Today's Scripture Reading (March 22, 2020): 2 Chronicles
34
Queen Elizabeth
is not referred to as "Your Majesty" by everyone. In public, royal
rules prevail, and what you need to remember is that the first time you address
the Queen, the only phrase that should come out of your mouth is "Your
Majesty." If the conversation continues, then it is quite acceptable to
refer to her as "ma'am," but no other name should be used. In private,
though, you might hear her referred to by some other names, although definitely
not to be echoed by you. Some might be familial names, but the occasional "Lillibet"
might be heard from some very close friends. Of all of the nicknames of Queen
Elizabeth, "Lillibet" is probably the best known. According to tradition,
it was the way that she pronounced "Elizabeth" when she was young. Prince
William, when he was young and before he got the hang of saying "Granny,"
apparently called her "Gary." And I am quite okay with that.
But there is
another, even more private name, for Queen Elizabeth. Prince Philip has a name
for her that only he is allowed to use in her presence. And that name is "Cabbage."
The nickname is adapted from the French expression "mon petit chou' which translates
to "my little cabbage." But only Prince Philip has the right to call
her by that name. There is not one other person in the world who is allowed to
call Queen Elizabeth, their "Cabbage."
So, what if I
decided to risk it. Right here on this public forum, I decided that I wanted to
send a message to the Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth
realms. As a Canadian by birth, that means that Elizabeth is my Queen. So, what
if I decided to address my reigning Queen as "Cabbage." The reality
is that, regardless of the content of the message, my greeting would have made
the message wildly inappropriate. Royalists would have the right to condemn me;
after all, I was not being considerate of her position as a world leader and the
most prominent member of the British Royal Family. I am not Prince Philip. I do
not have the right to call Queen Elizabeth "My Cabbage," or even attempt
to greet her with the full French expression, "mon petit chou."
It is with this
understanding in mind that we need to read the greeting of Huldah to the
delegation sent to her by King Josiah. Huldah's address to the men is direct. "Tell
the man who sent you …" Later, Huldah will refer to "the man" as
the King of Judah later, but in this initial greeting, he is not the King; he
is simply a man.
Josiah's delegation
probably would have been as offended at Huldah's greeting as a someone close to
Queen Elizabeth would have been at my use of the nickname "cabbage"
to address "Her Majesty." But there is a purpose in Huldah's
greeting. Her use of "the man" in reference to King Josiah emphasizes
that in the eyes of God, the King holds no special place. He is just like any other
man who comes to him.
We see
differences between people. But in the eyes of God, we are all just the same as
King Josiah; we are all sinners, and we are all only men and women requiring
his grace and mercy.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Zephaniah
1
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