High King of Heaven

I have always enjoyed hymns and spiritual songs that come from Celtic lands such as Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Songs like Praise and Thanksgiving, Lord of All Hopefulness, The King of Love My Shepherd Is, Sent Forth by God’s Blessing, Immortal Invisible God Only Wise, Let All Things Now Living, and especially, Be Thou My Vision.

Maybe my enjoyment stems from some inherited memory of ancient times when my ancestors in Scotland, Ireland, and Wales sang similar folk tunes and hymns. Maybe it comes from my own finely-tuned appreciation of the vocal arts. Or maybe, it’s the lilting tunes themselves, tied to words which proclaim God and his blessings. Whatever  the reasons, these songs resonate with me in powerful ways, and I always enjoy trying to sing them.

Recently, while listening and croaking to the old Irish song, Be Thou My Vision, I came to what is my favorite part. It comes at the end of verse 4, and is repeated at the beginning of verse 5. See if you can spot what I mean:

4 Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
be Thou mine inheritance, now and always;
be Thou and Thou only the first in my heart,
O High King of heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

5 High King of heaven, Thou heaven’s bright Sun,
O grant me its joys, after vict’ry is won;
Great Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
still be Thou my Vision, O Ruler of all.

Given that the title of this blog is “High King of Heaven,”  you probably guessed the words I mean. For some reason, those words just thrill me and fill me with a vision of God’s glory..

One reason they appeal so much has to do with the ancient Irish custom of having one king, the High King, ruling over all of Ireland; the various tribes had their own chieftains or  kings, but over them all was the High King. The tradition dates back to 1500 B.C., with various legendary kings, but the first historical record is of a High King who served between 846–860 A.D. The last High King was Ruaidhrí Ó Conchobhair (Rory O’Connor) whose reign lasted until 1166. Comparing God to the sovereign Irish High Kings is a special honor.

The second reason I love those words is that they portray the truth that the God of the Bible is the true High King, the great King over all kings, “God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords,” (1 Timothy 6:15), and “Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth” (Revelation 1:5).

As Americans, we read those accolades of God our King (our High King) but often dismiss it as archaic language. After all, except for a few foreign kings who have little effect on our lives, the concept of being ruled by a king is as foreign to us as are those kings. But in reality, even as Americans, we have many kings who try to assert their authority or control over our lives, and unfortunately, too often we submit to them as we would to a king.

Consider the following “kings”:

1. Our government (Federal, state, and local). The federal government alone has 53 volumes containing some 4,500 criminal statutes, spelled out in over 10 million words, regulating every aspect of our lives. And should you think that compliance is a voluntary matter, there are 708,000 officers ready to enforce those laws. In addition to laws actually passed by Congress, there are “executive orders” declared by presidents and myriad regulations decreed by government agencies.

2. Our employers. Sure, our association with employers is on a mostly voluntary basis – we could tell them “No” and walk away. But given they hold the purse-strings that provide us with our livelihoods, they have a great deal to say regarding our time and behavior. We may not like all they tell us to do, but for the sake of income and reputation, we often have to toe the line and jump when they say “Jump!”.

3.  Cell phones. Admit it. . . when our cell phones call, we answer. And even if they don’t call, they hold us in bondage, promising us connections, social networking, information, and entertainment.  We check them constantly, hoping for some emotional “hit”. Go to any event, or to any restaurant, (or to any traffic intersection!), and you will see everybody checking their phones constantly. The phones command, and we obey!

4. Commercial advertisements. “Go ahead! Buy it! You deserve it!” Such are the messages that try to control us by controlling our behaviors and our spending. Companies buy and sell data about our spending (and our giving), our online browsing history, and our personal demographics. And now, with advanced artificial intelligence, companies can predict and direct everything we do.

5. Bullies. There are all kinds of bullies, but basically they all have one thing in common: they want to control you and force you to do what they say. They could be at school, at work, in the government, in the neighborhood, among your “friends,” or even in your family. They think they know what is best for you, or best for them, and they dominate you by their aggressive behavior or threats (voiced or implied). As a kid, I used to live near a couple cemeteries; one day a neighborhood bully threatened to put me in one of them. So far, he hasn’t succeeded!

6. Our own passions. Probably the most difficult to deal with. Pride, greed, lust, anger. How often do we go against what we know is right for the sake of satisfying one of our urges – only to be totally unsatisfied with the aftermath of giving in. All temptations promise much, but deliver nothing but emptiness and regret. And yet, their power is great and they seek to rule over us.

Whatever the person or thing that would seek to rule us, that would crown itself as king over us, we need to remember there is a High King above all other real or self-proclaimed kings. That High King is the true King of all creation, over every power and authority. That High King is our God.

So how do we deal with our lesser kings? By following Scripture.

1. Government? “Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good” (1 Peter 2:13-14). But at the same time, “Render to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God, what is God’s” (Jesus’ words in Mark 12:17). God’s commandments overrule man’s laws.
   
2. Employers? “Bond-servants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men” (Colossians 2:22-23).
3. Cell phones? Not in  the Bible. But . . . in Acts 12, an angel freed Peter from his cell, and in Acts 16:24-46, God used an earthquake to free Paul and Silas from their prison cells, so if your are in bondage to your cell, God can set you free!
4. Commercial advertisements? Once you recognize the manipulative tactics of such ads, you are much less likely to be influenced and directed by them. As Jesus said, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). Yes, I know Jesus was not talking about ads, but what he said still applies. The ads will rule you only if you let them.
5. Bullies? If they insult you, remember that “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1). Similarly, Jesus said to turn the other cheek if someone slaps you on one cheek (Matthew 5:39). Remember and pray the psalms, especially ones like Psalm 18:48, which proclaims, “who rescued me from my enemies; yes, you exalted me above those who rose against me; you delivered me from the man of violence.”
6. Our own passions? Our society praises people who follow their “passions,” but the Bible connects passions to our old, sinful flesh, and calls on Christians to subdue those passions for Christ’s sake. Galatians 5:24 tells us, “And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” 2 Timothy 2:22 says, “So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” And if the temptation of those passions is strong, remember: “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

To sum it all up: the High King of heaven is ruler over all, and it is to him we owe our allegiance, above all earthly rulers and powers. Ultimately, all other rulers will submit and bow the knee to the One who allowed them to rule, to the One to whom they must give account of how they used their authority.

Today, I close with a two-fold blessing. First, as usual, the Aaronic blessing from Numbers 6:24, and then a video of people from 300 Irish churches singing, “Be Thou My Vision.”

May the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.

 

 

 

 

Three centuries later, a monk named Dallan Forgaill wrote the Irish poem, “Rop tú mo Baile” (“Be Thou my Vision), to remember and honor the faith of St. Patrick. Forgaill was martyred by pirates, but his poetry lived on as a part of the Irish monastic tradition for centuries until, in the early 20th century, Mary Elizabeth Byrne translated the poem into English, and in 1912, Eleanor Hull versified the text into what is now a well-loved hymn and prayer that at every moment of our lives, God would be our vision above all else.

Leaving mythology behind, Máel Sechnaill mac Máele Ruanaid (Malachy MacMulrooney) is recognised as the first historical High King of Ireland. He served as king between 846–860 AD and died two years later. After King Máel there would be another 16 other High Kings in Ireland until the last serving King in 1166.