The Wise King
There once was a king who was a great warrior. Although he did many questionable things throughout his life, the people really loved him. As he laid on his deathbed he wondered which of his sons he would pick to be king. Some of the older sons plotted what they would do if they were chosen. Most of the sons dreamed of the glory and the power that would come with the position. The lust for the crown drove their plots.
A wise old sage noticed the vultures circling the beloved king’s dynasty. He feared for the future of the kingdom. The sage went to bed one night and once he fell asleep, he had a dream which overcame him. He saw a land in the distance. As he walked closer, he saw some strangers gathered about the city gates. He asked the group, “What is the name of this city that I have come upon?” They looked at each other with very puzzled looks upon their faces. Surely this man must be jesting. Then one of them turned to him and said, “Do you not know that this is the city called Greatness?” The sage replied, “No, I have never traveled in this direction before.” The gentleman corrected him, “Yes you have, you must have just forgotten. Everyone knows of this land, but some refuse to acknowledge it.” Noticing the puzzled look upon his face they give him directions to their great leader whom they call La Sabiduria.
The directions given the sage took him to the most beautiful palace. He arrived at the foot of the palace and looked up at the marble steps leading to a large golden door. His eyes were filled with awe. As he climbs the steps he starts to tremble and an icy breeze starts to fill his soul. As he turns back he notices a fog is forming behind him. He can no longer see the street he had just traveled. As he nears the door he reaches for the handle. It is then that he notices that door does not have a handle and he wonders how he is going to get in. The golden door is inlaid with images of lions. As he looks above the door he sees the walls above the door are imprinted with a chorus of angels. He can no longer see the steps as the fog has risen up to the bottom of his feet. He knows not what to do.
Suddenly the door slowly opens. There is a bright light. The light is brighter than anything he has ever seen before. He covers his eyes and falls to his knees. A loud, thunderous voice bellows, “Why have you come?” He stutters his reply, “I, I, I, know, n-n-not why I am here.” In almost a disappointing response, the great voice of La Sabiduria answers, “You come because I summoned you. I have a message for you to give the dying king.” Dismayed, he answers, “What is the message you want me to give him?” La Sabiduria commands, “Tell the king, I will soon be expecting his arrival. He shall only return to the land I have given him in the memories and history of the people who will be left behind in his absence. In his place I will leave one of his sons, but not the son that seems the logical choice.” Taken aback a little, the sage ask, “Which son is to be that choice?” A pause is followed by the answer, “The son of the fair maiden the king stole from the innocent blood of his faithful servant.” He continues, “Let him know that the kingdom will always be his, so long as his descendants follow my directions.” With that the bright light disappears and the door slowly shuts.
Lifting open his eyes, the sage notices that he is kneeling beside his bed. A cold sweat covers his body. He knows what he must do. He cleans up and gathers the fair maiden that La Sabiduria described. They come to the king who is nearing his end. It is explained to the king the choice La Sabiduria has commanded. The king accepts the choice and calls this son in and crowns him the new king. Shortly thereafter, the king breathes his last and the land is covered with sorrow.
The new king is very young and feels the burden that is now on his shoulders. As the day turns into night the young king struggles to find the rest he needs. Slowly he falls into a deep sleep. His dreams take him to the same door where the old sage stood. The door again opens and the bright light appears. He, too, is overcome by the light and he quickly covers his eyes and falls to his knees. The loud voice of La Sabiduria rings, “Ask for anything you want and it will be given to you.” The scared young king softly makes his request, “I seek nothing but the wisdom to rule over my people in the best manner possible.” Impressed, La Sabiduria commands, “Since you have such a humble heart and have only requested my wisdom, I will give what you asked for with much abundance and no one throughout history will ever come close to you in that department. In addition, because you asked not for anything selfish, I will grant you riches and power like none of your forefathers have ever seen. Your kingdom will know no end so long as your descendants approach me with the same spirit you do.”
With that command the light disappeared and the door slowly closed. The young king awoke and a sense of peace filled his soul. The wisdom, riches, and power arrived just as La Sabiduria said they would.
As the young king grew older, he slowly departed from the wisdom that La Sabiduria had granted him. Maybe he was bored. Maybe he thought he was as wise as La Sabiduria. Maybe he just got selfish and wanted to fill his own heart with pleasure. His servants, who still loved him very much for all he had done for them, were starting to get a little disgruntled. Although La Sabiduria was upset with the king’s change in direction, he did not take the kingdom nor the riches he had granted him away. When the king was very old his days came to a close. His son became the new king.
A wise man came to the new king with some advice. He told the very young king that he needed to ease up on the people or else they would revolt. He told the king that he needed to return the land to the days in which his father looked after the land with the wisdom he was granted and not the days when his father sought his own pleasure. But this new king decided to listen to his young peers instead. No, he wouldn’t return to what made his country great. He decided that if his people were upset at what his father had become, he was going to make their work even harder. He would stand over them, watch their every move, and they wouldn’t be just his servants, they would almost become his slaves. Their talents and enthusiasm would be suppressed by his leadership. Eventually the wise man would be correct and the great kingdom his dad had built would be split in two. So goes the story of three generations of kingship. From David, the crown was given to Solomon. From Solomon, the crown was acquired by his son Rehoboam.
The election of 1840 would be an election whose outcome would seem to be easily predictable by historians in the future. In American history, rarely do the voters reelect a President when the economy is in dire shape. The major issue of this election seemed to revolve around just that issue. Some called it a recession, others called it a depression. That led to President Martin Van Buren losing the electoral vote 234 to 60. William Henry Harrison would become the new President.
William Henry Harrison was a Whig. Martin Van Buren was a Democrat and the former Vice President under Andrew Jackson. Even the popular Jackson’s campaigning didn’t help Van Buren’s cause. But William Henry Harrison might have had a little help with the choice of John Tyler as his Vice President. Tyler was a former Democrat, although he wasn’t always a loyal one. Often he voted against the Whig programs. He was a fan of President Andrew Jackson, but he didn’t like Jackson’s Spoil System (where he removed government employees who were not loyal to him and he replaced them with people who were loyal to him). Tyler was also a big states rights politician. When South Carolina decided to support Nullification (where a state could decide to void a federal law), President Jackson declared he would send in federal troops if South Carolina did not comply with the federal laws. This would cause Tyler to leave the Democratic Party and join the opposition: the Whigs.
John Tyler seemed like the perfect companion for the Harrison Presidential ticket. He and Harrison were nothing alike and those differences made their union more appealing to voters. If you didn’t like what one of the candidates stood for you could look at the other one and see the complete opposite. Everyone could find something to like between the two. No one took the Vice Presidency very seriously though. After all, we had never had a President die in office before.
President Harrison would change all that when he died a month after he took office. John Tyler would become the first sitting Vice President to move up to the Presidency upon the death of a President while that President was in office. Tyler would revert back to some of his old Democratic ways and this upset the Whigs, who had helped set him up in the office he now held. The Democrats didn’t trust him because of his betrayal. When the next election approached, Tyler was not considered a candidate by either party. He was sent home.
When Tyler arrived home he was not welcomed there either. Tyler’s home was in the middle of Whig territory. In fact, the neighbor’s voted him to the lowly position of overseer of the roads to rub salt into his wounds. If Tyler were to refuse the position he would have to pay a large fine. If he took the position, they could proudly boast, “The mighty former President of the United States is now a lowly road maintenance man.” To everyone’s surprise, Tyler said he would be proud to take the position. Tyler would get the last laugh, though. His position gave him the power, at his discretion, to requisition his neighbor’s slaves when there was a need. Strangely enough, at harvest time, when these neighbors really needed their slaves out in the fields, Tyler also found a need for them in his road maintenance.
Life is full of those times when we forget the wisdom that got us where we are. Whether it is personal growth, a job, a relationship, a kingdom, or even how we treat the down trodden, our personal motives or satisfaction step over the person God wants us to be. Change is part of everyday life, but to change or modernize at the expense of who God wants us to be usually leads to destruction or trouble. Relationships end, businesses fail, countries fall, crops don’t get picked, and happiness fades from the landscape when we forget to seek God’s wisdom and obey His Voice.
Prayer: Dear Mighty Father, Thank You for being so wise. Please let me never forget to listen to Your wisdom and follow Your direction. Amen!
