Topical Bible: King: Divinely Authorized

◄ King: Divinely Authorized ►

Jump to: Nave's • Library • Subtopics • Terms

Topical Encyclopedia

In the biblical narrative, the concept of a king as divinely authorized is deeply rooted in the understanding of God's sovereignty and His governance over His chosen people. The role of a king in Israel was not merely a political or military position but was seen as an office established and sanctioned by God Himself. This divine authorization is evident throughout the Scriptures, where kingship is portrayed as part of God's providential plan for His people.

The Establishment of Kingship

The establishment of kingship in Israel begins with the people's request for a king to lead them, as recorded in 1 Samuel 8. Despite the prophet Samuel's warnings about the potential pitfalls of human kingship, God instructs Samuel to heed the people's request, saying, "Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you. For it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected Me as their king" (1 Samuel 8:7). This passage highlights the tension between human desire for a visible leader and God's ultimate kingship over Israel.

Saul: The First Anointed King

Saul, the first king of Israel, is chosen by God and anointed by Samuel. In 1 Samuel 10:1, Samuel takes a flask of oil, pours it on Saul's head, and declares, "Has not the LORD anointed you ruler over His inheritance?" . Saul's anointing signifies God's selection and authorization, marking him as the divinely appointed leader of Israel. However, Saul's reign is marred by disobedience, leading to God's rejection of his kingship (1 Samuel 15:26).

David: A Man After God's Own Heart

David's rise to kingship further exemplifies the divine authorization of a king. God instructs Samuel to anoint David, a shepherd boy, as the future king of Israel, saying, "Rise and anoint him, for he is the one" (1 Samuel 16:12). David's kingship is characterized by his heart for God, as noted in Acts 13:22, where God testifies, "I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart; he will do all My will" . David's reign is seen as a model of divinely sanctioned leadership, despite his personal failings.

Solomon: Wisdom and the Temple

Solomon, David's son, succeeds him as king and is known for his wisdom and the building of the Temple in Jerusalem. In 1 Kings 3:7-9, Solomon prays for wisdom to govern God's people, and God grants his request, affirming His divine approval of Solomon's reign. Solomon's kingship is marked by peace and prosperity, reflecting God's blessing and authorization.

The Messianic King

The concept of a divinely authorized king reaches its fulfillment in the Messianic prophecies concerning Jesus Christ. The Old Testament prophets, such as Isaiah, speak of a coming king who will reign with justice and righteousness. Isaiah 9:6-7 proclaims, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders... Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end" . Jesus, as the promised Messiah, embodies the ultimate divine kingship, fulfilling God's covenant promises to David and establishing an eternal kingdom.

Conclusion

Throughout the biblical narrative, the role of a king is consistently portrayed as one that is divinely authorized. From Saul to David and Solomon, and ultimately to Jesus Christ, the concept of kingship is intertwined with God's sovereign will and His redemptive plan for humanity. The kings of Israel serve as both leaders and symbols of God's authority, pointing to the ultimate King, Jesus, who reigns eternally.

Nave's Topical Index

Deuteronomy 17:15
You shall in any wise set him king over you, whom the LORD your God shall choose: one from among your brothers shall you set king over you: you may not set a stranger over you, which is not your brother.
Nave's Topical Index

1 Samuel 9:16,17
To morrow about this time I will send you a man out of the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be captain over my people Israel, that he may save my people out of the hand of the Philistines: for I have looked on my people, because their cry is come to me.
Nave's Topical Index

1 Samuel 16:12
And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and with of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he.
Nave's Topical Index

1 Chronicles 22:10
He shall build an house for my name; and he shall be my son, and I will be his father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel for ever.
Nave's Topical Index

2 Chronicles 2:11,12
Then Huram the king of Tyre answered in writing, which he sent to Solomon, Because the LORD has loved his people, he has made you king over them.
Nave's Topical Index

Proverbs 8:15
By me kings reign, and princes decree justice.
Nave's Topical Index

Daniel 2:21,37
And he changes the times and the seasons: he removes kings, and sets up kings: he gives wisdom to the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:
Nave's Topical Index

Daniel 4:17
This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomsoever he will, and sets up over it the basest of men.
Nave's Topical Index

Daniel 5:20
But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him:
Nave's Topical Index

Hosea 8:4
They have set up kings, but not by me: they have made princes, and I knew it not: of their silver and their gold have they made them idols, that they may be cut off.
Nave's Topical Index

Hosea 13:11
I gave you a king in my anger, and took him away in my wrath.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

The Displeasure of Jesus.
... passage, Mark 1:43"in the authorized version, 'And ... can be nothing but Godlike, therefore
divinely beautiful, at ... they would have made him a king, and ruined ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/macdonald/unspoken sermons/the displeasure of jesus.htm

The Great High-Priest.
... as Son of God and Son of man, as Priest and King. ... if man only is to be reconciled,
a Divinely appointed prophet ... He was authorized to act for God and for men. ...
/.../chapter iv the great high-priest.htm

The Emperor's Mother Helena Having Come to Jerusalem, Searches for ...
... the emperor called it Helenopolis), being divinely directed by ... the Christ who was
crucified was king of the ... to the English versions (both authorized and revised ...
/.../chapter xvii the emperors mother helena.htm

The Name Jesus and Also the Name Christ were Known from the ...
... have reference to the true Christ, the divinely inspired and ... to this day is honored
as a King by his ... The Authorized Version reads, The priest that was anointed ...
/.../pamphilius/church history/chapter iii the name jesus and.htm

Inspiration and the Canon
... the case, that they must have been divinely qualified to ... We are not authorized to
place them in the same ... an account of his conversion before king Agrippa, Acts ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter vii inspiration and the.htm

The Pilgrim Band, 1736-1743.
... with him a document signed by the King of Denmark, in which the Brethren were
authorized to preach ... He regarded slavery as a Divinely appointed system. ...
/.../hutton/history of the moravian church/chapter vii the pilgrim band.htm

The Doctrine of the Scriptures.
... it any more than He approved the king's double crime ... and sapless tautology that all
divinely-inspired Scripture ... to the rendering of the Authorized Version, and ...
/.../evans/the great doctrines of the bible/the doctrine of the scriptures.htm

The Foreign Missions and their Influence.
... He was authorized by the King of Denmark to baptize ... presented them, at Leicester
House, to King George II ... or even regarded that task as a Divinely appointed duty ...
/.../hutton/history of the moravian church/chapter vi the foreign missions.htm

The Old Testament and Modern Criticism
... the age of Saul when he was made king. ... in Isa.53.1, which reads, in the Authorized
Version, "Who ... Testament on the authority of the divinely chosen successors ...
/.../the christian view of the old testament/chapter iii the old testament.htm

Acts ii. 14
... For indeed it was divinely ordered that "some mocked," that ... the parable of the marriage
feast, the King is said ... If this was authorized to Jews, that none might ...
/.../chrysostom/homilies on acts and romans/homily v acts ii 14.htm