1St Timothy 6:15. “Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;” CONTRAST OF THE JUDGES. He wraps his toga of white around him, checking carefully each fold; Then, he places over it in a special way a sash, evidence of the office he holds. The signet ring upon his finger is ready to make his stamp. With affected dignity, he finally takes his seat – a frail, mortal man.
Though Potentate over all human tribes, in humility He walks; Bound, beaten, reproached by men – unmoved by careless talk. For the Leader loves His people and in compassion and dignity, The Potentate takes on Himself the cost of their liberty.
His arrogance makes him question; the lesser of these two men. He doesn’t know and cannot discern the motives that are within. Searching for reasons of guilt, he questions and finds no fault at all. But moral weakness has eaten him inside; he harkens to the world’s call.
The King of kings’ impatience looks upon the weak judge: quietly says to him, “My kingdom is not of this world;” it is as limitless as the heavens. Earth to Him is a footstool, but even it He does not despise – His goal is not miles of earth to own; the people are His prize.
His kingdom is from shore to shore; it even includes all of the stars. As King of kings and the Creator too, He has control, even over the planet Mars Which the weakly judge would consider a god to whom he would bow and worship – Not realizing he has before him, the only One with universal kingship.
Some people will say, “Your worship,” to some manmade earthly lord. Not recognizing or realizing that the only true Lord is their God. Every position that a man can hold is subservient to His. Every person of authority, someday, will acknowledge this.
The Caesars have come and gone now, and the judges they did select. The One of Supreme Authority, His stated purpose, He did not neglect. He still is the Potentate who cares and wants the best for all the people. As King of kings and Lord of lords, there never has been or ever will be His equal.
“I look this morning, O God, for the Savior to come. What a blessing it will be to those who are Thy subjects to see our Lord coming for us, even more, to see and be with Him when He appears in His glory. With this prospect in view, I worship Thee here – and remain Your obedient servant. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.”
Another charge is the command to give to those who are wealthy. Being rich brings with it many problems and great responsibilities. Pride and arrogance have a tendency to come to come with wealth and success. Riches may be taken away because the Lord gives them, and He can take them away. We have much more to enjoy than only what we can buy. Good works, benevolent giving, passing on what we have for good purposes, lay up treasures in heaven, our Lord Jesus said. What we have to use is a trust. What we have been called to do is a trust. Foolish talk and human opinions are not according to "the faith." A final charge is made to the rich, not because it is wrong to be rich, but because there are serious dangers in being rich. Arrogance and misplaced trust are major dangers to the wealthy. We will not be taking our earthly wealth with us when we die. There is an appropriate use for our wealth. When we contribute what we have for the benefit of others, we need to be responsible to put it where it should be.