A CROWN FOR A CROSS

The Ammonites’ history with Israel was continually tense.  The Ammonites were descendants of Ben-Ammi, Lot’s  youngest daughter (Gen. 19).  They refused to aid Israel in their flight from Egypt and had hired Balaam to curse  Israel (Deut. 23:3ff.).  In Israel's siege against the last Ammonite stronghold, Rabbah (2 Sam. 12:26-31), Joab had captured the city’s water supply and was ready to take the city.  He requested that the King come to Rabbah for the final battle so David would receive the honor instead of his captain.  When the city fell, the crown was removed from the Ammonite king and placed upon King David.

What is amazing is that this crown weighed almost seventy-five pounds! Some commentators have trouble believing that it could have been placed upon David’s head. However, in countries where travel is usually by foot and goods are often carried upon the head, seventy-five pounds would not be unusual.

Imagine, what a glorious crown it must have been - pure gold encrusted with precious stones. If we travel through time a thousand years, we read of another King who had a crown placed upon His head.  This crown, however, was not gold nor encrusted with jewels.  It was a crown of thorns, plaited by Roman soldiers, and forced upon the brow of Jesus of Nazareth (Jn. 19:1-3).  He was forced to stand before these mocking soldiers, blood running down His face as they derisively bowed and shouted, “Hail, King of the Jews!”  Jesus was willing to suffer humiliation and even give His life on the cruel cross to save mankind from the wages of sin (Rm. 3:23; 6:23).  Because He did, God “...crowned him with glory and honor.” and “put all things in subjection under his feet” (Heb. 2:7).

Truly, Jesus is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords!

There is still more.  Let us travel ahead to another time.  It may be tomorrow, next week, next year, or ten thousand years from now.  It is the time when Jesus appears in His second coming.  The dead in Christ will be resurrected from the grave, and along with the living Christians, will be changed and meet Christ in the air (I Thess. 4:13-18).  Then there will be a great accounting, the Day of Judgment (Mt. 25:31-46).  On that day Jesus will hand out crowns to His faithful servants.  Paul wrote, “...there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing” (2 Tim. 4:6-8)

We can receive a crown, not from a man, but from the King of kings and Lord of lords Himself!  Paul referred to this crown elsewhere as an “incorruptible crown” (I Cor. 9:25).  James and John referred to it as the “crown of life” (Jas. 1:12; Rev. 2:10), and Peter called it the “crown of glory”  (I Pet. 5:4).  They all represent the wonderful gift of the eternal life with God for His faithful servants.

By Bob Bauer
Orange Beach, Florida