Kings, not king! 1

Devotional

In God’s Kingdom, there is only one supreme King — Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16). All authority in heaven and earth has been given to Him (Matthew 28:18), and He reigns eternally. Yet, in His grace and purpose, He has made us kings and priests unto God.

“And from Jesus Christ… unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” Revelation 1:5-6

This is God’s original design for His people to reign with Him, not apart from Him. It’s not kingship as the world knows it — based on domination or personal glory — but servant kingship, under the authority of Christ.

Also, 1 Peter 2:9 calls believers a royal priesthood, combining the authority of kingship with the ministry of priesthood. That’s a powerful identity: to rule with Christ’s heart, in humility, righteousness, and justice. So in the divine order, Jesus is The King — the pattern and head.

However, everytime the Bible refers to believers as kings, it uses the plural form, never attributing the title “king” to any one individual above the others, except for Jesus Christ, who alone is called the King (singular).

In God’s original design, He did not establish a human monarchy to rule His people. From the beginning, God Himself was their King. He ruled them directly through covenant, law, and prophetic leadership (e.g. Moses, Joshua, the Judges). There was no divinely mandated office of a human king over the people.

Even when kingship was later allowed, it was only permitted, not initiated by God. It was a concession to their stubborn desire to be like the nations.(1 Samuel 8:5-7). When this was allowed God didn’t just allow kingship quietly; He gave a stern and prophetic warning through Samuel about what a king would do:

Take their sons and daughters

Seize their fields and vineyards

Enforce labour and taxation

Enslave the people in practice

“And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the Lord will not hear you in that day.” 1 Samuel 8:18

These are precisely the outcomes when someone is appointed or assumes the office of a king — they exercise dominion over the people, much like what we see today. Israel’s demand for a king and what still happens today in many societies are similar.

When a person is elevated to supreme rulership by men — whether by election, appointment, or force — the result is often dominion, not servant leadership. This is precisely what God warned Israel about and it plays out repeatedly throughout history and even now: Heavy taxation; Forced labour or exploitative systems; Use of state power to benefit the elite; Oppression and silencing of dissent; and people are crying out under the burden.

Jesus acknowledged this situation prevalent in this preset season. In Luke 22:25, he says, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors.”

When church leaders begin to see themselves as supreme or above accountability, they often fall into the very same trap God warned Israel about: dominion instead of service, control instead of care, and authority without humility.

Jesus warned about this very spirit in the religious leaders of His day. In Matthew 23:6–7 , he says, “And [they] love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,
And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.” In other words, worldly rulers dominate, even while pretending to serve. But Jesus rejected that model completely. In Luke 22:26, he said, “But ye shall not be so…”

In God’s Kingdom, true greatness is shown in service, not domination. That’s why Jesus is the only rightful King — the King who lays down His life for His people, rather than using them for His own gain. The spirit of man-made kingship — human control and domination — is alive today, whether in politics, religion, or business. It mirrors exactly what God warned would happen when people reject His rule and install their own.

God consistently expresses anger and sorrow when spiritual leaders — prophets, priests, and religious authorities — abuse their authority and mislead or oppress His people. In Jeremiah 5:31, God says, “The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so…” See the effect: “Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks?…with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them.” Ezekiel 34:2–4. God was grieved and angry because those entrusted to care for His people were instead using them.

Jesus says, “For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.” Matthew 23:4. God never intended for man to rule over others with domination and pride. His desire was always to reign as King Himself — with His people walking in humility, justice, and righteousness under His lordship. The human desire to install kings, whether in politics or in the Church, often leads to control, abuse, and a rejection of God’s direct rule. When leaders exalt themselves above others, they fall into the same error as the prophets, priests, and Pharisees whom God rebuked.

As believers, we must return to the original order — where Christ alone is King, and we serve one another as fellow brethren, not overlords. May we reject man-made kingship in all its forms, and follow the example of Jesus: the Servant-King, who rules in righteousness and leads with love.