By Libertatem Fidelium

More than 3000 years ago, the Lord, through Samuel the prophet, warned the ancient Israelites not to have a king, telling them the consequences if they chose to do so: 

“This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots.

“And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots.

“…And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants.

“And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants…” (1 Samuel 8, KJV)

For centuries, this has been the result of having a king. It’s a pattern through history that never changes, from the rulers of ancient Rome to the emperors of China to the kings of Western Europe. This was the reason why the early colonists chose to break off from Great Britain – because the king was taking too much power that didn’t belong to him.

If you ask any American anywhere if we have a king, they will tell you….no. Emphatically no. After all, that’s what we were trying to get away from by declaring independence, isn’t it?

I, on the other hand, would answer yes. We do have a king.

Before you close this article in shock, read the lyrics of the last verse of the beautiful patriotic song, “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee”.

“Our fathers’ God, to thee,

Author of liberty,

To thee we sing;

Long may our land be bright

With freedom’s holy light.

Protect us by thy might,

Great God, our King!”

Again I say: Yes, we do have a king – and it is God.

A free people are held to a high standard. They are not held to the imperfect standard of a mortal ruler; they are held to the standard of God. In other words, if a free people wish to remain free, they must acknowledge God as their king, and follow Him.

This is what I mean when I say yes, contrary to what most people think, we do have a King, a perfect King, that we are accountable to. It is said that Liberty must go hand in hand with Virtue, and that is done by following God – the ruler of the earth; the author of our souls. Those who are given freedom are judged by a high standard.

Let us always remember to honor our King – the one who created us all; the God of the Universe.

Happy Independence Day!