Israel during the early years of Solomon’s reign. The temple was dedicated in 1 Kings 8; here are the last two verses:
65 At that time Solomon held a feast, and all Israel with him, a great assembly from the entrance of Hamath to the Brook of Egypt, before the Lord our God, seven days and seven more days — fourteen days. 66 On the eighth day he sent the people away; and they blessed the king, and went to their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the good that the Lord had done for His servant David, and for Israel His people.
That moment really was the apex of humanity. God was among His people and blessing them, and they were a witness to the world. This was the godliest and richest nation the earth has ever seen.
Until the unthinkable: It all came crashing down.
In one generation, the nation was split in two. Apostasy and idolatry spread in both kingdoms. They were both eventually invaded and conquered under the wrath of God. The people were killed, exiled or assimilated. The monarchy of Judah, the line of David, was cursed by God; after the fall of Jerusalem, no one ever reclaimed his throne. Some of the exiles eventually returned, only to be conquered again. Finally, the nation was wiped off the face of the earth for 1,900 years.
Related: Why do we want another David? He was a failure
Related: But look at the good things King Saul is doing
So you wanna go back to Israel
Why am I writing about this? Because there are some today, who claim the name of Christ, who want to establish a Christendom using the theocratic monarchy of the Old Testament as their model. They want to go back to what didn’t work despite having the law, anointing, and presence of God.
They have to turn to the Old Testament because the New Testament has nothing that can help them — neither Jesus nor the apostles ever tried to attain the power of government, or taught future generations of Christians that they were to do that. They left no definitions of a “Christian nation.”
Related: ‘Christian’ is a noun, not an adjective. Why that matters
But in looking to the Old Testament, they’re incorporating a testament of failure. That’s its theme. It’s story after story of everything going wrong:
The utter sinfulness of humanity that provoked the flood.
The pride of human unity at the Tower of Babel.
The disobedience of the Israelites after their miraculous deliverance from Egypt.
The apostasy of Israel after occupying the promised land.
The aforementioned collapse of the monarchy and nation from their glorious peak.
And then in the New Testament, God’s nation rejected its true King and was destroyed by the Romans a generation later.
We’ve seen this trend throughout history as well. From nations to universities to many churches and denominations, institutions that call themselves Christian tend to become less Christian over time, often to the point of rejecting the faith altogether.
These failures were inevitable, because humankind is fallen and sinful. That hasn’t changed. And they were purposeful; the kingdom of Israel was never destined to succeed under mere human rulers whose hearts are susceptible to sin — even the best of them, like David and Solomon.
Related: The absolute, universal, inevitable corruption of power
Related: No kings. That’s not politics, that’s the Bible
Christ is the answer
No, they were only types and shadows of the only Man worthy to sit on the throne. They all pointed to Christ not just by offering typological glimpses of Him, but by their desperate need for Him.
In the New Testament, all the kings and nations are wicked, culminating in their final battle against the King of Kings and Lord of Lords when He returns to this world. He’s the One who will finally and perfectly establish God’s kingdom on earth, as foretold by the psalms, prophets, apostles, and Jesus Himself, as foreseen in Revelation. He’s the One who will make everything right in a day. His kingdom only is everlasting.
Until then, we wait for Him — not idly, but preaching the good news to populate His kingdom one soul at a time, with no regard for worldly power that He doesn’t need. That’s what He sent us to do, and He’s already given us everything we need to do it. He already has all power and authority in heaven and on earth.
But if we try to take a shortcut to glory by making the nation our own kingdom, we only usurp His throne and repeat the folly of our unworthy forefathers.
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