“The LORD reigns for ever and ever.” – Exodus 15:18

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 20, 2015): Exodus 15

Have you ever really considered the National Anthem of the United Kingdom? The words to the anthem are familiar to many of us. But do we really mean them? Okay, for those of us outside of the Commonwealth, the words are probably most often just a quaint reminder of times past. For those of us inside the Commonwealth, but not living in the United Kingdom, maybe the words should mean a little more. And for those living in the United Kingdom, the words should hold the most meaning. But I wonder if the reality is that the words are really a quaint reminder of times past for all of us.

God save our gracious Queen
Long live our noble Queen
God save the Queen
Send her victorious
Happy and glorious
Long to reign over us
God save the Queen

The question that I struggle is this – what does it mean to reign? If it means that the one reigning has some sort of control over us, I am not sure that Queen Elizabeth II really reigns. The expectation of the government is that the Royal Family will remain non-political. Their job is one of being a symbol rather than being a presence. And I wonder if it takes presence in order to really reign.

I have to admit that I absolutely love it when Elizabeth gets political. I relish the moments when she takes a firm position, whether it is with regard to the future of Scotland as a partner within the United Kingdom or about whether the United Kingdom should remain as part of the European Union. (And yes, I know that the press office at Buckingham Palace would assure us that neither time was the Queen getting political – but we all know that she was.) She has earned the right, as did her parents before her. I want to know what Elizabeth II thinks on a variety of issues, and too often she seems to be silenced – and that is something that a person who has seen as much as she has should never be. But I am not a member of the United Kingdom – I am a displaced Irishman living on another continent as part of the Commonwealth. I also have to admit that I am not sure King Charles, if and when he takes the throne, has earned the same right. I will wait and see – but in my mind Elizabeth II definitely has. And I can heartily agree with the sentiment of the anthem – long to reign over us.

Moses closes his song with these words – The Lord reigns forever and ever. In the time of Moses, this cannot be assumed to mean that the Lord has symbolic value to the nation of Israel. In this moment, as Moses pens the song, it means reigns as in God is fully present in Israel, that Israel will place no restrictions on what God will do and what he can say. They will follow his dictates because he reigns – really reigns.

Unfortunately, while Israel meant it in this moment, the feeling would soon wane. Sometimes the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob would occupy just a symbolic place in Israel – much like the British Royal family seems to occupy now within the United Kingdom. At other times, Israel would actively go out and look for another god – one that would bring the victory the way that they wanted it. But that is not the job of one who reigns. The one who reigns is to reveal what is truth even when we don’t want to see the truth. Sometimes that was just not what Israel wanted from the God who sat on the throne.

But no matter what stage Israel was at, that “the Lord Reigns forever and ever” is a theme that will continue all the way through the book, finding its completion in the Song of the Lamb in Revelation. This is who we serve – the one who reigns over us, really reigns with his presence over us, until the end of time. To him we bring honor and glory, forever and ever.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Exodus 16