THE KING IS DEAD, LONG LIVE THE KING
'Now the Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his sons.” (I Samuel 16:1 NKJV).
One of my cousins, very outspoken, spoke to me at a time we were just recovering from the shock of burying the number one son of our parents in my larger family. He said, "Brother, as the first son presently in our family lineage, it's you we'll all be reporting to now. The King is dead, long live the king. Congrats!" How does one respond to that? Is that the reality of the moment? What sort of statement is that one anyway? So I replied, stuttering, "What about my senior sister?" He pointedly replied, "You are now the oldest male child in the family." That silenced me then but left me reflecting on his didactic expression. Where did he pick it from? What does it mean?
The best explanation I found was from a statement made by one of the architects of the United Nations at the inauguration of the global body: "The League of Nations is dead, Long live The United Nations." This means an old regime departs and a new one commences. One era is laid to rest and another brought to life. In the bible King Saul disobeyed God and God replaced him with the younger, more corrigible King David even though he did not ascend the throne until thirteen years from the date he was anointed as king. Here in Nigeria, we don't wait for thirteen years before the change of the power baton. Power changes hands within months of election into new executive offices - presidential, gubernatorial and others. May 29, 2019 will be the next one D.V.
However, the lesson to learn is taken from the attitude of King David in the bible. As soon as his predecessor King Saul learned of the successor plan, he revved up the man-hunt to kill the king- to-be, declaring him his enemy number one, to be cut down at sight. But it was remarkable that rather than plot a counter-attack to destroy his opponent, David not only spared his enemy's life when he had glaring opportunities, he also showed him benevolence. Would it not be noble and commendable on the part of our own political gladiators in the past elections to sheath their swords, retreat from the courts which they have turned to battlefields, and seek the good of one another, the electorate and our ailing motherland? What peace and progress would dawn in this nation!
olusegunisaac2018@gmail.com
One of my cousins, very outspoken, spoke to me at a time we were just recovering from the shock of burying the number one son of our parents in my larger family. He said, "Brother, as the first son presently in our family lineage, it's you we'll all be reporting to now. The King is dead, long live the king. Congrats!" How does one respond to that? Is that the reality of the moment? What sort of statement is that one anyway? So I replied, stuttering, "What about my senior sister?" He pointedly replied, "You are now the oldest male child in the family." That silenced me then but left me reflecting on his didactic expression. Where did he pick it from? What does it mean?
The best explanation I found was from a statement made by one of the architects of the United Nations at the inauguration of the global body: "The League of Nations is dead, Long live The United Nations." This means an old regime departs and a new one commences. One era is laid to rest and another brought to life. In the bible King Saul disobeyed God and God replaced him with the younger, more corrigible King David even though he did not ascend the throne until thirteen years from the date he was anointed as king. Here in Nigeria, we don't wait for thirteen years before the change of the power baton. Power changes hands within months of election into new executive offices - presidential, gubernatorial and others. May 29, 2019 will be the next one D.V.
However, the lesson to learn is taken from the attitude of King David in the bible. As soon as his predecessor King Saul learned of the successor plan, he revved up the man-hunt to kill the king- to-be, declaring him his enemy number one, to be cut down at sight. But it was remarkable that rather than plot a counter-attack to destroy his opponent, David not only spared his enemy's life when he had glaring opportunities, he also showed him benevolence. Would it not be noble and commendable on the part of our own political gladiators in the past elections to sheath their swords, retreat from the courts which they have turned to battlefields, and seek the good of one another, the electorate and our ailing motherland? What peace and progress would dawn in this nation!
olusegunisaac2018@gmail.com
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