Topical Bible: King: Rights and Duties of

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In the biblical context, the role of a king is both a divine appointment and a position of significant responsibility. The rights and duties of a king are outlined in various passages of Scripture, providing a framework for understanding the expectations placed upon those who hold this office.

Divine Appointment and Authority

The concept of kingship in Israel begins with the acknowledgment that God is the ultimate King and ruler over His people. Earthly kings are seen as representatives of God's authority. In 1 Samuel 8:7, God tells Samuel, "Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me as their king." This underscores the belief that earthly kingship is a concession to human desires, yet it operates under divine sovereignty.

Rights of the King

1. Leadership and Governance: The king is granted the authority to lead and govern the nation. This includes making laws, administering justice, and leading the people in times of peace and war. In 1 Samuel 10:25, Samuel explains the rights and duties of kingship to the people, indicating that the king has a defined role in governance.

2. Military Command: The king has the right to command the military forces of the nation. This is evident in the reigns of kings like David and Solomon, who led Israel in battles and secured peace through military strength and strategic alliances.

3. Judicial Authority: The king serves as the highest judge in the land, responsible for ensuring justice and righteousness. Solomon's wisdom in judgment, as seen in 1 Kings 3:16-28, exemplifies the king's role in making fair and wise decisions.

4. Economic Oversight: The king has the right to manage the nation's resources, including taxation and the distribution of wealth. This is seen in the establishment of Solomon's wealth and the building of the temple, as described in 1 Kings 10.

Duties of the King

1. Obedience to God: The primary duty of the king is to obey God's commandments and lead the nation in faithfulness to the covenant. Deuteronomy 17:18-20 instructs the king to write for himself a copy of the law and read it all his life, "so that he may learn to fear the LORD his God by carefully observing all the words of this law and these statutes."

2. Justice and Righteousness: The king is expected to uphold justice and righteousness, ensuring that the vulnerable are protected and that the law is applied fairly. Psalm 72:1-2 prays, "Endow the king with Your justice, O God, and the son of the king with Your righteousness. May he judge Your people with righteousness and Your afflicted with justice."

3. Servant Leadership: The king is called to serve the people, not to exploit them. In 1 Kings 12:7, the elders advise Rehoboam, "If today you will be a servant to these people and serve them and give them a favorable answer, they will always be your servants."

4. Moral Integrity: The king must maintain personal integrity and avoid the pitfalls of power, such as pride, idolatry, and immorality. The failures of kings like Saul and Solomon serve as warnings of the consequences of neglecting this duty.

5. Covenant Faithfulness: The king is to lead the nation in covenant faithfulness, ensuring that worship is directed to the one true God and that the people remain distinct from surrounding nations. This is emphasized in the reforms of kings like Hezekiah and Josiah, who sought to restore true worship in Israel.

In summary, the rights and duties of a king in the biblical narrative are deeply intertwined with the divine mandate to lead with justice, righteousness, and obedience to God. The king's authority is both a privilege and a responsibility, requiring a heart aligned with God's purposes for His people.

Nave's Topical Index

Proverbs 25:2,5,6,15
It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honor of kings is to search out a matter.
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Proverbs 29:4,12,14
The king by judgment establishes the land: but he that receives gifts overthrows it.
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Jeremiah 21:12
O house of David, thus said the LORD; Execute judgment in the morning, and deliver him that is spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor, lest my fury go out like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.
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Library

Ezekiel
... He will send them an ideal king, unlike the mercenary rulers of the past ... to be the
earthly residence of the people's God; then the rights and duties of the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/mcfadyen/introduction to the old testament/ezekiel.htm

Kingo's Later Years
... for friction, especially with the civil authorities, whose rights and duties often
overlapped ... of the once beautiful and adored daughter of king Christian IV ...
/.../aaberg/hymns and hymnwriters of denmark/chapter seven kingos later years.htm

The Transplanting of Congregationalism
... alone rested the power to levy imposts and duties. ... his lords, squires, and burgesses,
the king was disappointed to ... party in demanding that the rights of the ...
/.../chapter ii the transplanting of.htm

Covenant Duties.
... God their just title to reign was transmitted, and by acting towards them as in
possession of rights committed to ... They are duties to God ... "God is the King of all ...
/.../cunningham/the ordinance of covenanting/chapter iv covenant duties.htm

The Congregationalists.
... a Church without a bishop and a State without a king.' From New ... should be a free
fraternal intercommunion between them, with the rights and duties of advice ...
/.../ 101 the congregationalists.htm

An Abstract of a Speech Delivered by Lord Warriston, Before the ...
... privilege, and of the covenant, in relation to civil rights. ... the title and preface,
three main duties in the ... and his privileges supreme as only King and Head ...
/.../howie/biographia scoticana scots worthies/an abstract of a speech.htm

Cheating and Dishonest Ways of Making Money are Utterly Unfit for ...
... be firmly held to in the priestly duties, namely, to ... of ground"but he says it of
his fathers' rights. ... could have received another or the king's vineyards and ...
/.../ambrose/works and letters of st ambrose/chapter ix cheating and dishonest.htm

The King James Version --Its Influence on English and American ...
... Recommended by the king, translated by the Bishops, yet in ... so much a child of God
that his rights are inalienable ... God, then he is shut up to duties which cannot ...
/.../mcafee/study of the king james bible/lecture v the king james.htm

What Things were done by Agrippa at Jerusalem when He was Returned ...
... And when Agrippa had entirely finished all the duties of the ... be well known to all,
yet did king Agrippa, for ... not to be deprived of those rights which Augustus ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 6 what things were.htm

The Freedom of the City.
... a citizen has certain duties, as well as rights and privileges ... Think of some of the
duties laid upon us as ... can, saying to ourselves, "it is for the King of kings ...
/.../the life of duty a years plain sermons v 2/sermon lviii the freedom of.htm