SIGNED WITH THE KING'S RING

This is the age of democracy. Everyone wants to exercise their rights and our leaders take the stage to make declarations but soon change their stand on matters when the majority says, 'NO.' The principles of a kingdom have long been forgotten hence we find it hard to interpret the things of the kingdom of God. How can we interpret the things of the kingdom with a democratic mindset? In this article we are going to explore a few stories from the bible of the kingdoms of men that rose but crumbled just to remind ourselves of the values and principles of a Kingdom.


DARIUS' KINGDOM, PERSIA. (DANIEL 6)


6 So the administrators and the satraps went as a group to the king and said: "O King Darius, live forever! 7 The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers and governors have all agreed that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or man during the next thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be thrown into the lions' den. 8 Now, O king, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered—in accordance with the laws of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed." 9 So King Darius put the decree in writing.


The story of Daniel in the lions' den is one of the famous stories in the bible and now world wide, kids in Sunday school will recite this story without much difficult. The thing that excited me as I went through the story is not the craftiness but also the understanding of the satraps and governors. Their craftiness managed to deceive the King but their understanding of the Principles and rules of Persia tied the hands of the King hence condemning Daniel to the Lions den even when the King finally opened his eyes.


The governors, satraps and leaders had been on Daniel's case, they examined his every move to find fault but soon found out that he was a righteous man and excellent in all his ways. A righteous and gifted man is definitely loved by Kings as they are the sole reason that his kingdom prospers. The righteous are protected by King making it difficult for any other to lay their hands on them and get away with it. The only way you touch the righteous, the apple of the King's eye is by turning the king's face away and causing his own hand to strike that which he loves. The satraps proved Daniel to operate in Excellency and found him to be devoted to his God more than anything else. The only way to destroy him was to prey on his devotion to God; if this were to crash with the king’s interest then Daniel would be in trouble. This seemed a good plan but there was only one short fall, the King is a man and subject to change his mind if he clearly sees the trap laid before him because the king loved Daniel. Therefore they looked for something more stable than the king's wavering mind. They found the law to be unwavering at this time and in many ways even above the King himself.


Reading the story through, you will find that preying on the king was the easy task. Every king wants recognition (in this day and age we would say they have the right to receive that from the people lol). The proposal that the Satraps brought forward was cunningly wrapped as a gift to feed the king's ego, and any ungodly king would accept this gift but most would not at the expense of their loved ones or loyal employees.

11 Then these men assembled and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God. 12 And they went before the king, and spoke concerning the king’s decree: “Have you not signed a decree that every man who petitions any god or man within thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?”
The king answered and said, “The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which does not alter.”
13 So they answered and said before the king, “That Daniel, who is one of the captives[a] from Judah, does not show due regard for you, O king, or for the decree that you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.”
14 And the king, when he heard these words, was greatly displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him; and he labored till the going down of the sun to deliver him. 15 Then these men approached the king, and said to the king, “Know, O king, that it is the law of the Medes and Persians that no decree or statute which the king establishes may be changed.”


The king was in despair, he had just condemned a righteous and gifted man blindly. A king rarely works for anything but the scripture says that he labored all day trying to save Daniel. He got to find out that his hands were tied, he couldn’t save the man he so desired not condemn, why? The satraps answer it in the best way, “Know, O king that it is the law of the Medes and Persians that no decree or statute which the king establishes may be changed.” The most powerful man in this kingdom was even subject to the laws that had been decreed and were written down. He knew that overruling the statute/decree to pardon Daniel an innocent man would mean tearing the kingdom away from him. Let me echo this again their craftiness managed to deceive the King but their understanding of the Principles and rules of Persia tied the hands of the King hence condemning Daniel to the Lions den even when the King finally opened his eyes.


Ahasuerus’ Kingdom, PERSIA (Esther)


19 "Therefore, if it pleases the king, let him issue a royal decree and let it be written in the laws of Persia and Media, which cannot be repealed, that Vashti is never again to enter the presence of King Xerxes. Also let the king give her royal position to someone else who is better than she. 20 Then when the king's edict is proclaimed throughout his entire vast realm, all the women will respect their husbands, from the least to the greatest." Esther 1:19


The story in the book of Esther is just a reflection of the one in the book of Daniel as they happened in the same kingdom just at different times. Once the queen disrespected the King in front of all his guests in his anger the king agreed to put a decree and put away queen Vashti. It was for the good of all the men in the city as they would have all the households in order and the King would maintain his respect among the people. After some time the anger subsided and the king remembered his love for Vashti. He was the king of 127 provinces but among all the riches and the beauty of the nations he wanted to show his appreciation of his wife and recognise that he had a beautiful wife. His act of appreciation was misunderstood by the queen, and this led to her refusal. The king would have loved to have her back but the law of Medes and Persia could not be changed.


This has very much clarified that the two events happened in the same kingdom just at different times but the same laws applied. The decrees made by a king could not be changed.
The second story found in the book of Esther is so similar to the story of Daniel but on this account instead of trying to get ride of just one person (Mordecai), the enemy (Haman) tries to destroy the Jewish Race including the king’s love Esther.


12Then were the king's scribes called on the thirteenth day of the first month, and there was written according to all that Haman had commanded unto the king's lieutenants, and to the governors that were over every province, and to the rulers of every people of every province according to the writing thereof, and to every people after their language; in the name of king Ahasuerus was it written, and sealed with the king's ring. 13And the letters were sent by posts into all the king's provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to take the spoil of them for a prey. Esther 3:12-13


This king has also being deceived and made to sign the life of his love, Queen Esther, including the lives of many innocent people to death. Mordecai once he learnt of the plot made Esther know she was not immune to the law but she was brought unto the palace for that very reason to save the Jewish people. God hears the out cry of the people and causes Esther and Mordecai both to have favour before the king which leads to his enlightenment of the cruelly intentions of Haman.


In the story of Daniel though the King found out of the intentions of the satraps but his hands were tied, Daniel was thrown into the Lion’s den and his salvation came from another source. Since Esther, Mordecai and the Jews are in the same situation here you would expect that the decree would put all them to death and the king would have no power whatsoever to redeem even his love queen Esther and maybe like Daniel, salvation would come from elsewhere.


The story though unfolds that the King hangs Haman on the same gallons he prepared for his enemy which is very much expected in every way but then he gives right to the Esther and Mordecai to write another decree for the Jews.


8 You yourselves write a decree concerning the Jews, as you please, in the king’s name, and seal it with the king’s signet ring; for whatever is written in the king’s name and sealed with the king’s signet ring no one can revoke.” (Esther 8:8)


Here is another aspect of this kingdom that caught my attention. On the surface it looks like the law or decree mention at first (Esther 3:11-12) was revoked/changed and rendered useless. At this time am thinking that this king has just changed the law made it to suit him and soon the kingdom might be torn from him because of this act. But a closer look at the wording of the second decree written by Mordecai starts reveal that actually the first law was still at work


11 By these letters the king permitted the Jews who were in every city to gather together and protect their lives—to destroy, kill, and annihilate all the forces of any people or province that would assault them, both little children and women, and to plunder their possessions Esther 8:11


Look at this statement closely, if the first law was abolished and rendered ineffective by the second law why would the Jews still need to protect themselves. Why did people have to fight at all or even worse get killed? Why did Mordecai word this decree to the Jews like this why wouldn’t he just cancel the first decree that was made. Allow me to borrow these words again, “Know, O king, that it is the law of the Medes and Persians that no decree or statute which the king establishes may be changed.”


You see! Those who hated the Jews on this date were entitled to attack and kill the Jews; they had the right from the first decree which was sent to all the provinces. The decree could not be revoked but the second one just gave the power to the Jews to protect themselves. In a way the second decree seems to take away the sting of the first one and seems stronger but remember people still died in as the story in the book of Esther is being concluded which shows that they were still acting in their rights from the first decree. I love this story because it some how always reminds me of the kingdom of God.


THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN


‘If you say God is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent that is to say all powerful and is everywhere, why does He not change the world?’ one of the questions that would silence me in almost every discussion back in high school. A person trying to answer this question without any thought will stammer and may seem to contradict himself, while some will say, ‘the secrets should remain with God(Deuteronomy 29:29)’ others will say, ‘ even His foolishness is wiser than our wisdom, so His ways definitely would excel our line of thought(Isaiah 55:8-9).’ These will hold true in different circumstances, but let me provoke your Spirit a little by dropping this thought in your mind also: the change we expect to see does not happen (or at least not in the way we desire it to happen) because HE SPOKE A WORD!


(Back ground readings Genesis 2:17, 3:14-19, Isaiah 55:8-11, Matthew 24:35, Philippians 2:9-11, Numbers 23:19)


In the Garden of Eden man was forbidden to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, the punishment God said would be death. The facts about the fall of man are well known but if they have been forgotten please refer to the verses again. We have looked at the kingdom of Persia, one of its principles was that the decree made by the king would not change and the kings at the time went as far as losing their loved ones because they could not change what was earlier decreed. Now we are looking at the Kingdom of God, THE KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. Even in this democratic world we somehow understand if a president or prime minister uses excess force just to make sure that the statutes especially the right to live is upheld and not bleached by some extremists. But when we come to God we apply a different standard, we expect Him unlike the kings of Persia to curve in to the majority or circumstances like some democratic leaders of our day and age. The decree He made in the Garden of Eden still stand to this very day because we ate from that tree we shall die surely and face our judgement thereafter (Hebrews 9:27). Some say it was just a spiritual death but I think and bear with me if am wrong that it was a physical death as well. The moment man ate the fruit decay entered into the world and the result is all the toil and sufferings you see today. No one has lived more than a day on earth in God eyes (if indeed a day is a like a thousands of years and a thousand of years like a day) I would like to think Adam died on the same day he ate the fruit in God’s eyes.


Scientists discovered some time back that the earth was held on nothing but just sound particles and recently I understand that in every matter the smallest of particles are made of sound particles. Going back to the story of creation, at God’s word the universe was created and everything that is in it big or small. Earlier I said kings would be uncomfortable to change the statutes because that would be the beginning of their downfall but we have here something that is much bigger that the limited kingdoms of men. The whole universe hangs on the very word of God; if He were to change His word then the universe would crumble because it is that word that holds it together to begin with. What does the bible say about God’s word (also read article written in 2007 ‘Importance of the word’)


11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. Isaiah 55


35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will by no means pass away. Matthew 24


19 “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? Numbers 23

Yes God’s word spoken to Adam in the garden of Eden is still active and carries weight but like in the Story of Esther that is not the only decree that was made because the bible says concerning Christ that HE is the lamb that was slain before the foundation of the Earth (Revelations 13:8). So there is a law that brought death unto the world but there is also one that brings life. This life is not just a life as perceived by the world but it is life eternal that though this body sleep yet we still live with a new body. The bible calls Jesus the second Adam and said through the first Adam sin entered the world and killed many but through the second redemption came to the saving of many souls (Romans 3:31, 5:12,15,20).


Looking back to the story of Esther you will see that the Jews had to protect themselves from those who tried to harm them. They gathered together and still had to fight for their cause. If they didn’t take their stand some could have been killed. Today the only fighting that we have to do is to make that decision for Christ (Romans 10:8-10, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4). There is no other way to release yourself from the first decree unless you are under the covering of the second decree. Like in the story of Esther the sting of the first decree to kill the Jews was taken away by the second one which gave the Jews power to defend themselves. Much in the same way the sting of death that was brought by the first decree in the Garden of Eden was taken away by the Second one which was fulfil on the cross of Calvary (1 Corinthians 15:55). The sting is not taken away by your ability to fight but much in every way by second law, in the same way as the children of Israel that looked unto the bronze serpent in the desert were saved those that look unto Jesus, the law grace, are saved from the law of death (Romans 3:31). The first law had to be fulfilled in every way and indeed it was paid for in full by Jesus when He said it is finished (John 19:19). You can’t stand before the Judge and the accuser without Jesus and His completed work on the Cross. They sang in heaven ‘worthy is the Lamb’ why? He was slain from the foundation of the Earth (Revelations 13:8) WHY?


16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. JOHN 3:16