God the Leader

A Journey through the Old Testament

Kathleen M. Rochester

• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9781498239813
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Studies

What kind of a leader is God? Is he a benevolent Santa Claus? Or is he really a narcissist? Is his leadership centered on law enforcement? Or is his priority focused on relationships? Is his interest in nations and systems? Or is he personally alongside the mistreated and oppressed? Is he a leader of armies? Or is he a leader of peace? These and many other questions about God's character and leadership are in the back (if not the front) of many people's minds--questions especially about the God of the Old Testament, who is often painted very differently from the God of the New Testament. Our image of God as leader is highly likely to influence how we act when we are leaders--whether as parents, bosses, teachers, politicians, or leaders of any group, small or large. This book assists us in observing God's leadership through the varied contours of the Old Testament journey and offers human illustrations of leadership, both positive and negative, to help us in our reflections.

Part 4

Images of God as Leader

Chapter 14

God the King

Many images are used in the Bible to describe God. Of these, several describe aspects of his leadership. But no single image describes the whole of God’s leadership. This is because images are drawn from human functions (e.g., king, father, shepherd) or inanimate objects (e.g., rock). In addition, our own associations of these words with people we know colors these images. For example, if we were raised by a cruel father, we will need to acknowledge that God is likened to an ideal father and cruelty is not part of that ideal. If we have been working to build a road, the image of rock may represent a huge obstacle that needs to be blasted away. However, we can see that the likeness of God to a rock is never used to indicate an obstacle.

An image evokes a wider range of associations and emotions than a list of attributes. It compresses many ideas into one and is far more easily remembered than words. In these chapters we will seek to decompress these ideas in order to gain a richer understanding of God’s leadership and so we will use words. However, my hope is that the images themselves will remain, hopefully with more detail. In this chapter we will look at the image of God as king. In the next few chapters we will discuss other images of God’s leadership.

God the King

God the Leader is very frequently referred to in the Old Testament as King, and spoken of as having a kingdom. It’s widely understood that the title “king” refers primarily to the person holding the highest position or rank. In biblical times, is understood to refer to sovereign power expressed in both political and military arenas. No one has more power than the king. God is often called King, but God’s rank, rulership and power extends beyond that of any other king, and so he is sometimes called King of Kings.

A lot of royal imagery is applied to God. Visionary language refers to his throne and even the pavement on which his throne sits (e.g., Exod 24; many psalms; Ezek 1; Dan 7), his kingly robes (Isa 6), and his multitudes of royal chariots (Ps 68:17). He is pictured being carried by angelic cherubim (e.g., Ps 18:10; Ezek 10) and riding on the clouds or covering himself with clouds and light (e.g., Ps 18:10, 11; Ps 104:1–3). His presence is often marked by precious stones, fire, radiant light or glory (e.g., Exod 24; Ezek 1). His clothing and hair are pictured as being brilliant white (Dan 7:9, similar to the imagery of Jesus in Rev 1). This language portrays God not just as an earthly king but as the cosmic King, a cosmic military commander, the Lord of Hosts, leading out the stars like a mighty army (Isa 40:26), the one who presides over the heavenly council (e.g., Ps 82:1; 89:7).12

We are used to associating kings and queens with pageantry, with robes and thrones, precious stones and gold, decorated attendants and ornate chariots. But the British queen, who is my queen, in reality has severe limitations to her expression of power. That is not to deny her extraordinary global influence. Many other kingdoms, not only in Europe but also in Asia (e.g., Malaysia, Thailand) have also placed limitations on the powers of the monarch because of previous abuses of power. The king in biblical times has no such limits, and God as King has even wider powers than would belong to a human king in Old Testament times.

For many systematic theologians, the sovereignty of God (we might say kingship of God) features as a foundational attribute of God. Louis Berkhof sees God’s sovereignty rooted in his role as Creator, in his absolute authority over the beings of both heaven and earth, and in his will as the ultimate cause of all things.13 What does this sovereignty or kingship entail? King David expresses a cluster of relevant aspects: he is from everlasting to everlasting, he has greatness and power, glory and majesty, owns everything in heaven and earth, is head over his great kingdom, and dispenses wealth and honor, strength and power (1 Chr 29:10–13). As Creator, God has higher rights of kingship than any earthly leader.

However, God also has an earthly kingdom—the people of God. This simply means the people who have God as their king. The same idea is brought over into the New Testament, where people can choose to take God as King and enter his kingdom (e.g., Mark 9:47). In the Old Testament this kingdom is generally identified with the people of Israel, also called a kingdom of priests (Exod 19:6), because this nation began as a theocratic kingdom. We have seen that God defends this kingdom, as particular people with their particular gift of land, and stands against the enemies of this kingdom.

Yet there are others outside of Israel who, for various reasons, also choose to follow the God of Israel and turn away from other gods (e.g., Naaman the Syrian leper who is healed by God’s prophet Elisha in 2 Kings 5, and the pagan sailors in Jonah 1:16). These people do not become part of the nation of Israel but indicate that their new allegiance is to Israel’s divine king. Might they not also be considered part of the people of God, part of God’s hidden, scattered kingdom?

God is also understood to rule over the nations (Ps 22:28; Jer 10:7). He has the power to appoint human kings under him to rule his kingdom Israel (1 Chr 28:5) and also to appoint foreign rulers to do his bidding for rescue or for destruction (e.g., Cyrus in Isa 45:1; the Babylonians in Hab 1).

However, as ultimate King, he chooses to set some limits on his own powers in order to give certain powers to humans. He does not merely set up the Israelite kings, or even the foreign kings, as puppet kings under him, but allows them certain freedoms, reflecting the freedom that he, as King, has. Sometimes they act in accordance with his good desires and are commended. Sometimes they do not and are rebuked.

The idea of voluntary limitation of one’s own powers can be difficult to accept, especially if the level of power is high and time is short. It is much easier to get things done by yourself, and to know that they will be done properly. There are certainly times when this is necessary. But how will others be trained if there is no room for them to try, to fail, to learn and to succeed? Our perfectionist pride becomes a hindrance. God has no need to prove his excellence and creates space for the learning, creativity and leadership of others.

We have already seen how God’s kingship in the Exodus journey is in stark contrast to that of Pharaoh. God acts as King in giving basic provisions to the people: food, water, safety (including protection from enemies) and eventually land. In contrast to Pharaoh, he listens to petitions, is open to negotiation and changes his mind about certain plans. He gives instructions that will enable people to live well and find justice in matters regarding neighbors, thus promoting a harmonious community. He warns of dire consequences for disobedience, as any king has the right to do, but ensures that the people know very clearly that the consequences are directly related to their choices and behaviors and will never be based on God the King’s whim and fancy. His kingship is never oppressive.

We discover that not all kings use their powers in identical ways. Israelite kings, who are intended to express some of the character of God’s kingship, are not simply to mimic their counterparts in other nations, for God, the original King of the Hebrew people, sets the primary pattern of kingship for this nation and it is not the same as other patterns of kingship given by any other deity.

God gives Moses instructions regarding the appointment of human kings over his people (Deut 17:14–20); this reflects God’s understanding of kingship. The king is to be from his own people, not a foreigner. This implies sympathetic understanding of the people he governs. He is not simply to impose ideas from the outside, without first really knowing the people. He must not sacrifice the freedom and honor of the people to support his own schemes for self-aggrandizement or to horde excessive riches or women for his personal pleasure. There is no justification for him to bend the rules, as if he is an exception. In fact, the king has a greater responsibility to know, read and govern by just and right principles given by God, the ultimate king. He is not to make decisions based on personal interests, on cold detachment from needs, or on impulsive or impetuous emotions. His attitude should be humble, showing respect to God, his law, and the people.

How does this relate to the kingship of God? We find repeated examples of God sympathetically knowing and listening to his people. His rulership follows transparent...

Table of contents

• God the Leader
• Getting to Know God as Leader
• The Ten Words of the Leader
• Ethical Issues in Leadership
• Images of God as Leader
• God’s Leadership in Uncertain Times
• God the Hidden Leader
• New Hope