Psalm 23
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King Edward VI of England was one of the few examples of a Prince who understood the concept “Jus Divinum” (Divine Right) … meaning, he understood God’s claim upon the throne of England. It is one thing for God’s people to enjoy and magnify the blessings Christ’s Death and Resurrection bring to us in this life, and in the life to come, but what about God’s Claim, His Right to make demand upon us for the benefits to His Name we bring as the direct consequences of the Cross of Jesus Christ?
Psalm 23 is most often understood for the comfort it brings and rightly so, because it is the Psalm that presents our Shepherd as our King. Knowing Jesus Christ as Savior is to know Him as King for salvation is the act of one in authority who interposes to bring deliverance against evil and the powers that destroy.
All throughout history, God has approached a people with His Word clearly delineating the kind of belief and ethics He expects from them for the life He gives them. He offers them the goodness of His Throne and the benefits of restoration and goodness. First there was the antediluvian version of the “Church.” The framework was different from the church of today but the calling, faith, salvation, law and ethic were the same (cf. Romans 15:4; Hebrews 11:1-5ff; II Peter 2; Jude 6-16). The antediluvians failed in their response to Jus Divinum and they fell away refusing to honor the shepherding of the Great King of the Universe. God came to the Semites declaring Himself “the God of Shem.” The Semites failed to respond well to Jus Divinum, refusing to honor the Shepherding of the Great King. The same was true with Israel and now it is us- the Church- spread throughout the entire earth. Will the Church embrace “Jus Divinum,” the Divine Right of God to Shepherd our walk and to bring glory through the Cross of His Son, Jesus Christ?
