God's Coming Kingdom

God, in the pages of the Bible, often speaks about the coming kingdom of God on earth. This page is a continuing series of articles about this coming kingdom, as shown in the Bible.

Part 26      God's Coming Kingdom

In past articles we have noted that the kingdom of God will be a restoration of the theocracy which existed in ancient Israel. God was the King of Israel.

"Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song, And His praise in the congregation of saints. Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King" - Psalms 149:1.

“I am the Lord, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King” - Isaiah 43:15.

In a very real sense God created the nation of Israel. God called Abraham when he was in the city of Ur in Mesopotamia, “and said to him, ‘Get out of your country and from your relatives, and come to a land that I will show you’” - Acts 7:3. Meanwhile, Abraham had to wait until his wife was past the ability to produce children before God empowered his wife Sarah to give birth to Isaac, the father of Jacob, later named Israel by God.

God, who controls the weather (Psalm 147:16-18) sent a drought and arranged for Jacob and his family to relocate into Egypt. The family prospered and multiplied until the pharaoh decided to enslave them. Responding to their prayers for help, God sent Moses to lead Israel, grown into a nation, out of Egypt.

But this was God's special nation, of whom, he informed Pharaoh, “Israel is My son, My firstborn” - Exodus 4:22. This was not the seniority of greater age, but of the highest rank, which God assigned to Israel over the nations.

Israel’s first destination after departing from Egypt was mount Sinai, where God, as their king, gave them His law. He entered into a covenant with them, promising, “If you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant...you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” Exodus 19:5. In response, the nation solemnly promised, “All that the Lord has said we will do, and be obedient” - Exodus 24:7. And so began the Kingdom of God over Israel, while the other nations remained loyal to their various national idols.

Israel afterwards traveled to the promised land of Canaan, and Moses' right-hand man, Joshua, led them in their conquest and settlement in that territory. After this, God, as their king, selected a series of judges to administer His law over Israel. But because of Israel's constant backsliding God also sent enemies to chasten and awaken His firstborn nation to the responsibilities which they had undertaken with God, their King, at mount Sinai.

Finally, during the tenure of the last judge, the elders thought they had a better idea to deal with their enemies than exhorting the Israelites to get back to obeying the law of God. They asked the judge, Samuel, to appoint a warrior-king to lead them in victory against their enemies.

All the elders came to Samuel and said to him, “make for us a king to judge us like all the nations... And the Lord said to Samuel ... they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them” - 1 Samuel 8:7. Israel had forgotten their high calling by God, their King. God's response to Samuel was “Heed their voice, and make them a king.”

And God gave them exactly what they asked for, Saul, a strapping young man who became a heroic military commander, but who showed little regard for God, who was still the true and ultimate King over Israel.