The Shout of a King

By :Elder Enoch Ofori Jnr

(10th December, 2011)

He stood in dread of the redeemed people of Israel, and that fear turned into an implacable hatred of the Israelites. King Balak of Moab would go any length to ‘invest’ in the destruction of Israel. So he hired a ‘spiritual hatchet man’, a powerful sorcerer of renown, to curse the Israelites and reverse all their fortunes. The powerful sorcerer was Balaam from Midian.

Although warned by God against undertaking the enterprise, Balaam was a greedy soul—as all false prophets are (Isa. 56:10-11; 2 Pet. 2:3)—and went ahead with it (2 Pet. 2:15; Jude 1:11) but under a strict condition from God: He will only speak the words God put in his mouth!  But at the same time, Balaam would try to do what Balak hired him to do—or at least go through the motions of it.

So he requested rams and oxen for a sacrificial ritual ostensibly to curse Israel, but the first word God put in his mouth for Balak was, “How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the LORD hath not defied?” (Num. 23:8).

In his second attempt, the word God Almighty put in his mouth was:

“God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

“Behold, I have received commandment to bless: and he hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it.

“He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: the LORD his God is with him, and the shout of a king is among them.

“God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn.

“Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel: according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought!” (Num. 23:19-23).

The faithfulness of Yah as Israel’s covenant-keeping God, His delight in their holy life and the strength of His mighty power at work in their deliverance and continuing spiritual protection are not lost on the people: “the shout of a king is among them”!  God is their mighty King! There’s no sorcery or other dark satanic power to fear but every reason to expect great miracle after great miracle, prompting exclamations of “What hath God wrought!” again and again.

Beloved, like Israel, you have a mighty King in your midst. Therefore believe and behave as such: “Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee” (Isa. 12:6).  Your King, “the Holy One of Israel”, is no titular head (or in Ghana an ‘Odikro’). He’s “great”—He’s the King of Kings and the Lord of lords. He wields real power—ALL POWER : “God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God” (Ps 62:11).

But the greatest part of it all is that, your ALL-POWERFUL King is with you till the end of time (Matt. 28:20). And He sits as your King forever, willing and able to defend you against all troubles that threaten to drown you like a flood so He might enforce His will of peace and blessing in your life: “The LORD sitteth upon the flood; yea, the LORD sitteth King for ever. The LORD will give strength unto His people; the LORD will bless His people with peace” (Ps 29:10-11).

“The LORD sitteth as King forever on the flood”. The message for you is that whatever troubles the enemy has planned for you is permanently under control.  God is enthroned on the flood of troubles meant for you–and it dare not attempt to drown the mighty God who sits on it as if it were nothing at all! He assures you:

“But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.

“When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee” (Isa. 43:1-2).

So, what is your fear? What strikes fear in your heart, oh the redeemed of the LORD? Is it a debt that threatens to collapse your business and possibly land you in court? Believe in your God; He sits as King on it; it will not drown you. Is it sickness that has eluded every known cure?  He sits as king on the deadly disease; believe in His healing power, and you will find out you were healed by His stripes (1 Pet. 2:24). Surely, you will not die but live to declare the works of God (Ps. 118:17).

Dear believer in Christ, you have no cause for worry; only be holy for Him (for He loves to see no iniquity in you), and His will for you is established and irreversible. He will do you good, and the devil can’t say, ‘what doeth Thou?

So let the shout of the King of kings ring in your heart and burst out of your lips; He’s worthy to be praised:

“Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song, His praise in the assembly of the godly!

“Let Israel be glad in His Maker; let the children of Zion rejoice in their King!

“Let them praise His name with dancing, making melody to Him with tambourine and lyre!

“For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; He adorns the humble with salvation.

“Let the godly exult in glory; let them sing for joy on their beds” (Ps. 149:1-5 ESV).  Halleluiah!