(September 11, 2014)
The expression
that the king had slain his brethren which were better than he was is a simple
reminder that those who prosper in mortality (even those reaching the highest
levels in mortality) are not necessarily more righteous or virtuous (and
perhaps may even have reached that level through their wickedness). We live in a fallen world, and it is too easy
to lose sight of that fact as we struggle with our own fallen natures.
My
second thought was on the king taking the same counselors after the death of
his father. Here we have a situation
where the kings father was wicked, a prophet prophesized about his destruction,
and that destruction came true. Then the
king, having witnessed what happened to his father, then emulates him by hiring
the same cabal to advise him.
We see
that all the time – people who have failed at some task or another (whether
political, religious, family, or really anything) who are then very vocal about
what should be done. The same parasites
seem to leap from administration and bureaucracy to administration and
bureaucracy, never being held to account for their failures. Advisors in religion and family make messes of
their own lives, and never take any steps to correct them. It is important that we take counsel from
those who have achieved what we want to achieve, rather than the ‘realists’ who
tell us that such achievements are impossible.
Finally,
the queen’s words when she saw her grandson seated on the throne (“Treason!”) were
illuminating. The queen was an
illegitimate usurper – and she knew that more than anyone. Yet she had been lying to herself and others
for so long that when she saw the legitimate king having been crowned, she
instantly resorted back to the lies that none would ever believe but herself. She had lied to herself for so long that she
no longer could recognize the king, and rather than bow to the legitimate king
she chose destruction.
Each of
us in life have the lies that we have told ourselves – I have yet to meet an
exception to this pernicious sin. I used
to think that I was the exception, until I came to realize that this sin was
not something just applicable to other people but was also applicable to me. Each of us have lied to ourselves, and in some
areas of our lives each of us have falsely claimed that we are the kings or
queens of our lives and destinies. Whether
that lie comes across as sin, or hatred for our fellow brothers and sisters, or
anything else, it is there.
The
time comes when we are brought face to face with the King. In that moment, we need to either bow
ourselves down and repent, and allow ourselves to be forgiven, or we bury
ourselves in our lies further, cry out ‘Treason! Agency!’ and reap our own
destruction. Each of us has that choice
and none of us can escape it. I have, in
the past, felt the destruction and darkness that consumed me as I turned away
from the Lord in pursuit of my sins. I
now enjoy the light and peace coming in to my life as I acknowledge my mistakes
and seek to have the true King replace me as the director of my life.
Having
been in both positions, I can only say how much happier it is to have the right
King leading my life, rather than my poor efforts to do so.
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