We want a King! We need a Strongman!

It is the season of the gods. They are everywhere and they are very powerful. They cause plagues, floods, and storms dictated by the whims of their moods. Sometimes we humans are collateral damage as they fight their battles. Other times, they are angry because we don’t bestow to them proper homage. There is a big God though, one who made promises to Abraham, the ancestor of the children of Israel. That was four hundred years ago, and he has vanished for more than a hundred years. Was he killed? Did he forget? Is he vexed? Maybe he is simply too busy. The gods are unpredictable after all. Behind all of this God has a plan.

Suddenly and unexpectedly, he shows up and leads the people out of Egypt with a mighty hand. Why did he wait so long? What kind of god is he? Is he the same as all of the other ones? The people have no clue as they are stuck in the desert. Life is tenuous and hard. Many ponder: “Life under the strongman was not so bad. We had plenty of good things to eat. Let’s return and be slaves. An oppressed life of certainty sure beats this supposed liberty.”

But then, God chooses to reveal himself. He is not simply a big God. He is the only God, but the people don’t know it. He appears in dramatic fashion. A thick cloud of furnace smoke covers Mt. Sinai along with lightning and flaming fire. Trumpet blasts resound ever louder through the camp accompanied by piercing thunder. The entire mountain shakes in clear view and the people tremble. They expect immediate destruction. Moses tries to lead them to meet this God, but they resist. “We now know that it is possible to see God and still live, but we don’t want to take any more chances. You Moses be our strongman. You go up and tell us what he says.” With one voice they say: “We will obey.” The people still don’t know who this God is or what he is like. They don’t know that he has a strategy to redeem the world.

So, Moses ascends the mountain and God reveals a part of his plan. He wants them to be a nation of priests. They are to be the ones to intercede for the nations. In doing so, blessings would flow out to the entire world. All they have to do is to faithfully follow ten simple precepts and give him their sole allegiance. They’re not ready for this task. No, they are a stubborn, hardhearted lot. They need 613 laws to be enforced. They want a strongman. Not to worry though. In the fullness of time, God will directly enter his creation. It is the only way. But not yet. It is too soon!

After Moses, we come to the time of the judges. No one is in charge. There are seasons of oppression followed by the rise of a local strongman. The people in hindsight lament, “In those days there was no king in Israel.” It is a time of anarchy. Everyone does what was right in their own eyes. It is a time of great chaos. The people are not ready to be a blessing to the nations. They need a strongman to impose order in their own ranks. It doesn’t seem like it, but God’s plan of redemption is on track.

Samuel arrives. The people want to be like all of the other nations. They want a strongman; they want a king. God doesn’t give them a king. Instead he gives them a “captain or prince,” not a king. This man Saul is to lead a unified opposition to external threats. He is charismatic. He is a head taller than everyone else. He descends from a family of warriors. What is God doing? He is teaching the people a lesson. Don’t judge based on outward appearance. Don’t only look to competence. A person’s character is important. In any case, when the people see him, they shout, “Long live the king.” They want a strongman. They appoint Saul to be their king. They trust their king more than they trust God and whatever his plan might be.

Finally, the time is right. Jesus is born into perhaps the most violent part of the world. If God can redeem those living there, redemption for all of humanity is possible. Unfortunately, most of the people still want a strongman. They want their messiah to lead the way and deliver them from Roman oppression. Instead God gives them the Prince of Peace. He is a man of low esteem, one born in a stable, a lowly carpenter. They want a king, but not the Lord of the Universe. Yet, there is a remnant. They will suffer, sometimes be killed, other times be persecuted, and often fall short, but their participation will move God’s most unlikely plan forward.

Jesus institutes a new kingdom. Anyone can become a citizen. It is by choice, not by force. Membership comes not by reciting magic words. Rather it is by committing oneself to a new way of being, assisted by that still small voice. It is a bottom-up kingdom. People have the freedom to do what is right. They have the opportunity to build a global system of true liberty, one where laws are not needed. This Kingdom of Heaven exists to this day parallel to the worldly kingdoms run by strongmen, by kings. Those are shadows. A time is coming when peace will reign throughout the world. When you say? When humanity no longer needs strongmen!

So, let’s take a step back. What is wrong with this king thing? Isn’t this what is required to keep people in line and fight their battles? Samuel warned the people. A King will force you into unpopular wars. He will make you into slaves. He will force your women into his service. He will tax you to the hilt, which is the only part of a sword showing after it is fully plunged into a person’s belly. Nevertheless, the people insist, “We want a king. We want Saul.”

In modern times, we want new laws. We vote according to our needs and according to the promises made by the ones elected to satisfy those needs. The politicians are our strongmen. By their edicts, the government gives and the government takes away. Blessed be the name of the government. Unfortunately, in the long term, this approach will not lead to a good end. An Aesop fable tells it well.

THE FROGS, grieved at having no established Ruler, sent ambassadors to Jupiter entreating for a King. Perceiving their simplicity, he cast down a huge log into the lake. The Frogs were terrified at the splash occasioned by its fall and hid themselves in the depths of the pool. But as soon as they realized that the huge log was motionless, they swam again to the top of the water, dismissed their fears, climbed up, and began squatting on it in contempt. After some time, they began to think themselves ill-treated in the appointment of so inert a Ruler, and sent a second deputation to Jupiter to pray that he would set over them another sovereign. He then gave them an Eel to govern them. When the Frogs discovered his easy good nature, they sent yet a third time to Jupiter to beg him to choose for them still another King. Jupiter, displeased with all their complaints, sent a Heron, who preyed upon the Frogs day by day till there were none left to croak upon the lake.

I guess we are all a bunch of frogs. We don’t necessarily want a king or a strongman in our generation. But we do want a charismatic leader who will do our bidding. We want a powerful executive branch of government. Many say, “We live in a republic in the land of the free and home of the brave.” Perhaps; but for how long?

21st century Americans act as if our form of government is the natural order. George W. Bush believed that people universally desire freedom and liberty. All that is necessary is for us to replace the regimes of strongmen. Then these oppressed people will become just like us. Little Americas will fill the globe, eventually leading to a new World Order. Unfortunately, removing the strongman doesn’t work. In almost every case, violence follows, chaos returns, and then another strongman rises up to reestablish order. Out of violence comes peace, for a while anyway. The cruelty following the French Revolution in the late 18th century is a great example of this pattern. Our species tends to greed and a thirst for power. In the end everything falls apart. Our form of government is very fragile indeed.

Western civilization toyed with the democratic form of government in the past. Consider the ancient Greek city state of Athens. For a short time, legislation was accomplished through popular votes by male landowners. But then, within a generation, the experiment ended. Tyrannical rule by the strongman followed. The Romans instituted the idea of a republic, but this was rule by a small powerful upper class. It was hardly a government by and for the people in the modern sense. Eventually, emperors replaced the system and strongmen again came to rule with an iron hand.

There’s a major exception to all of this. The Iroquois Confederacy of six nations stands the test of time. It is the oldest living participatory democracy, arguably going back to the 12th century. Perhaps, like Benjamin Franklyn and Thomas Jefferson before us, we’d be wise to consider its success. What is it about this approach that lives on after almost a thousand years? I submit that an important prerequisite is a solid moral foundation that lies at the heart of the social fabric. The Iroquois (or the Haudenosaunee as they call themselves) live by principles that came not from the Bible, but are fully compatible with it. The list below summarizes the things the Iroquois find abhorrent.

1. To neglect the old in any manner, especially when they are sick
2. To speak in derision or slightingly
3. To refuse to share food, shelter with anyone who might apply for either
4. To fail to care for the sick and for the orphan children or widows
5. To break any treaty or agreement
6. To violate the chastity of any woman
7. To kill animals other than for food, clothing, or protection of crops and human life
8. To tell a falsehood even in jest
9. To show cowardice
10. To take human life except in times of war

These are precepts that could transform our society if everyone individually took them seriously. This means everyone, not just the religious. It is especially interesting that the above system survived in an oral culture without Western-based writing. Instead, they used wampum belts composed of beads shaped from shells to record those things which are essential. According to the Jesuit missionaries, though the Iroquois could be fierce adversaries, crimes were rare. They were respectful, generous, courageous, patient, honest. They had a passion for justice and displayed an unusual level of goodness.

As most of us know, the American declaration of Independence was proclaimed on July 4, 1776. It is less commonly known that from 1781 to 1788, the Articles of Confederation served as our first constitution. And then it fell apart. Why? The Iroquois ruled by consensus, so the 13 colonies tried to do the same. Unfortunately, it could not work. States argued about almost everything, including taxation, trade policies, passing of laws, currency, and foreign affairs. The larger colonies wanted a stronger voice. Consensus requires negotiation, good will, and a willingness to put one’s own interests second over the needs of others. The colonies were not ready.

Among the Haudenosaunee, the women nominate the chiefs, and they are instrumental in their possible removal. Those rulers are to be mentors for the people with hearts full of peace and good will. Their minds are to be filled with a yearning for the welfare of the people, exhibiting endless patience. Their firmness is to be tempered with tenderness. They are never to be driven by anger, and all of their speech is to be calm and thoughtful.

The colonists could not match this confederacy, but our predecessors did display a level of goodness that enabled us to succeed. Our current constitution has a system of checks and balances so power cannot easily be centralized, and therefore become oppressive. It accounts for our shortcomings and it has worked well for over 200 years. But will it last? President Lincoln posited this question in his famous Gettysburg address. “Can a nation so conceived … long endure … and not perish from the earth?” It is a question to consider. What does it take for failure? A hurricane can be described as an engine that forms when the heat from the sea cycles into the cold air above. Similarly, violence and social disorder erupts from a chaotic engine of people determined to disrupt. Like a hurricane it starts small, gaining energy from the sea of humanity that is receptive to its message. It loses its power when it cycles over a grounded stable social foundation. That is, a foundation rooted in moral standards. Not one imposed by a strongman or a strong government, but voluntarily by the populace.

In the last 60 years, our country has been through a lot of change. Much of this stems from the advances of technology. Modern day conveniences enable a life that would have been unimaginable even a century ago. Temptations are everywhere and they are shaking our foundations. More and more, children are seen as a burden, and the structure of the family in many areas is falling apart. Society is breaking down into tribal groups, each seeking their own interests. Lobbyists are manipulating government for selfish ends. Huge companies are using sophisticated methods to get people to buy and do things that are harmful to themselves and to others.

There are consequences. Rising tides of meaninglessness grip more and more of the population. This leads to addictions that those with bad motives are happy to exploit. The challenges we face in this century are far beyond anything that humanity has previously encountered. We simply do not know how to apply our cultural heritage to this new reality. We have forgotten that liberty is not a license to do anything. Rather it is the freedom to choose to do what is right and reject things that are wrong. Simply put, we need grounding as a culture, a return of good will, and a desire to sacrifice for the common good. There is still time, but not much. Voices of reason need to speak out. Otherwise, very likely we will have our king. We will have our strongman.

We who consider ourselves to be Christian have a particular role. According to 2nd Peter, we are God’s chosen and special people. We are to be royal priests and citizens in the Kingdom of God, living stones forming a universal spiritual temple if you will. As God has shown us kindness, we should likewise be a blessing to others. We should live, not with the thumb of judgment, but with compassion and mercy. If we do this, the Kingdom initiated by Christ will prevail and grow. God’s direct intervention was the plan all along. If we Christians represent His kingdom well, peace will reign and bring joy to the world. Unfortunately, for the most part, at least in the last fifty years, I believe we have fallen short, especially Christians. All too often we come across as judgmental hypocrites. There is still time. Otherwise, I fear that in America, the strongman will return. Of course, God’s plan of redemption will certainly continue, but we Western, secular, enlightened believers no longer will have the privilege of participating in the process. That will not be good!

By Dan Harvey, Author of Wrestling with Faith, http://www.secondlooknow.com
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