Coronation

May 6, 2023

This morning we watched the coronation and anointing of King Charles of England. In this case, the king does not actually govern. Charles is a unifying symbol for the United Kingdom.

I think back to the first king of Israel. In its infancy Israel was led by Moses, on a forty-year trek by two million people from Egypt to Canaan on the eastern edge of the Mediterranean. Moses led as an intermediary between God and the people, hearing from the Lord and telling what he heard to all the others.

His successor, Joshua, was a military leader as the Israelites conquered Canaan, but he also was a spiritual intermediary. After Joshua, the only leaders were “judges,” who were either interpreters of God’s will or temporary military leaders.

This hodge-podge of leadership began to fray around the edges. During the trip from Egypt, the nation was completely dependent on God for food, water, and protection. The settled people now felt more in charge of their own lives, and lost track of how truly dependent on God they still were. They wanted a king, someone visible to govern them.

Have we lost our recognition, now in our own time, how dependent we are on God for fruitful life? Would we rather trust mostly in government and job than an all-powerful and all-knowing God, everywhere present, that we can’t see?

I would suggest, as those ancient Israelites, we take time to reflect on how truly dependent we are on God for health and happiness and spiritual well-being. We are truly governed by God.

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of need.” Psalm 46:1