On Kings and No Kings

The peh Factor

“Seeking balance in a polarized world”

Some have labeled Saturday, June 14, 2025, as “No Kings Day.”  I am assuming this stems from the undercurrent in some quarters of the American populace that the president, Donald Trump, has an underlying desire to be seen and treated like a king (that is a more positive descriptor than ‘dictator’ such as the leaders of Russia, China, North Korea and the religious equivalent in Iran).  Protests are scheduled around the USA.   The day was selected to align with Mr. Trump’s 79 birthday and his spoken desire to have a large military parade through the streets of Washington, D.C., in similar fashion to those held by Mr. Putin and Mr. Xi Jinping, to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the US Army.

My intellect and my intuitive sense do not rise to a high enough level to discern the inner workings of another person’s mind nor his or her motivation.  I cannot discern if the decision makers in our country will find the 50 million dollars needed to create such a celebration.  Only history will tell the long-term impact of those actions that will be taken, pro or con.

That being said, I find it interesting that the Pentateuch makes comment on the day when God’s people will want a king.  Here is what it says in Deuteronomy 17:14-20:

14 When you have come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, “I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me,” 15 you may indeed set over you a king whom the Lord your God will choose. (Here are the requirements)

a.  One of your own community you may set as king over you; you are not permitted to put a foreigner over you, who is not of your own community.

b.  16 Even so, he must not acquire many horses for himself, or

c.  return the people to Egypt in order to acquire more horses, (i.e., go to your place of bondage so you might acquire…) since the Lord has said to you, “You must never return that way again.” 17 And

d.  he must not acquire many wives for himself, or else his heart will turn away;

e.  also silver and gold he must not acquire in great quantity for himself.

18 When he has taken the throne of his kingdom, he shall have a copy of this law written for him in the presence of the Levitical priests. 19 It shall remain with him and he shall read in it all the days of his life, so that he may 

f.  learn to fear the Lord his God,

g. diligently observing all the words of this law and these statutes,

h.  20 neither exalting himself above other members of the community

i.  nor turning aside from the commandment, either to the right or to the left

so that he and his descendants may reign long over his kingdom in Israel.

In other words, he must be of the people and for the people, not using his position for personal gain.  Sounds almost like the intention of our founding fathers.  Scripture would also add that he must be a person of faith in God, learning God’s ways with humility of heart and compassion in action.  This of course is a tough quality in an increasingly secular society where religion is often used as a tool to manipulate the populace.  After all, we are a democratic republic and not a theocracy. 

If indeed Moses wrote these words as part of his memoirs, and if the conservative time of writing was around 1450 BCE, it would then have been about 400 years before this warning would be tested.  It was at the end of Samuel’s prophetic leadership that the people demanded a king.  They knew that Samuel’s two sons, being selfish and evil, were not up to the task.  Bad dudes. Just the opposite of their father.  Someone outside the family line would be best.  A king. 

Samuel responded to this demand from the people by going to God in prayer and then telling the people the warning that he had heard from God.  (1 Samuel 8:10-18)

10 So Samuel reported all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 He said, “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you:

a.  he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen, and to run before his chariots; 12 

b.  and he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and

c.  some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots.

13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers.

14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his courtiers.

15 He will take one-tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and his courtiers.

16 He will take your male and female slaves, and the best of your cattle and donkeys, and put them to his work.

17 He will take one-tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves.

18 And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves; but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”

But, the people were emphatic and declared to Samuel:

19“No! but we are determined to have a king over us, 20 so that we also may be like other nations, and that our king may govern us and go out before us and fight our battles.” (1 Samuel 8:19-20)

Of course, the warning then and now is “Be careful what you ask for.”  As God told Samuel:

 “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.  (1 Samuel 8:7)

In wanting a king they were turning their hearts and minds from the King of Kings. 

It was wise King Solomon (or foolish as the case may be) who proved Moses’ and Samuel’s prophetic words to be true.  1 Kings 10:14 through 11:8 gives a listing of many of the ways he fulfilled these prophecies and broke God’s guidelines including accumulating vast wealth for himself, horses for himself and the nation (many from Egypt) and having 300 wives and 700 concubines who turned his heart away from the Lord. 

Maybe it was because of these biblical warnings that our founding fathers put in safeguards (a system of checks and balances) against kings.  It was certainly also because of the abuses by King George toward the colonies that safeguards were a necessity.  But these warnings from the Old Testament should also be heeded today, not just by a president but by all those elected to public office.  Those who are elected to lead us are elected to serve on behalf of all the people, not to be the king and his court demanding subservience.  When it gets turned around our society, our nation is in trouble.  

As Christians we claim one king, Christ Jesus.  It is to him that we pledge our loyalty as our savior and Lord.  It is to him we look for guidance through the person and work of the Holy Spirit.  It is for him that we wait, anticipating his return at the end of the ages.  We are citizens of heaven first and foremost (Philippians 3:20).  Earthly citizenship is second to our eternal home.  This reality is reinforced by the opening lines of the prayer Jesus taught his disciples to pray.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.  Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven…  Matthew 6:10

As we pursue our heavenly home scripture tells us to pray for our earthly one (1 Timothy 2:1-4).  I encourages all of us to do so.  I also encourage you to pray for discernment, for yourself and others, so that the decisions you make concerning our leaders and the actions you display based on those decisions, will be based on scripture and not just on your own political leanings.  Let us ‘Make America Great Again,’ not because of wealthy and power but because we are a people that hold our nation and its leaders before the throne of grace on a daily basis. 

Paul