King Me - Checkered Kings

Ever wondered how a game of Checkers can mirror the rise and fall of kings?
 
Join us on Walking in the Light as Elders Randall and Deborrah K. Ogans explore the lives of King Saul and Abimelech, drawing profound lessons on leadership, power, and the consequences of ignoring God's wisdom.

This episode draws a fascinating parallel between the game of Checkers and real-life leadership. Just as in Checkers, where the goal is to become a king and gain almost unlimited power on the board, leaders in real life often strive for power and authority. However, as the stories of Saul and Abimelech reveal, the pursuit of power without adherence to God's wisdom can lead to downfall and disaster.

Through an engaging discussion, we uncover the importance of patience, repentance, and submission to God's will, emphasizing that Christ is the true King and that ethical leadership is paramount in the church, and in our political arena.

In this episode titled "King Me - Checkered Kings," we recount the disobedience of King Saul, which led to his downfall, and the ruthless ambition of Gideon's son Abimelech to become King, after the death of Gideon, that ended in violence and his demise. Discover how Gideon's victory was a testament to God's intervention and learn the tragic tale of Abimelech's treachery. 

We conclude by highlighting the sovereignty of God, and true kingship, urging listeners to seek Him first and live in accordance with His will. 

Tune in for a compelling narrative that encourages a balanced life filled with wisdom and faith, reflecting on personal and spiritual growth. Join us in walking in the light and glorifying God each day.

If you haven't already, make a commitment today, and start Walking In The Light.

Be sure to visit the following:

Alpha 7 Ministries website where you can find more guidance, spiritual insight, and advice on Life & Living, Parenting & Family, Marriage & Relationships, Spiritual matters, and more.

Elder DeBorrah K. Ogans Amazon Author Page where you can review and learn more about books she has written, including her latest, "Proverbs Daily Devotional - Goldmine of Spiritual Wisdom" and "How Do I Love Thee - Food For Thought Before You Say I Do"

Elder Randall Ogans Sr. Youtube Channel where you can listen to his latest recordings. Smooth instrumental music that will calm the agitations of your soul.

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To God Be The Glory!

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:53

Thank you. Thank you, welcome to Walking in the Light. We are Elder Randall and Deborah K Ogins. We are bringing you another episode to encourage you in your walk with the Lord. Today's topic is King Me.

Speaker 1: 1:51

God's Word has a wealth of spiritual wisdom that is most helpful in all areas of our lives. Life is serious and at times it can become somewhat difficult. Therefore, we must daily strive to learn how to accomplish having a healthy balance. At times, simply taking time out to have fun and partake in safe recreational activities is good as well as wise. When done in a responsible manner, for example, we can also simply reflect back upon our great experiences, but always keep in mind that it is equally important that we are responsible and always take care of business matters in an astute, ethical manner. Today, elder Ogins is going to share with us some spiritual insight from the Bible concerning two kings.

Speaker 1: 3:02

King Saul is one of the kings. Many are familiar with him. However, on the other hand, there is Abimelech, who many do not often recognize as a king. Few rarely make mention of him even being a king. Yet both have significant historical stories which we can learn from and glean valuable, wise, healthy life lessons.

Speaker 1: 3:35

In the Bible there are many kings. We are given great, beneficial illustrations of what happens when a good king is in charge. We are also given illustrations of the downfall and calamities when a wicked king is in charge. Saul and Abimelech had something in common they craved power. Both of them were hasty and impatient as kings. They lacked the ability to repent and respectfully take heed and submit to the will and wisdom of God. The resistance to the will of God was their eventual downfall. The same type of behavior by some leaders shows up from time to time in church today as well. They are somewhat controlling and divisive, and they also lack the desire to embrace repentance. Christ Jesus is the head of God's church and it is important to keep in mind we within God's church already have a king For Almighty. God is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He is truly the most high God and above him there is no other. Listen attentively, as Elder Ogins gives us some further interesting, helpful and spiritual insight.

Speaker 2: 5:14

When growing up, we used to play a number of outdoor and indoor games. During those days, there was no such thing as video games, so we kept ourselves entertained by playing games with family and friends Outside. Some of the games boys and girls would play were baseball, basketball, shooting marbles, hopscotch, jump rope, hide and seek and several others. Inside, we would play board games like Monopoly, life and Checkers. Checkers were always a favorite. Two people would play against one another. One person would have the red checkers and the other would have the black checkers. Each player would line their checkers up on their side of the board in specific squares. The objective of the game was to capture all of your opponent's checkers by taking turns, moving a checker one square at a time across the board towards your opponent's territory. Towards your opponent's territory. As you navigate the board, you would strategize to position your checkers in a way where your opponent would be forced to move their checker into your lane, where you could jump you and capture his checker. Your opponent would be doing the same thing, trying to get you to move your checker into his lane where he could jump you and capture your checker. You could only move one space at a time and in one direction unless you had a king. A primary goal was to move your checker to an area in your opponent's innermost territory, to the end of the board, where he would have to make you a king. To do that, you would have to capture many of his checkers to clear the path for you to make it to that area of the board in his territory. When that occurred, you would say king me. We were always focused on having a king, for then we would have almost unlimited power on the board. The king could move multiple spaces in all directions, jump you from a distance and jump and capture multiple checkers at one time with a double jump, triple jump or more, but the king himself could also be jumped and captured. It was hard to capture a king, but not impossible. If you had the right strategy. He could be jumped and captured by an ordinary checker. If you were careless in moving him around the board or your opponent cornered him with surrounding checkers so he had nowhere to move. Eventually, someone wins the game by capturing all of their opponent's checkers, including the king. This was a fun, entertaining and challenging game. However, it's also a bit uncanny how this game mimics real life situations, particularly in our political and church environments.

Speaker 2: 8:33

As I reflect on the game, it brings to mind two stories in the Bible about two kings. One of them, the people, wanted to make him king so they could be like other nations around them who had a king. The other one wanted to be king so he could reign over others. Both met a terrible fate. As neither one was God's choice or equipped to be a king, they died in disgrace.

Speaker 2: 9:04

The first one is a familiar story about a king you've often heard preached about in some of our church services. His name was King Saul, who many believe was the first king of Israel. When the children of Israel made it to the promised land, there were other nations occupying the land and they had kings reigning over them. The children of Israel wanted to have a king like the other nations around them. However, that was not God's plan. As God was their king, they didn't need another king. But since they asked, god said okay and he had the prophet Samuel anoint Saul to become king.

Speaker 2: 9:46

One day, the children of Israel had to do battle with the Amalekites. God told King Saul to destroy them all, which he didn't do. He defeated the Amalekites, but he deliberately didn't destroy them all. Saul was disobedient to God. He also offered a sacrifice afterwards, which he wasn't supposed to do as well as that was the job of the prophet Samuel. When questioned by Samuel, he tried to make an excuse for being disobedient, citing the sacrifice he made as though that was a good thing. However, samuel told him obedience is better than sacrifice. As a result of his disobedience, king Saul had the kingdom stripped away from him and given to David. He also died on a battlefield. After he first fell on his own sword, his armor bearer found him wounded, but not dead, so he finished him off.

Speaker 2: 10:50

There's a story about another king that I have never heard preached in any church service, so I'm preaching this one now. Many of us have heard the story about Gideon and how he conquered the Midianites. What a victory it was. He was preparing to go to battle and had 10,000 soldiers in his army. However, god told him he had too many and took him through a series of questions which resulted in that number being whittled down to 300. Scripture says God did that so that when they win the battle, they wouldn't think their own hands saved them. God intervened and enabled him to be victorious with the 300. In fact, god had the Midianites turn on one another and they started killing each other, something we see happening in today's political arena. As I said, we've heard about Gideon and his great victories, but do you know what happened afterwards? After the battle, the men of Israel said unto Gideon Rule thou over us, both, thou and thy son, and thy son's son also, for thou hast delivered us from the hand of Midian. And Gideon said unto them I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you. The Lord shall rule over you.

Speaker 2: 12:14

Gideon had seventy sons, for he had many wives. One son was by his concubine, who lived in Shechem, named Abimelech. After Gideon died, abimelech wanted to be king. He went to his mother's people with a question asking should all the sons of Gideon reign over you, or should just one person reign? Basically, he was saying why don't you king me? The Bible says he hired a bunch of vain and light people to follow him, people who would do whatever he requested, and decided to kill his 70 brothers. After he thought he had killed all his brothers, the people made him king. However, he missed one, the youngest brother named Jotham. When Jotham was told what happened, he stood on the top of a mountain one day and told the people a story to help them understand the terrible thing they had done by making Abimelech king and what would be the outcome from that decision for them and their new king Abimelech, from that decision for them and their new king, abimelech. Jotham told a story about the trees in a forest which was a parallel to what these folks had just done. Here's what Jotham said to the people One day the trees in a forest decided they wanted to anoint a king to reign over them.

Speaker 2: 13:41

So they went to the olive tree and said reign over us. But the olive tree said should I leave my fatness wherewith by me they honor God and man and go to be promoted over trees? The olive tree refused to be king. He stayed in his lane for he was productive and effective in his lane. Since the olive tree refused to be king, the trees then went to the fig tree and said Come thou and reign over us. But the fig tree said Should I forsake my sweetness and my good fruit and go to be promoted over the trees? The fig tree refused to be king. He stayed in his lane for he was productive and effective in his lane. Since the fig tree refused to be king. The trees then went to the vine and said Come thou and reign over us. And the vine said unto them Shall I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? The vine refused to be king. He stayed in his lane, for he was productive and effective in his lane, since the vine refused to be king lame.

Speaker 2: 15:01

Since the vine refused to be king, the trees went to the bramble, otherwise known as the thorn bush, and said Rain over us. The thorn bush, which was good for nothing and didn't produce anything but thorns, agreed to be their king. And the thorn bush said unto the trees If ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow, and if not, let fire come out of the thorn bush and devour the cedars of Lebanon. In other words, he said If you don't anoint me to be your king, then let fire come from me and burn all of you down. So Jotham told the people if you think you have dealt truly and sincerely with Gideon and his house by making Abimelech your king, who rose up against his father and killed his brothers so he could become king, then rejoice in one another, but if not, then let fire come out of Abimelech that will consume you and devour Abimelech". Well, it's the latter which happened.

Speaker 2: 16:15

After Abimelech had reigned three years, god sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men who aided him in killing his brothers. The men turned on Abimelech and put their confidence in someone else. Abimelech then began fighting with the very people who made him king. To make a long story short, one day there was a battle, and Abimelech chased his enemies, which gathered in a strong tower. He went to the tower to burn it with fire. However, a woman dropped a millstone on his head and broke his skull. He called out for his armor bearer to slay him. So it would not be said that a woman slew him. When all the people saw he was dead, they departed.

Speaker 2: 17:02

The poet got out of his lane. He was not qualified to be king, and the manner in which he became king showed how some people will go to any length to reign over others. This also depicts what can happen to those who partake in another man's sin. This certainly fits with today's political environment. Someone not fit to be a leader wants to be king and dictator so he can rule over others. There are no limits on how far he will go and how low he will stoop to get his way, and how low he will stoop to get his way, just like Abimelech, gathering a following of vain light and weird people to support him. Also just like Abimelech, god will not acquit the wicked.

Speaker 2: 17:55

As a side note, this also makes me think about some keenly thinking that has crept into some of our local places of worship. Have you noticed that some pastors have armor bearers? Armor bearers are for kings. Pastors are not kings. They are supposed to be servants, good and faithful servants, not kings. Keep in mind also that when kings had fallen in battle, near death but not yet dead, it was the armor bearer who finished him off driving a sword through his chest. This is worldly thinking being conformed to the way the world thinks about authority, hierarchy and power. This shouldn't be in God's church.

Speaker 2: 18:39

God has defined in his word what the armor is and why each one of us needs it. In Ephesians he says put on the whole armor of God that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore, take unto you the whole armor of God that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand. Stand, therefore, having your loins girt about with truth and having on the breastplate of righteousness and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, above all, taking the shield of faith wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked, and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints. Nobody else can do this for you. You have to put on your own armor.

Speaker 2: 20:08

This is not the only area where kingly thinking has crept into the local church. Not only do we have pastors acting like kings, but some congregations also have first ladies, but that's another subject. If you study the Old Testament, you will see there were a number of kings on the thrones of Israel and Judah. Some were good and some were wicked, just like on the checkerboard. Many got out of their lane and were captured by their adversaries or met their doom at the hands of someone least expected. That's still the case today.

Speaker 2: 20:45

So to those who want to be a king, I suggest you rethink that thought. Be very careful before you say king me. There is only one true king. He is the most high God, the creator of heaven and earth. Above him there is no other. The earth is his and everything and everyone in it belongs to him. Do what he wants, when he wants and where he wants. Everything that was made was made for him and by him. It all belongs to him. It is in him that we live and move and have our being. He is a great God. He is the King of Kings. He is the Lord of Lords. His name is Jesus. He's my King.

Speaker 1: 22:41

Thank you. This concludes another episode of Walking in the Light. God is light and in him there is no darkness. Always keep in mind the transforming power of the Lord is truth. Ask the Lord to fill you with his precious Holy Spirit and renew within you a clean heart. Jesus is the light of the world. Live each day to God, be the glory. Seek you first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and everything else will be added unto you, for it is in Him that we live and move and have our being. Thank you for joining us today on Walking in the Light. Visit our website at alpha7ministriesorg, where you will find more guidance, spiritual insight and advice that will help you on life and living, parenting and family matters, marriage and relationships and spiritual matters, and more. If you have not already made a commitment, commit today to live your life, to live out loud, walking in the light. Thank you, thank you.