Essay On The Kingdom Of God In The Old Testament

Many scholars and theologians have debated on the use of the word ‘kingdom’ in the bible. This comes amidst the believe that Christianity is not a political movement but rather some sought of welfare and humanitarian organization. This is because of its indiscriminative doctrine of accommodating any person that is willing to live up to the commandments. Kingdoms have always been considered self seeking movements that are not necessarily concerned with the needs of the people but rather their leaders. However, when we look in the bible, God intended that the world be one, with him as the ultimate king. As a matter of fact, God remains sovereign and is the final decision maker in every aspect of life. The idea of having a worldly king began in biblical times when the Israelites admired how other kingdoms a person they could see and easily related to was governing.
Even though God did not like the idea, he summoned Samuel to anoint a king for Israel. Before God granted the request of the Israelites to have a worldly king, he warned them of the dangers that they would expose themselves to. It should be noted that when such a demand was being made, the people had not appreciated the fact that they could be led by an omnipresent God. They most probably felt that they would fight better if they had a physical person to lead them through various wars. There is also a close connection of what the world defines as a kingdom and how God wanted to govern his people. Every kingdom is governed by laws with a central figure called king, who issues decrees that have to be followed. God understood this clearly and that is why he had some rules that he required to be followed by the Israelites. He was the ultimate decision maker and it is always in his power do define the outcome of any event.
The kingdom of God, compared to other kingdoms is accommodative in the sense that anyone who is willing to be part can do so without any reservations. The only thing that is required for a person to be part of the kingdom of God was to accept Jesus as God himself. The resistance to have a human king was due to some of the divisions and insensitive rules that a human leader could come up. God understood the needs of the people and realised the importance of coming up with rules that will suite their various needs. Since God is not man himself, he cannot make decisions that will only favour Him or a particular community. The kingdom of God is a place of solace where everybody feels accommodated and well represented.
The emphasis of having a godly kingdom has been expressed in the bible and more especially in the Lord’s Prayer where believers are to pray for the kingdom of God to come. This is because of its nature and the essence of godly principles being applied in every form of leadership. The kingdom of God remains to be a perfect example of any leadership that the world can ever have. When every other earthly council fails to yield the required fruit, leaders can always consult God for the best solution. This is also applied in the bible where the appointed kings in the bible submitted to God and inquired of him before making any decisions. This therefore implies that the presence of other kings and kingdoms do not disqualify the Kingship of God.