“You Are My King, O God”

by Chris Simmons

Indeed, our God is the “blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords” (I Timothy 6:15; cf. Revelation 17:14 where Jesus is also described in such terms). Jesus made it abundantly clear during His ministry that to recognize Himself and the Father as Lord and King brings great responsibility (Luke 6:46) far beyond a verbal confession. If indeed God is our King, are we not responsible for treating Him as such? In Malachi 1:6, God asked the remnant who returned to Jerusalem “If I am a father, where is My honor? If I am a master, where is My respect?” We read in Psalms 44:4 the confession, “You are my King, O God” but the remainder of the Psalm by the sons of Korah also recognizes the responsibility that accompanies such a declaration. In Psalms 44, note the following responsibilities that we have if we likewise declare “You are my King, O God.”

In verses 1-3, we should note that if God is our king, we bear the responsibility to spread the good news of what God has done. Verse 1 states, “O God, we have heard with our ears, our fathers have told us, the work that You did in their days.” If we recognize that others have passed on to us what God had accomplished for His people, should we not also understand the duty to do the same for others? This is the principle taught in II Timothy 2:2. We read in Psalms 78:1-4, “We will not conceal them from their children, but tell to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and His strength and His wonderous works that He has done.” Again, in Psalms 22:30-31, “They will come and will declare His righteousness to a people who will be born, that He has performed it.” Under the old Law, fathers were to lead this charge (Genesis 18:19) as is true in the law of Christ (Ephesians 6:4). In last week’s article (“Go Preach The Gospel”), Micky discussed the need for the Gospel to be preached throughout the world. Carrying the word of God to others (Acts 8:4), beginning with our family, is a duty and responsibility of all who claim God is their King.

In verses 4-8 we read that those who have God as their King ought to place their trust and confidence in God and be thankful. We read in verse 4-8, “You are my King, O God … Through You we will push back our adversaries … For I will not trust in my bow, nor will my sword save me … In God we have boasted all day long, and we will give thanks to Your name forever.” If God is our King, we will not rely on human wisdom (I Corinthians 1:20-25) nor on human strength (I Peter 4:11) but on God in our spiritual battles. Solomon stated in Proverbs 3:5, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” We read in Psalms 37:3-5, “Trust in the Lord … cultivate faithfulness … commit your way to the Lord.” It’s very difficult (really impossible) to truly put our trust in God if we are not truly thankful to Him. Again, note Psalms 138:1-2, “I will give Thee thanks with all my heart; I will sing praises to Thee before the gods. I will bow down toward Thy holy temple, and give thanks to Thy name for Thy lovingkindness and Thy truth; for Thou hast magnified Thy word according to all Thy name.” Paul spoke of this trust in God to lead us in victory and thankfulness in II Corinthians 2:14, “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.”

In verses 9-16, we are reminded that we need to respect the discipline of our God the King. We read in verses 9 and 15, “Yet You have rejected us and brought us to dishonor, and do not go out with our armies … All day long my dishonor is before me and my humiliation has overwhelmed me …” Paul exhorts us in Hebrews 12:5-11, “you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, ‘My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by Him; for those who the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives.’ It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.” The writers of this Psalm understood clearly the chastisement of their King because of their sin. Even when disciplined by our King, will we continue to look to Him in faith and love, understanding His desire to “share His holiness”?

In verses 17-19, we are reminded that in such times of trial, there is the need to renew our commitment to God and His ways. We read in verse 17, “All this has come upon us, but we have not forgotten You, and we have not dealt falsely with Your covenant. Our heart has not turned back, and our steps have not deviated from Your way.” If indeed God is our King, we will continue to seek the way of God especially when we are being tried and persecuted. David expressed in Psalms 86:11-12, “Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name. I will give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and will glorify Your name forever.” It’s easy (easier) to recognize God as our King when conditions are good. Our commitment to our King to not deviate from His ways is truly challenged in our “day of adversity” (Ecclesiastes 7:14).

Finally, in verses 20-26, if God is our King, we will continue to turn to Him in prayer and petition His aid, having faith that He knows our needs and our hearts. We read in verses 20-26, “If we had forgotten the name of our God or extended our hands to a strange god, would not God find this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart … Arouse Yourself, why do You sleep, O Lord? Awake, do not reject us forever … For our soul has sunk down into the dust; our body cleaves to the earth. Rise up, be our help, and redeem us for the sake of Your lovingkindness.” Certainly, our God and our King is “intimately acquainted with all my ways” (Psalms 139:3) and yet needs to be considered “our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear …” (Psalms 46:1-2).

If God is our King, we will tell of Him to others, place our hope and trust in Him and not ourselves, we will accept His discipline, and always seek His ways even in times of suffering and persecution.