By the time the Bible transitions from Old Testament to New, there is about a four hundred year gap between these two sections of the Bible. The Children of Israel were now back to living in Jerusalem, after being exiled in Babylon for generations. The Temple in Jerusalem had been restored (spearheaded by Ezra) and the wall around the city had been rebuilt (spearheaded by Nehemiah) and for about a four hundred and fifty year gap after these events took place, the children of Israel were now living in Jerusalem with no King of their own. (Instead, the Roman Senate had appointed a king over them. In other words, the children of Israel were still being oppressed by a government that was not their own.) This was a new normal for them. So, during this time, the children of Israel were anticipating the day(s) when a new king of their own would reign over Israel again. Many of us might be able to relate to this. Have you ever longed for a normal that had been subtly or overtly destroying you—but it was all you were accustomed to so you longed for it anyway? If so, then you might have a great deal of empathy and understanding regarding what the children of Israel could have been feeling during this period.
The truth is that, just because something has been normal to us for a very long time, this does not mean that thing was necessarily the best thing God intended for our lives. The children of Israel were ruled by kings for twenty generations and yet, God had never intended for his people to be ruled by mere flesh and blood. Do you remember when Samuel (the priest/prophet) was getting old in the Old Testament? Instead of the children of Israel waiting for God to appoint another priest/prophet over them, as he so eloquently did with Samuel and Samuel’s mother, Hannah, they hastily asked for Samuel to appoint them a king. God replied to this request, speaking to Samuel in 1 Samuel 8:7 and 9: “Do everything they say to you,” the Lord replied, “for they are rejecting me, not you. They don’t want me to be their king any longer. Do as they ask, but solemnly warn them about the way a king will reign over them.” Samuel then warned them that a king would tax them, put their sons and daughters to work for practically nothing, and would rule over them with an iron-clad fist. That was not the best God intended for the children of Israel, but they did not seem to care. Instead, they still wanted a king. So, for twenty generations, kings ruled over Israel until those same kings began serving other gods, simultaneously being led to their own natural defeat, causing Israel to be exiled from their promised land. All along, this was never God’s best for the children of Israel’s lives. Nevertheless, having a king had become their “normal,” showing us that, many times, the things that have become normal to us are not always the best that we deserve.
By the time the New Testament is introduced to us, the children of Israel had been taught many of the historical prophecies that say that, after their exile, a king would rule over the children of Israel again. Jesus Christ was the king these prophecies had been referring to. Word of Jesus’ reign as king was so widespread, that at the time of Jesus’ birth, King Herod—who was the “king of the children of Israel” appointed by the Roman Senate at that time—fought to have all male children executed if they were two years old or younger. His intentions were to kill Jesus as a baby. He was afraid that, if God appointed a king from among the children of Israel, his rule over them would become insignificant. Little did he know, and little did they all know, that God was never interested in creating an earthly kingdom for his people with an earthly king who would oppress them. He was interested in sending a King who would serve them and redeem them from their sinful and rebellious ways, once and for all. That was God’s best for the children of Israel’s life—the insurance policy that would save God’s children, even from themselves, and also offer them the right to ultimate freedom on earth.
With that being said, do you remember when the mother of two of Jesus’ disciples, James and John, openly showed us how people expected Jesus to turn things back to normal and reign as their earthly king during that time? Her words and Jesus reply are stated in Matthew 20:21-22, which says, “She replied, “In your Kingdom, please let my two sons sit in places of honor next to you, one on your right and the other on your left.” But Jesus answered by saying to them, “You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink?” God was in the process of creating a new normal for the children of Israel—one that would free them eternally and lift their burdens (and oppression) for generations to come. God was finally instituting his best for their lives, but they did not realize it because they were still attached to the idea of what had become “normal” to them. The purpose of this post today is to give us an example to the fact that, sometimes, when our normal(s) fall apart, it is because new things are emerging in their place(s) and those new things are often times even better than what God had permissibly allowed to be parts of our history. Sometimes, it is only our job to detach from the ideas of normal we have become used to. This way, we will be better able to embrace the new things being constructed in our lives.
Lots of Love, XO
