The Character of the King
Preparing for the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost: Three Days before Sunday (Year C)
Scripture
For information on semicontinuous and complementary readings in the season after Pentecost or Ordinary Time, click here.
Semicontinuous: Psalm 30; 2 Kings 4:8-17; Romans 7:14-25
Complementary: Psalm 66:1-9; 2 Kings 21:1-15; Romans 7:14-25
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Prayer
Lord God, friend of those in need, your Son Jesus has untied our burdens and healed our spirits. We lift up the prayers of our hearts for those still burdened, those seeking healing, those in need within the church and the world. Hear our prayers that we may love you with our whole being and willingly share the concerns of our neighbors. Amen. (Revised Common Lectionary)
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Reflection
The Bible’s evaluation of kings as having done either evil or right in the sight of the Lord is a theological lens as well as a political and economic one. The narrative of kingship in the Old Testament, particularly in the books of Kings and Chronicles, operates under the premise that the legitimacy and moral success of a ruler hinge not on military victories, territorial expansion, or public popularity, but on covenantal faithfulness to God.
The phrase “he did what was evil/right in the sight of the Lord” signals a deeper concern: whether the king upheld or undermined the exclusive worship of Yahweh and whether he led the people toward faithfulness or apostasy. This binary evaluation isn’t interested in a nuanced political analysis; instead, it communicates a prophetic and theological message. Kings were seen as covenant representatives of the people. Their obedience or disobedience often shaped the nation’s fate.
For example, David is remembered as a man after God’s own heart not because he was without moral failure, but because he remained committed to the worship of the Lord and was repentant when he sinned. By contrast, Jeroboam is condemned for instituting idol worship in the northern kingdom, setting a spiritual precedent that would echo disastrously through Israel’s history.
This pattern of evaluation reveals the centrality of worship and justice in biblical theology. God’s kings were expected to act with righteousness and uphold the law—not with legal codes alone, but God’s moral and religious expectations. Kings were not autonomous rulers; they were stewards of God’s kingdom and subject to the divine will. Thus, a king’s greatest responsibility was to lead the people in covenant faithfulness.
When a king instituted reforms, tore down altars to Baal or Asherah, and restored the temple, the text describes him as doing right in the Lord’s sight. Conversely, when a king tolerated or promoted idol worship, permitted injustice, or neglected God’s law, he is condemned as having done evil. This was not about perfection but direction. Did the king’s reign reflect a turning toward God or a turning away? This divine standard of judgment reminds readers that leadership in Scripture is not ultimately judged by strength, cleverness, or diplomacy, but by fidelity to God.
This approach to kingship also reflects a broader biblical theme: the condition of the people often mirrored the spiritual state of their leaders. When kings went astray, the people often followed. When kings sought the Lord, national renewal often followed. This cause-and-effect pattern reinforces the weight of spiritual responsibility placed on leaders and the theological conviction that God cares deeply about the heart of a nation, starting with its king.
In this way, biblical history is less a chronicle of political events and more a spiritual history of Israel’s faithfulness and failure. The recurring refrain—“He did what was evil/right in the sight of the Lord”—is a moral compass by which each king is measured, pointing ultimately to the hope for a future king who would rule with perfect justice, righteousness, and obedience to God: the Messiah.
PRAYER: O God, your never-failing providence sets in order all things both in heaven and earth: Put away from us, we entreat you, all hurtful things, and give us those things which are profitable for us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer)
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