| “Hallelujah! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth. The kingdom of this world is become the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever. King of kings and Lord of lords, and He shall reign forever and ever.” |
| —Revelation 19:6; 11:15 |
Most people will recognize the words in the Scripture verse above as the text of the “Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s Messiah. It has become a custom for those in the audience or congregation to rise to their feet and remain standing during the singing of this chorus from the oratorio. King George II, attending the first performance of this work in 1741, was so moved by the glorious music that he stood. The audience in the concert hall followed his example. Since that time, kings and commoners have stood in honor of the Lord God Omnipotent, who reigns over heaven and earth.
Whether we stand in honor of the King of Kings, or kneel before Him, echoing the words of the Prophet Isaiah, God spoke these words through the Apostle Paul, found in Philippians 2:9-11:
Therefore God exalted him [Jesus] to the highest place and gave him the name that is above very name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Especially in the culture of the United States, humans find bowing to anyone difficult. But to Americans, bowing before foreign kings and world leaders seems especially troubling because of their exalted place among men and, more often than not, their seeming lack of the kind of humility God will some day require from all of His creation. For an amazing story of a king whom God turned around, please study the story of King Nebuchadnezzar in these three chapters from Daniel 2 - 4.
Nebuchadnezzar, the king of the very large Kingdom of Babylon, thought so much of his own power that he had a 90‑foot‑tall statue of himself erected for all to worship. He boasted of his greatness and flew into a murderous rage at anyone refusing to bow before this representation of himself. But, God took Nebuchadnezzar through some phenomenal experiences and brought him to a place of genuine humility. Note this testimony of the king from Daniel 4:37:
Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble.
We should humbly pray for world leaders that they, too, may recognize Jesus Christ as the true King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And, like King George II in 1741, honor Christ by standing, or kneeling before Him.
When you listen carefully to the famous “Hallelujah Chorus,” please hear within this piece a sense of the greatness of Christ’s power, the awesomeness of His loving reign, and the honor truly due Him from us all!
