Raising The King
Raising The King
Laying the foundation that ushers in a new era
The Birth of a King
Before sun dawn, one of them would sheathe their sword. We can’t tell who, not yet as the battle ranges on. It’s a battle for dominance: sword clanging, blood spilling, the battlefield was a mash of flesh, sweat and blood. The king has been surrounded, and stripped of his royal regalia. The weakness of his body did not yet silence his voice. His enemies were certain there was no escape for him. And truly there was none. He had his sword but it was as good as useless. One choice was left in the face of a ruthless foe.
Many years ago, a day like no other, the crown was placed on his head. He ascended the throne and ruled the kingdom in power. His son would rule in his stead but he was young. Too young to stand the flames of power. In his last minutes, they dragged him off to celebrate their victory. With a heavy heart, he pulled his last breath and fell on his sword — an honourable king.
All was quiet. The sun had fallen beyond the horizon, and the night adorned in darkness crawled quietly into the land. It fell on everything and everyone. Even the beasts wouldn’t make a sound. No story by moonlight, no fireside tale. The night was a million times longer, filled with dread. A king was gone — with a part of everyone.
Another king was rising to the thrown. And of him, it was said “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity…” NLT (click to see reference).
The Beginning of a New Era
The light breaking through the cloud washed off the ruins of blackness. The air is budding with freshness — the beginning of a new era. With the hope of a new beginning comes responsibilities: a child has to be raised — “the government will rest on his shoulders”. Activities were resumed again after the fall. Debts were paid, new habits formed and faith restored. A kingdom was rising to its feet.
The prince of today is the king of tomorrow. The child has to be nurtured in the path of righteousness. It is profitable to start early to direct the ways of the young in the Lord. “Train up a child…” remains a nugget of top acclaim. It will be late if not too late to train an adult. We often relax our discipline excusing that they are too young. However, every resource should be channelled to groom our noble dreams into reality. If he must ascend the throne he must be trained:
Train him to be compassionate yet brave.
Train him to be kind yet disciplined.
Train him to be peace-loving yet courageous.
Train him to be prudent yet generous.
Train him to be excellent yet tolerant.
Train him to be contented yet passionate.
Train him up in the way he should go … train him up in the way of the Lord. This is the beginning of a new and golden era.
Those who spare the rod of discipline hate their children NLT (click to see reference)
The Duties of Kingmakers
The recipe for making a meal is with the chef, and the instruction for raising a king is with the kingmakers. Kingmakers — Everyone who is strategic in the making of the king. The word of God is filled with instructions for raising the child. It instructs kingmakers, parents, and guardians to train up a child in righteousness. Kings are not trained with TV or social media but with Heaven’s instructions. It is the solemn duty of kingmakers to receive instructions to nurture the king to maturity. The path to adulthood is essential to building the heart fit for a king and the head deserving to wear the crown.
Kings are raised in palaces, but they will judge the street and preserve the land. They must not be left to the rots of the street. His tender heart must be shielded from corruption if he must rule fairly and justly. Dear Theophilus, your belove must not see corruption. You must labour over your young, calling God to keep his path in perfect harmony with his will. It is worth paying attention to what they consume and where they go. There is no substitute for this call, not career or ministry, lest they cause us to fall off the cliff in old age. Many have raised kings, here — the parents of Samson: You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and his hair must never be cut. For he will be dedicated to God as a Nazirite from birth. He will begin to rescue Israel from the Philistines.”Then Manoah prayed to the Lord, saying, “Lord, please let the man of God come back to us again and give us more instructions about this son who is to be born.”
The Shoulds and Musts for a Coming King
The duties of the kingmaker are daunting and delicate. It is such as requires patience. The hands that pull the mote from the eye must be trained and clean. The parent or guardian must look to it so the child grows healthy. Raise the child not only to be worldly-relevant but also passionate in his father’s business. It will be a great loss to be worldly useful and heavenly useless. He should be well-formed and lacking in nothing. The king’s meals must be rich to nourish the body, soul and spirit and appropriate for his age — not those found in the provision of commoners. The king must be raised with intentions, no razor coming upon his head. Anything devoid of the divine provision will result in stunted growth—a rather reckless way to raise a model leader. There are many turbulent paths to the throne but he must get it right. No pity as such should be shown that undermines the full potential of his kingdom. If we raise a weak king, he can not protect his territory — he has failed. This underscores that his hands must be trained to war, and his heart to withstand the pressure of those within and without. The sheer opulence of the palace must not blur the lines of discipline. He must know peace comes with a price. A price he must be willing to pay.