Are You with the King?

Are you following your King today? You’re following someone. Maybe you need to pause and remind yourself right now of who your King is. Consider this:

But Ittai replied to the king, “. . . . wherever my lord the king may be, whether it means life or death, there will your servant be.”  2 Samuel 15:21

In this story, things were rapidly caving in around King David. His son Absalom was leading a rebellion against him. He was forced to leave Jerusalem, fleeing like a criminal, to save his own life. Only those closest to David–friends, family and trusted associates–were leaving with him. All who did so would be considered enemies of the new king, Absalom. If they were caught with David, they would be killed immediately. You can read Ittai’s comment above and see his unbending loyalty to David.

Who was this dedicated man who was willing to die with his king? Was he a ranking general in David’s army? No. Was he a soldier who felt great loyalty to David? No. Was he one of David’s relatives? No. Was he someone who owed David a favor? No. Was he even an Israelite? No. The amazing part of this story is that Ittai and the 600 men who followed him were from Gath, a long-time enemy of Israel. David had spent some time in Gath while hiding from Saul. His reputation as a great warrior and a man of the true God had gotten around. Ittai and his men had only recently defected to Israel to follow David. They had literally only been in Jerusalem for 24 hours and had nothing to gain by staying with David. But they would not leave. Their respect for David as a leader, warrior and king had drawn them to him. They’d rather die with David than be counted with his enemies.

And therein is the point for us. In a true monarchy, loyalty runs deep. People don’t jump from one ruler to another. In a kingdom, the citizens live and die with the king.

Christianity is a monarchy. Our King is neither earthly nor temporal. He is the eternal Lord of the universe. He deserves our highest loyalties. And, unique to his kingdom, is the fact that the King has already laid down his life for his followers. What he asks in return is that they live for him. Yet, how quickly we abandon our King for the sake of a cheap thrill, a few extra dollars, or to gain someone’s acceptance. We often act as if he is no King at all, but really just a hired hand.

Are you with the King? Are you ready to go wherever he goes, whether it be life or death? Set your rights and will aside, pull up your tent stakes, pack your bags and follow the King. That’s the nature of the Kingdom.