World rulers are not necessarily kings. But kings are rulers. Human civilizations are characterized by the fact that kingdoms rise and wane. Though, in recent times the number of kingdom states has significantly been reduced. Democracy has been adopted as the most civilized form of governance.
Democracy implies governance by the will of the majority. One of the problems with this type of governance is that the will of the majority cannot always be right. A typical example of how the majority can mislead people is found in Numbers 14 of the Old Testament Bible.
Twelve men had been sent to spy at Canaan. The majority (ten) came with a report that cost the entire Israelite nation forty years in the wilderness, before entrance into Canaan. The minority (2) was right, but could not have an effect over the majority
This story highlights deficiency in principles of democracy, although viewed as most civilized, the world over. World problems cannot necessarily be eliminated democratically. A concerted analysis reveals that fools comprise the majority in world population. Also, managing the process of democracy, through the system characterized with crafty politicians is itself a daunting task.
Politicians tell lies, in order to win elections. Careful observation also shows that most people, generally, describe foolishness as wisdom and vice versa. There are many instances showing ordinary people’s inability to analyze properly.
In other countries, like Zimbabwe, democracy is in word only. But in reality, monarchy is given credence. This raises problems, resulting from improper terminological applications. This is especially so, where the uneducated peasants would be unaware of differences, anyway. The wrongness is in declaring to be one thing and yet behaving differently. That brings confusion, before effects come to view.
In a monarchy, everything belongs to the king and people give glory to the king. But in a democracy everything belongs to the people. The ruling prime minister or the president is elected by a popular vote. People have a right to vote him out of power, if no longer meeting their interests. This is not possible with a king.
Monarchy is probably the most ancient, but still the norm, in some countries. To sustain their durability, monarchies combine tradition with religion. Most people prefer to be ruled and are at home with a king ruling above them. But a king is not voted into power.
The children inherit the kingdom, after the death of their father who dies on the throne. The pattern has been the same throughout the ages. The king owns everything, including humans, expected to serve the king. In that scenario, whatever the king says is law.
In Swaziland the King is granted freedom to parade beautiful young girls from whom to choose wives. The girls have no option where the king would have decided to marry the chosen ones. The only advantage enjoyed by those girls is that they would then belong to the royal family. But that arrangement takes away personal liberties, except to go by the king’s decree.
The advantages of a monarch are that it unites the subjects, so that, if properly utilized, it could serve as the best form of governance. The disadvantage comes about when a cruel and selfish king ascends to power. The Biblical Jewish story carries good and bad kings rising and falling, before the entire ancient Israel reverted to slavery.
Those using scriptures sparsely, assert that democracy has biblical backing. However, there is more of common sense than Biblical support in democracy. And common sense is not necessarily always right. Problems still exist, even in nations with the most advanced democratic applications in governance. This confirms that democracy is still not the solution to the world’s problems.
The Christian Bible talks about God’s Kingdom, to replace all world kingdoms. The basic difference is that God’s Kingdom is altruistic and perpetual, while the kingdoms of this world are self-centred. The rising and waning of earthly kingdoms is caused by self-centredness.
In this world, a king expects people to serve and die for him. In God’s Kingdom, the king serves and dies for the people. A worldly king views people as inferior, thereby suppressing them to remain subservient. In God’s Kingdom, people are empowered with responsibilities, as to also become kings, in their own rights. This is why Jesus is said to be the King of kings, not the King of the suppressed people.
The world’s kings judge cruelly. Those not submitting to the authority of the king are severely punished. In God’s Kingdom, people have choice to submit to the King or not. Nevertheless, it pains the King to see someone choosing a way that leads to destruction. While the King wholeheartedly respects the choice of that individual, He still seeks ways of helping the sinner out of the chute.
God decided to continue loving Adam, yet Adam had chosen to disobey. Even under those sinful circumstances, God initiated communication, without waiting for Adam to remorsefully seek for forgiveness. The parable of the prodigal son conveys the most appropriate illustration pertaining to this scenario (Luke 15:11-32).
Jesus established God’s Kingdom in the first century. However, such a Kingdom is rarely spoken about in Christian churches. Today, Christian churches talk about salvation, grace, healing, miracles, etc. There is nothing amiss about highlighting those things, as needed most by everyone.
But Jesus specifically instructed us to seek first the Kingdom of God, as all other things would then be added (Matthew 6:33). The starting point is to understand the nature of the Kingdom being spoken about. God’s Kingdom is not a religious organization, but it replaces all other Kingdoms.
When Pontius Pilate asked Jesus whether he was a King, Christ affirmed to that reality, but insisting that His Kingdom was not of this world. God’s Kingdom is Heavenly administered, but intended for this world.
Andrew Masuku is the author of Dimensions of a New Civilization, laying down standards for uplifting Zimbabwe from current state of economic depression into a model for other nations worldwide. A decaying tree provides an opportunity for a blossoming sprout. Written from a Christian perspective, the book is a product of inspiration, bringing reliefs to those having witnessed strings of unworkable solutions––leading to the current economic and social instability. In a simple conversational tone, most Zimbabweans should find the book as a long awaited providential oasis of hope.
The Print copy is now available at Amazon.com for $13.99
Also available as an e-copy at Lulu.com for $6.99