Ecclesiastes 12.9, 10

⁹And moreover, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yes, he pondered and sought out andset in order many proverbs. ¹⁰The Preacher sought to find acceptable words; and what waswritten wasupright – words of truth.

Ecclesiastes 12.6-8

⁶ Remember your Creatorbefore the silver cord is loosed,
Or the golden bowl is broken,
Or the pitcher shattered at the fountain,
Or the wheel broken at the well.
⁷Then the dust will return to the earth as it was,
And the spirit will return to God who gave it.
⁸“Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “All isvanity.”

Ecclesiastes 12.5

Also they are afraid of height,
And of terrors in the way;
When the almond tree blossoms,
The grasshopper is a burden,
And desire fails.
For man goes to his eternal home,
And the mourners go about the streets.

Ecclesiastes 12.2-4

² While the sun and the light,
The moon and the stars,
Are not darkened,
And the clouds do not return after the rain;
³In the day when the keepers of the house tremble,
And the strong men bow down;
When the grinders cease because they are few,
And those that look through the windows grow dim;
⁴When the doors are shut in the streets,
And the sound of grinding is low;
When one rises up at the sound of a bird,
And all the daughters of music are brought low…

Ecclesiastes 12.1

¹Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth,
Before the difficult days come,
And the years draw near when you say,
“I have no pleasure in them…”

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Government is God's servant for good, so God's servants can serve there with excellence, patience, persistence, and blessing. This study can show you how to enhance your own participation in public service.

“Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise;
Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;
Your father’s children shall bow down before you.
Judah is a lion’s whelp;
From the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He bows down, he lies down as a lion;
And as a lion, who shall rouse him?
The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
Nor a lawgiver from between his feet,
Until Shiloh comes;
And to Him shall be the obedience of the people. Genesis 49.8-10

Bridge to the kingdom

Moses represents in many ways a bridge to a fuller, broader understanding of God and His Kingdom. We recall that Moses is the author of the Law of God, the first five books of the Bible. His purpose in compiling and writing these books was to establish Israel as a people directly descended from God through Adam, Abraham, and the patriarchs. They were a people of God’s covenant, mandated to rule the earth and exercise dominion under their Most High King.

“Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” Exodus 19.5, 6

A growing sense

By the time Israel descended into Egypt, the idea of a kingdom, involving them as a people specially chosen by God, had begun to gain some traction in the thinking of at least some of their leaders.

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.” Genesis 17.1 2

God’s covenant

With Abraham we tend to think more in terms of “covenant” than of “Kingdom.” God called Abraham to enter with Him into a covenant of promise, in which he would know blessings from God and become a blessing to all the families of the earth (Gen. 12.1-3).

“No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you.” Genesis 17.5-7

No king but God

Abraham had some experience of earthly kings, and it wasn’t all that great. Shortly after his appearing in Canaan, two episodes involving earthly kings must have colored Abraham’s view of such people in something of a negative light.

Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. Genesis 2.15

The three tasks of dominion

We’ve seen that, from the beginning, God instructed His people in the work of rule, of exercising dominion over the creation.