Judges 8:23 (KJV) And Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: the LORD shall rule over you.
It is noteworthy that the Scriptures declare, “…there is no new thing under the sun.”—Ecclesiastes 1:9 (KJV).
Since the beginning of time, people have preferred other humans to rule over them rather than the Creator God. There is something within all of us that prefers having another corrupted sinner (like ourselves) to judge us by rules and standards subject to change, rather than God’s rules and standards, which change not.
“For I am the LORD, I change not…”—Malachi 3:6 (KJV).
That is what the biblical term “immutable” means: Unchangeable, unalterable; not capable or susceptible of change.
Hebrews 6:17 (KJV) Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:
18 (KJV) That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:
Here is the biblical explanation for such pattern of behavior. Since God has perfectly preserved His words, they preserve the record of acts and thoughts of humans throughout time, and which continue to persist within the sons and daughters of Adam to this day, notice the key words and phrase below:
1 Samuel 8:4 (KJV) Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah,
5 And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.
Key phrase: “make us a king…LIKE ALL the nations.” Case in point: the children of Israel desired to be like everyone else—a human king with human frailties to rule over them, instead of God.
What was God’s response to such petitions?
1 Samuel 8:6 (KJV) But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD.
7 And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.
God was grieved that His redeemed people, His adopted children, truly rejected Him in favor of a human ruler. Unlike the children of Israel’s request during the time of Samuel the prophet, Gideon refused the offer of hereditary human rule and affirmed the Lord’s kingship—the opposite of the later request.
“…there is no new thing under the sun.”—Ecclesiastes 1:9 (KJV).
Even after the eternal Son of God was manifested in the flesh (John 1), He was the God of Israel incarnate among His people (Matthew 1:23). One would think that, after looking back into their history as recorded in the Old Testament Scriptures, they would have been ready to receive their God incarnate. However, that was not the case at all. Rather than embrace their God incarnate, they still possessed the spirit of their forefathers, which declared a human ruler superior to their divine Ruler:
John 19:15 (KJV) But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar.
16 Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him away.
God, in His infinite mercy and grace toward Israel, warned them long ago when the Holy Spirit inspired the writer of the psalm:
Psalm 146:3 (KJV) Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.
Isaiah 33:22 (KJV) For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; he will save us.
God warns believers against placing their trust in man (or woman), kings (or princes), governors (or presidents), children (or parents), or any other human who is sought for emotional dependency and provision more than God.
Jeremiah 17:5 (KJV) Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.
The reason we often seek to replace God with man is that we know other humans will not judge us as firmly as God does. We know there is room for our personal behaviors, mistakes, and sins to be overlooked, whereas God’s words confront them personally (Mark 10:21).
I hereby confess that I need to trust in God’s words as the mechanism by which to determine whether my thoughts, attitudes, actions, and desires are approved or disapproved—whether they be found righteous or wicked. Yes, it is true that the light of God’s person, as He shines through to us through the Scriptures, provides conviction of our evil deeds (John 3); yet it is in that same moment that He also provides grace, mercy, truth, and love to offer us support and deliver us from continuing to live in a manner that is hurting us (John 3; Galatians 1:4).
Romans 5:20 (KJV) Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
The reason I need God’s words to be my consistent judge is that I know the frailty of my own heart and the depravity that lies within my being from the old man nature (Romans 6:6; Ephesians 4:22; Colossians 3:9).
God perfectly summarizes my (our) heart condition when He wrote:
Jeremiah 17:9 (KJV) The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
The reason we often prefer humans in the place of God to rule over us is that they cannot identify our inner flaws, sins, evil behaviors, and thoughts as God can. The light of God’s words is pure, and when we consult other people instead of God, we often receive counsel that lacks the purity of the words of God, which can actually penetrate between our soul and spirit (Hebrews 4:12).
Therefore, dear friends, the next time you consider desiring another human to counsel you, advise you, or offer emotional support concerning any circumstance you have faced or are currently experiencing, please, for the love of God, do not replace God with them, since they do not have any power to enter your heart and heal your soul. The only Person who has the power to enter your heart and heal your soul is the triune God of the Holy Bible: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
God should always be held as our primary and only Ruler over our personal lives. Yet did you know that God, in the meantime while we remain alive in the flesh on earth, has established a support system for our lives as Christians until we reach heaven? The role of pastors and teachers within the body of Christ is the current establishment by God Himself to be our earthly supporters regarding our relationship with God as Christians (Ephesians 4; Hebrews 13).
Therefore, I encourage every Christian friend of mine: if you have not already done so, rededicate your total submission to the lordship of Christ’s rule over your personal life; then connect with a local church near you to which you can keep your practical living accountable, that you may live in accord with the Scriptures concerning your pastor and the rest of the body.
With love,
brother Carlos
