Statements of Two Kingdoms
I have been going through both the OT and NT reading schedule. It is very interesting to see the formation of the kingdom in the OT, while comparing it to the Kingdom that Jesus introduced in the NT.
A couple of weeks ago, we walked through the offense of the elder of Israel asking for a king. They wanted a king so that they could be like all the other nations.
At the end of the book of Joshua, the Israelites are told very specifically by Joshua that the plan God had for them was to bless them and make them more powerful than all the other nations – if they followed God. However, he tells them in Joshua 23:12 that if they cling to the customs of other nations, then God will punish them.
After Joshua died, there wasn’t another leader established to lead the nation of Israel. The Scriptures don’t give a reflection or interpretation on this at all, but it is interesting to note. The downward spiral happens in Judges 2:10. The story is always the same: another generation grew up who did not acknowledge the Lord or remember the might things he had done for Israel. The story in Judges is disheartening. They forget about what God had done for them, they get disciplined by a foreign nation, they cry out, God delivers them through a judge, and after a period of rest, they go right back to forgetting about what God has done.
It culminates in the statement: “We want to be like the nations around us.” (1 Samuel 8:20).
This is so contrary to the story Jesus shares in Luke 17:7-10:
(NIV) “Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, `Come along now and sit down to eat’? Would he not rather say, `Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’?
Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, `We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”

These are examples of statements from two kingdoms. When it comes to discussing the kingdom with our Lord, we can either begin our sentence with We want or We are . . .

We want to go back to Egypt. We want to be like all the other nations. We want . . .

Begin your evaluation of self within the kingdom as `We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’

I have been so intrigued by this little story tucked right in the middle of Luke. Don’t miss its power.

The statements of two kingdoms reflect which kingdom we find most compelling.

Wow.