A Most Worthy Lord

It's Ren Faire season! If you don't know, I suggest you fire up your Google machine, find one nearest you, and go. It's days and days of stepping back in time, immersing yourself in some period food, entertainment, and fun! There's always something to be learned as well. In fact, this week I had the opportunity to review a 1611 King James Bible, and Scott and I unintentionally began bingeing a period drama about a week ago. Unlike our God, who is not wont to waste anything, I wasted years in Miss Williamson's World History classes and now find myself Googling every fifteen minutes, trying to gain context. But I'm learning! And God is merciful. Despite my carelessness, He is showing me other things as well. For instance, the word "lord" is used throughout the Bible to designate a human master. 1 Samuel 1:26 and 25:28 are two examples:

And she said, “O my lord! As your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood by you here, praying to the Lord.

Please forgive the trespass of your maidservant. For the Lord will certainly make for my lord an enduring house, because my lord fights the battles of the Lord, and evil is not found in you throughout your days.

Both of these verses are translated with a capitalized rendering of the word "lord" and a lower-case rendering. In the original Hebrew, these are two different words and are, in the King James, translated accordingly; but the thing that struck me as I found myself perusing this 1611 Bible, watching Netflix, and wishing I was walking the paths of our local Ren Faire, is the substance of the word "lord" --its weight.

When a person was subject to a lord or king, next level obedience was expected. The king demands you hand over your land, your wife and children to him? Obey, and without question. You have been captured by the enemy and forced to live apart from your lord for years? You've earned the respect of your captors and have made a halfway decent life for yourself when your lord shows up? Follow him back to his kingdom with zero hesitation. Your best friend is suspected of treason? You execute the enemy of your master with zeal. Your prince leads you to battle what all evidence points to as an insurmountable foe? You take your position on the front lines and fight with your all until the very end --whatever end. 

Why did those who followed fallible, mortal, sometimes corrupt kings follow so whole-heartedly? Sure, there were dire consequences to disobedience, but monarchs also offered protection within the walls of their kingdom. The lord's army fought for the kingdom and all its inhabitants; victory belonged to the ruler and his people. Kings promised the faithful land, kingdoms of their own and a title, an identity. They fed and provided for subjects in return for fealty and a portion of their yield. Their lives were not their own, but by design, loyalty was not without rewards.

HOW MUCH MORE our King of all kings? our Lord of all lords? Superlative in nature, perfect in justice, infinite in wisdom, boundless in mercy, magnanimous and kind! How much more should we readily obey Him? How much more zealous should we be to bring others to His Kingdom? How much more immediately should we jump to serve Him --and with joy?! How much of an honor should we consider it that our Lord has called us to suffer for His name? His bountiful rewards aside, how much more deserving is He of our all?

As I sat there admiring the quaintness of an archaic font and reading Scripture in the King's English, as I thought of strolling amongst leathercrafters and blacksmiths, as I dug into a bag of popcorn and snuggled next to my husband, it struck me: I and most Americans have no idea what it means to serve a monarch or dictator. We might think we do, but we are far too privileged to have that experience. Perhaps that is why many who call themselves "Christians" serve our King so poorly. We are without zeal for Him. We want to manipulate Him for our own prosperity. We think our relationship with Him is some sort of democracy. We are driven by our selves and break covenant when we are unsatisfied with outcomes. Obedience is practiced at our convenience. When the God through the Apostle Paul tells us we are not our own but have been bought with a price and are subject to our Redeemer, we struggle to understand the substance of that relationship. Everything for the glory of God? First and foremost? But that is the nature of our relationship with our Savior, our King, our Lord. And that is where we find the greatest fulfillment, for our Savior, our King, our Lord is good and worthy of our fealty!