August 3

The King’s Favor

When God favors our lives we enjoy the refreshing of His presence.


August 3

Proverbs 16
14 A king's wrath is a messenger of death,
but a wise man will appease it.
15 When a king's face brightens, it means life;
his favor is like a rain cloud in spring.

It is difficult for an American to appreciate the language of “kings and kingdoms.” Yet, much of the world is ruled by those who are dictators, kings or some modification thereof. Much of the world still thinks in terms of a dominant individual or class and has little appreciation of our system of a democratic republic. Therefore, to appreciate the Bible we must make some alteration in our thinking.

The Bible only understands and speaks about monarchies. However, it is clear that the Lord wanted his people led by spiritually sensitive people and “mouthpieces” called elders, judges or prophets. (I Samuel 8) As spiritually sensitive people they understood that God was the only one worthy of the title, King . At their best they sought to know His will and to rule accordingly. The paramount Kings of Israel were the ones who understood this concept and led accordingly. (Dare we say that believers understand that the best leaders of any age or place are those who bow before the Lord as Sovereign and honor his Christ and His word?!)

When all of this is understood we can step back from Proverbs and understand that apart from the practical aspects of human power that ultimately it is good to please God and to look to His “face” for approval. When he is displeased as described by the long list of abominations mentioned in the Bible we are walking in a danger zone of life. His “wrath” simply means we are rapidly moving away from Him where we will discover great pain and alienation from blessing. When God favors our lives we enjoy the refreshing of His presence.