“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7 NKJV)
In the late 1950s, there was a car dealer referred to in advertisements as the king. His slogan was “The King Don’t Care.” In my opinion, and more obvious to some, he was trying to drum up business and entice persons with low paying jobs, low credit ratings, and a loss of willing cosigners to come in and buy a car. During this era, before my Dad, a former officer in the army during World War II, has become a federal employee, working his way up from a postal worker to the Equal Employment Officer for a large region; before he had climbed the ladder of success, he managed a newspaper distribution station; a metal building with a hot stove in the center of the room that served as the place where paperboys picked up their papers. Not because of his work ethic or performance, but because of his last name, “King,” kids would say of him, “The King don’t care.” I think they were trying to get under his skin because this was far from the truth. He cared about the young men under his supervision.
Let me back up my statement. An older youth was appointed the “Captain,” reporting to my Dad. One day my older brother and I were going with Jack on an assignment given to him by my father. When we got to the corner about a half block from the station, a group of older juveniles attacked Jack. That was the Captain’s name. In our terminology, Jack was jacked! I looked in awe as might be common for a nine-year-old. That was not the case with my older brother. He never backed down from confrontations, regardless of the age, size, or bad reputation of people in the wrong. A couple of the juveniles tried to hinder him from going for help, but my brother broke loose, hurdled over the legs of one of the attackers in perfect Olympic form and ran to the station. The next thing I see is my Dad running down the street toward the attackers who had a knife pulled on Jack. That did not stop Dad. One of the “gang members” said, “Here comes the king!” Many of them ran. The one with the knife was not as afraid. My Dad wasn’t afraid either. All I recall know is that Dad disarmed the older juvenile, called on his army training, and put what might have been the introduction of the sleeper hold used by wrestlers on him. Jack was freed. My Dad let his attacker go with a short lecture, “You better think twice about your choices.” All was well, and we went back to a state of normalcy. More importantly, Dad showed that the king, reference to him, does care. He cared for the one who was good and cared enough for the one in the wrong to give him some short, but strong advice.
That was a long story, right? Yes, I shared some history, but really. Now I want to point to the One who came to us in the history of humanity; came to save us. Yes, King Jesus! Be thankful in this Advent Season that just as my Dad came to the rescue of Jack, The King, came to rescue you! Why would He rescue you? Why would he recuse me? The answer is simple, “The King Cares.” And know this for sure, He epitomized caring when He gave His life for us on Calvary’s cross; saved us when we could not save ourselves; gave us life when we were going in the direction of death. I know you what you are thinking! A Scripture came t your mind, “For one will hardly die for a righteous man, though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinner Christ died for us.” “The King” cares and more specifically He cares for you. See His care for you in the perfect examples He set for you to follow! See His care for you in His countless teachings in the Scriptures! See His care in the intervention in the lives of others and reflect on how He intervened in yours while you are at it. See His care in His compassion to send us the Holy Spirit, the Helper, the Comforter! See His care in His promise never to leave you or forsake you! See His care in the fact that He has prepared a place for you to spend an eternity in Glory! Let me end with a couple of things: (1) Hail to The King! (2) The King cares! Share this meditation! Be blessed!
“And on His robe and on His thigh, He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”(Revelation 19:16 NASB)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King