{"id":14205,"date":"2026-05-11T06:19:16","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T10:19:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/?post_type=oyb&p=14205"},"modified":"2026-05-11T06:19:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T10:19:17","slug":"one-nation-under-god","status":"publish","type":"oyb","link":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/oyb\/one-nation-under-god","title":{"rendered":"ONE NATION UNDER GOD?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\u201cThen Samuel told the people the rights and duties of the kingship, and he wrote them in a book and laid it up before the LORD\u201d (1 Samuel 10:25 ESV).<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Samuel spoke to the people of Israel at the beginning of Saul\u2019s reign and explained \u201cthe rights and duties of the kingship.\u201d What Samuel wrote was likely based on the Lord\u2019s instructions for kings in Deuteronomy 17:14\u201320. Israel\u2019s king was never meant to be an unrestricted ruler like the pagan kings of other nations. Saul was to serve as a covenant king under the Lord’s authority. The written document probably defined both the king\u2019s responsibilities to God and the people\u2019s responsibilities toward the king. By laying the document \u201cbefore the LORD,\u201d Samuel established it as a sacred witness. This covenant charter reminded Israel that God alone remained the true King. Even the king himself was accountable to divine law. Israel\u2019s monarchy was never supposed to replace God\u2019s kingship, but to operate under it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We too are tempted to place our hope in human leaders and governments rather than in the Lord. We often expect sinful men to accomplish what only God can do. Earthly rulers may help preserve order and justice, but they cannot take the place of God. Scripture reminds us that \u201cthe king\u2019s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will\u201d (Prov. 21:1). God still rules over every throne, office, and nation. As Americans, we may say \u201cone nation under God\u201d in our pledge of allegiance, but the greater question is whether we truly live with that conviction in our hearts. We must remember that our highest allegiance belongs to the true King, Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prayer<\/strong>: Dear Father, forgive us for trusting in human power more than in You. Help us remember that You alone are the sovereign King over every nation and ruler. Teach us to honor earthly authorities while placing our ultimate hope in You and in Your kingdom. In Jesus\u2019 name, amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cThen Samuel told the people the rights and duties of the kingship, and he wrote them in a book and laid it up before the LORD\u201d (1 Samuel 10:25 ESV). Samuel spoke to the people of Israel at the beginning of Saul\u2019s reign and explained \u201cthe rights and duties of the kingship.\u201d What Samuel wrote<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[],"scripture-book":[],"scripture-chapter":[],"oyb_day":[1658],"location":[],"class_list":["post-14205","oyb","type-oyb","status-publish","hentry","oyb_day-may-11"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oyb\/14205","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oyb"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/oyb"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14205"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14205"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14205"},{"taxonomy":"scripture-book","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/scripture-book?post=14205"},{"taxonomy":"scripture-chapter","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/scripture-chapter?post=14205"},{"taxonomy":"oyb_day","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oyb_day?post=14205"},{"taxonomy":"location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/location?post=14205"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}