Christ’s Wisdom Qualifies Him to be King – William Symington

Jesus is further qualified for mediatorial dominion by his knowledge and wisdom. These are indispensable regal qualifications. That authority of any kind, particularly supreme authority, should be held by one who is ignorant or foolish, shocks all our sentiments of propriety. “Be wise, O ye kings” (Ps. 2:10). The kings of Israel were required to read in the book of the law; and Solomon, the most distinguished king of antiquity, and one of the most remarkable types of Christ in his regal office, was wiser than all the men of his day. We speak now, not so much of knowledge in general, as of that which qualifies for rule‑knowledge of the principles of government; of the laws of the kingdom; of the character, state, and necessities of the subjects; and of the nature and bearing of foreign relations. Such knowledge is essential to the useful exercise of power.

The knowledge of Christ, in all these respects, is extensive and perfect. He knows well the principles of the government which he is delegated to administer; for they are founded on the nature of God and man, and on the relation subsisting between them; and with these, being Immanuel, God with us, he cannot but be most thoroughly acquainted. He knows well the laws of his kingdom, being himself the lawgiver by whom they were all framed and promulgated, and having himself yielded perfect obedience to them all. He knows all his subjects in the minute variety of their circumstances, characters, necessities, and desires; “he needs not that any should testify of man, for he knows what is in man, and he searcheth the reins and hearts” (John 21:17; 2:25; Rev. 2:23). He is thoroughly acquainted with the rival kingdom of this world, from which he has to reclaim his subjects, and against whose assaults he must defend them; with the kingdom of darkness, from which he has to save them; and with the kingdom of light, with which he has to induce them to form, not a partial or temporary confederacy merely, but a final and permanent alliance.

Nor is wisdom less important than knowledge. Wisdom to foresee, judgment to contrive, prudence to execute, are essential to a ruler. Jesus, “the king eternal,” is at the same time “the only wise God” (1 Tim. 1:17). His understanding is infinite. He can lay down the best plans and devise the best measures for promoting at once the enlargement, the usefulness, and the happiness of his kingdom.

In short, nothing can fail either from ignorance or from indiscretion. There is no lack of information or of prudence. No event can occur unforeseen by him. He is prepared for every occurrence. Nay, such is his wisdom, that what his enemies design for injury, he, by skillful management, can cause to operate powerfully for good.

– William Symington, Messiah the Prince

From reformed.org

Christ Mocks the Enemies on their own Territory

Today was the Lord’s Table. We concluded by singing Psalm 23. What joy there was in this line!

“A table thou hast furnished me in presence of my foes.

Thou does my head with oil anoint, and my cup overflows.”

The devil is a roaring lion, who craves to tear his prey (Psalm 7). Just before in this psalm David writes about the valley of the shadow of death, a place where it is all dark, and there are dangers all around that you cannot see. It is in that place where the devil assaults. Sometimes he sets up people against us, whether in our personal lives or in politics. Sometimes we find ourselves in deep depressions, terrible temptations, and we feel as though we will be defeated.

But, “He who sits in the heavens laughs.”

Christ mocks his enemies. There in the valley of the shadow of death, Christ rules in the midst of His enemies (Psalm 110) and has them in complete subjection. Just to prove it, in that very valley he sets up a banqueting table, and feeds His children with spiritual comfort, and brings them joy.

Where are the armies of Sennacherib? Where are those 185,000 who besieged Jerusalem? Where is this mighty man who boasted? The angel of the Lord has slain his armies, and he died in the temple of his own god.

The Christian has nothing to fear. The enemy is in full subjection to Christ. The devil is chained and bound for a thousand years. All the devil does against God, God will turn it to the good of Christ’s people. And one day, when the devil is cast into his lake of fire, the saints before the very eyes of the devil shall feast and rejoice in the presence of Christ the King.

Christ Ministers To All, Whether They Are in Conditions Glorious or Humiliating – C.H. Spurgeon

“The kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ, while on earth, was so extensive as to touch the confines both of heaven and hell. We see him at one moment discoursing with Moses and Elias in his glory, as though at heaven’s gates, and lo, in a few hours, we see him confronting a foul spirit, as though defying the infernal pit. There is a long journey from patriarchs to demons, from prophets to dumb devils; yet mercy prompts him and power supports him, so that he is equally glorious in either place. What a glorious Lord he was even while in his humiliation! How glorious is he now! How far his goodness reaches! Truly he hath dominion from sea to sea; to the extremes of human condition his empire reaches. Our Lord and Master hears with joy the shout of a believer, who has vanquished his foe, and, at the same hour, he bows his ear to the despairing wail of a sinner, who has given up all confidence in self, and is desirous to be saved by him. At one moment he is accepting the crown which the warrior brings him from the wellfought fight, at another moment he is healing the broken in heart, and binding up their wounds. There is a notable difference between the dying scene of the triumphant believer as he enters into rest, and the first weeping repentance of a Saul of Tarsus as he seeks mercy of the Saviour whom he has persecuted; and yet the Lord’s heart and eye are with both. Our Lord’s transfiguration did not disqualify him for casting out the devils, nor did it make him feel too sublime and spiritual to grapple with human ills, and so at this hour the glories of heaven do not take him off from the miseries of earth, nor do they make him forget the cries and tears of the feeble ones who are seeking him in this valley of tears.”

– C.H. Spurgeon, “Hope in Hopeless Cases.” Preached July 18,1868

From http://www.spurgeon.org, taken 2019/10/05

Christ is King Over all Nations, and May Send Missionaries Where He Pleases Whether Rulers Welcome Them or Not – William Symington

All authority in heaven and earth has been given to Christ (Mt 28:18), and all things are put under His feet (Ps 110), subject to Him for the sake of the church (Eph 1:20-22). Christ may send ambassadors where He wants, because it is all His territory.

From Messiah the Prince, Chapter 8, Christ’s Dominion over Nations. Taken from covenanter.org (not an endorsement of all that is on the website).

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Sixthly. The Prince of the kings of the earth opens up a way for the universal dissemination and success of his Gospel among the nations. The religion of the Cross is to be universally diffused. This supposes that the ministers of Christ are to circulate throughout the nations, making overtures of reconciliation to their inhabitants, and urging upon them the claims of their divine Sovereign. ‘Go ye and teach all nations, baptizing them,’ &c., is the command of the Redeemer to his ministering servants. But it is only in virtue of his sovereignty over the nations, that he could issue such a mandate: and in this way only could those invested with his commission be warranted to demand admission for themselves and reception for their message by the nations of the earth. When the ambassadors of Jesus visit foreign lands to disseminate the knowledge of the Gospel, however exclusive the laws and strict the prohibitions of these lands against foreign intrusion, they are not to be regarded as lawless aggressors. Jealous potentates may refuse to acknowledge the King in whose name they come; the subservient functionaries of these potentates may use all means to shut them out from their dominions: but they have a right to enter, and as faithful and authorised ambassadors, have a right to negotiate with the inhabitants of all lands in behalf of their Sovereign Lord. It may be their duty to use caution, and exercise prudence, in introducing themselves into heathen kingdoms; but still they are to regard themselves as fully entitled to be heard, in the name of him by whom they are sent. The sovereignty of their Lord spares them the moral degradation of feeling that they are doing what is illegal,—that they are violating the principles of international law,—that they are acting the part of contraband traders. What they are doing may be unauthorised by man, may be contrary even to the will and command of the rulers of those regions of the earth into which they have gone: but they proceed in the name of One whose authority extends over all nations, who claims all the kings of the earth as his subjects, and whose commands cannot, without rebellion, be disputed. He has said to them, ‘Go and teach all nations:’ and, when the jealousy of heathen princes interferes to impede them in the execution of this commission, by arresting them on the confines of their territory, and commanding them to ‘depart from their coasts,’ they are entitled to refuse, and to plead as an excuse for so doing the obligation to obey God rather than man. Without the supremacy of Christ over the nations, however, the missionaries of the Cross could have no right thus to penetrate into all lands;—the apostolic commission could not, indeed, be lawfully executed. In consequence of this supremacy, however, they may circumnavigate the globe, may touch at every island that studs the ocean, may make a descent on every coast, may pass every boundary, may knock at the gates of every palace, may address every crowned head, may pervade the length and breadth of every kingdom, and ask admission, in name of the King of kings, for themselves and for their message.

Nor is the right of his ambassadors to proceed, the only thing that is secured by the Messiah’s headship over the nations. Provision is thus made for the opening up of a way, for the success of their cause, and the protection of their persons. There may be much in the prejudices, the opinions, the habits, and the manners of the inhabitants, much in their legal institutions and superstitious rites, to present barriers to the introduction of the pure and self-denying religion of Jesus: but, notwithstanding all, the Prince of the kings of the earth can open a way for his own cause in the midst of all obstructions. Nothing can baffle his counsel; nothing withstand his might. Difficulties disappear at his approach: before him mountains become a plain. ‘He hath the key of David; he openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth. Behold,’ says he, ‘I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it.’[27] Yes; the herald of salvation in foreign lands may have numerous discouragements, and may often find reason to say with the great apostle of the Gentiles, ‘there are many adversaries;’ but, believing in the dominion of Christ over the nations, he need not despair of being enabled to add, ‘a great door and effectual is opened unto me.’[28]

The Sharp Arrows of Christ the King – William Symington

“We will not have this man to reign over us.” – Luke 19:14, KJV

“Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the kings’ enemies.” – Psalm 45:5

“It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” – Hebrews 10:31

Christ is the King of Kings who offers mercy, but one day will no longer offer mercy, and will avenge against those who rebelled against him.

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“Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king’s enemies. Let us reflect, whose authority it is we despise; whose institutions we contemn; whose laws we disobey. They are his, who has all power in heaven and in earth; who can break us with his rod of iron, and dash us in pieces like a potter’s vessel; who can crush us in our impotent rebellion with one stroke of his power, and with one breath of his mouth can bid us away into never-ending ruin. “He must reign till all his enemies be made his footstool. Those mine enemies which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither and slay them before me.” These are not empty threats. They are the words of him who cannot lie. They shall be fulfilled, to the utter dismay of all who refuse to submit to the scepter of the Messiah.”

William Symington, Messiah the Prince, from the Conclusion, Crown & Covenant Publications, 2012