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Images of God (Sovereign)


Aside from a few countries in the world, most nations are now ruled by presidents - those who are usually elected and whose reign is subject to popular mandate in one way or another. Even where kings or queens exist these are usually ceremonial. The notion of a powerful King who rules over his people as absolute Sovereign is an alien concept and one that is not easy to relate to in this century. This is a stark contrast to biblical times where the head of the nation was always an absolute monarchy. So pervasive was this form of government that when Israel left Egypt and entered the promised land, they could not resist asking God to give them their own king because they envied “all the other nations” that had human kings (1 Sam. 8: 5).

One of the image of God given in the Bible as that of King whose sovereign rule and control extends to all things. God reigns supreme over all creation and history and we as human being are in every sense his subjects.During times when God's people suffered, God often reminded them that he alone is in charge and in control of everything. God is in charge over all nations. His name Yahweh, speak to His Sovereign Lordship. God's sovereign Lordship means that He is in control over all nations and peoples. He is the ultimate King and nothing is beyond His grasp.  Because God is in control of all things, He has  authority or the right to rule to rule all things. This authority is not abstract, it is effectual in every sense because God himself is sovereign present among all his creation.  He is able to control and wield authority because nothing is beyond Him. Nothing hidden from His sight! As the ultimate King, we can say all things exist  to serve God’s purposes, even powerful nations. Even non-believers are not beyond God’s control. And of course we must be reminded that this Sovereign God is none other than Jesus Christ, through whom we are told, "all things hold together" (Colossians 1).  A proper understanding of this image of God as King is therefore vital in grasping the full extent of His Sovereign Lordship!

Related Posts :

Images of God (Shepherd)
Images of God (Potter)
Images of God (Whirlwind)
Images of God (Stronghold)
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