Olen Britnell
Hussein bin Talal al-Hashimi was the king of Jordan from 1952 to 1999. In addition to his royal responsibilities, he was a man of many interests, including airplanes, helicopters, and motorcycles. He was also an amateur radio operator (sometimes called “a ham”). Amateurs routinely exchanged their typically five-to-six character “call signs” when contacting each other. Many amateurs knew that Hussein enjoyed spending some time on his birthday, November 14, talking with other hams around the world. On one such occasion, another ham was apparently shopping around on the amateur frequencies (surfing the web) and, by happenstance, came upon a conversation between Hussein and another amateur. When that conversation ended, the wandering ham broke in to talk to one of the participants, who promptly responded. The new caller began the following conversation by giving his call sign, and asking his new contact, “What’s your call sign?” The response was “JY1.” “JY1 what?” “Just “JY1.” “That’s only three letters.” “Yes.” “How can you have a call sign with only three letters?” “Because I am the king.”
Kings have privileges; they’re special. Americans seem to have difficulty with that concept. By the time a person has arrived at adulthood, they have heard “all men are created equal” so much that they think… you know … all men are created equal. Politicians and social activists have used this phrase to justify erasing scores of distinctions in society, particularly if they think something is “unfair.” However, we notice that not all people are the same height, skin color, talent, citizenship, and so on. We might ask, “What does ‘all men are created equal’ mean?”
The truth that is “self-evident” is that all men are created equal with respect to human dignity and to law. King Charles of England was born Prince Charles Windsor. He was never created “equal”; he’s always been special. Baron Trump of the United States is just Baron Trump (he’s not even a baron), and there are no Prince Bubbas in Alabama.
Lesson 1: Take care to use language properly and in context.
The general term for a singular leader in society is “monarch.” That word means “to rule alone.” Single-person ruling has some advantages: one person alone can decide what should be done. There’s no voting; nobody else’s opinion matters.
In recent centuries, world society has been moving to democracy, meaning that the people rule, and they do that by majority or plurality vote, or some form of representative voting. The advantage is that “the people speak”; the population decides things. The disadvantages are that it often takes a long time to make a decision, and the population is frequently divided; for most issues, a clear consensus is only a dream.
In earlier centuries, hereditary monarchs were the norm. It was all so simple. A monarchy is a very good form of government, with some caveats. It works if the ruler is wise, prudent, and benevolent, and if there is ample funding for the administration of the government.
The transition of societies and their leadership is an ancient process. When Israel arrived in Canaan, they first divided the lands according to tribes, but their obedience to God’s instructions was not satisfactory. Joshua had brought them across the Jordan River and was their leader, but things changed.
“The people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the Lord which He had done for Israel. When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done for Israel. … The Lord raised up judges who delivered them out of the hands of those who plundered them” (Judges 2). “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21).
The period of the judges was marked by both great success and sad failures. Samuel was the last of the judges; by this time storm clouds were arising.
“Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, and said to him, ‘Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.’” In response to their request, Samuel prayed to the Lord, and he was told to do as they demanded. But He also told Samuel that the king they desired would take their children, take their wealth, take their fields, and levy a tax upon them (I Samuel 8).
Lesson 2: Beware of the worldly influence of the society around you.
Samuel proceeded to find a king, and it turned out to be a handsome, tall man named Saul. Initially, Saul was a successful king; however, he failed to rule as he should. Finally, Samuel strongly condemned him because of his incomplete obedience in destroying the Amalekites.
God rejected Saul and replaced him with David. David was very successful in the early years of his kingship, but finally fell to human faults, including adultery and murder. Subsequently, Solomon is elevated to king. He established his kingdom, demonstrated his wisdom, and built a temple for the Lord. Sadly, he later depended on his own wealth and his belongings; he also married foreign women. In the end, his kingdom is divided into two smaller units: the northern kingdom of Israel, and the southern kingdom of Judah.
Lesson 3: Even kings can become so arrogant they forget that they, too, serve the King of Kings.
