Hillsdale College offers free online courses on many subjects. Recently, I was listening to a lecture in the course for “Theology 101: The Western Theological Tradition”.[1] Professor Westblade posed the question of whether we serve God or does God serve us.
Raised in a typical evangelical setting, I found the question thought provoking and rather unsettling. After thinking on the subject for a couple of weeks and digging into scripture, I find that my understanding of God has changed. I will likely not explain the concept as well as a professor. But I have decided that the new understanding of God is right and good because of the peace and joy that it generates.
A Basic Thought
The basics of this concept of God being in service to man begins with who God is. He is the creator, Almighty God, Lord of the universe. God created all things by His will and good pleasure.
Before time, God is and was as He always is and was. He didn’t need us or our services to Him. In other religions of the world, man must serve the gods to earn their benefits. Man is like a factory worker with no other purpose than to work enough to please the gods.[2]
In Judeo-Christian thought, God created man so that man could receive His grace and generosity. God wants man to walk with Him so that we can receive the overflowing mercy and grace of His love. We are not owed this mercy and grace because His mercy and grace cannot be earned or bought. Freely God gives and freely we must receive. Our purpose is to live in right relationship with our Creator so that the full blessings of His goodness and grace are received and those blessings in return give glory to God.
“For since the world began, no ear has heard and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him!” Is 64:4
But if God works for us, does that make us God’s employer? No. We can not tell God what to do. Nor do we own anything that could pay God for His services.
(The psalmist writing words of God):
"But I do not need the bulls from your barns
or the goats from your pens.
For all the animals of the forest are mine,
and I own the cattle on a thousand hills.
I know every bird on the mountains,
and all the animals of the field are mine.
If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
for all the world is mine and everything in it.
Do I eat the meat of bulls?
Do I drink the blood of goats?
Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God,
and keep the vows you made to the Most High.
Then call on me when you are in trouble,
and I will rescue you,
and you will give me glory.” Psalm 50:9-15
Post-Modern Concepts of Service
Perhaps the greatest resistance to the idea of God being a servant to humans comes from modern ideas of service. We take our car to the mechanic to be serviced. In church ministry, we serve our community. A waiter at a restaurant takes our order and serves our food. In our thinking, when we perform a service, we expect something in return- a working vehicle, increased numbers/spiritual growth in the pews, a tasty meal that we didn’t cook or clean up. To many in the current culture, service has a work/reward dynamic.
Other relationships exist that are not work/reward oriented. Parents are not employees of their children but pour out their resources in service of a child. A patron provides money, influence, and support to a client with no remuneration apart from the gratitude of the client.
So it is with God. Everything we have comes from God, is provided by God. He is our Father and our patron. All we possess to give in return for His service is worship and gratitude.
Jesus told His disciples, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many” Mark 10:45.
In God’s kingdom, service is not solely the action of doing a good deed but the pouring out and the sharing of the goodness, generosity, and kindness of God that we have received ourselves. This may look like generosity in sharing worldly resources, offering kind words, forgiving, choosing mercy over anger, and remaining faithful to the character and desires of God’s heart.
On our own, we possess nothing. Everything good comes from God. So when we give away to others what we have been given in abundance, then God receives the glory.
A Good King is a Servant
A good king is a servant of his people. The people rely on their faithful and trustworthy king to bring food into the country, to secure borders from enemies, to govern for the good of all people, administer justice, and generally bring peace and prosperity to all. All of the power, resources, authority, and influence belong to the king.
Vassals are the king’s subjects. They do not own their property but are granted use of the land by the king’s pleasure. The king owns the land and the cattle on a thousand hills. The vassal brings gifts and offerings to the king, not because the king needs the vassal to maintain his wealth and power, but because the vassal wants to honor and appreciate the king’s generosity. All that the king is given by his vassals is already his. When the vassal chooses to display his loyalty and gratitude to the king with gifts and offerings, the reputation, honor, and glory of the king is increased.
A Treaty with the King of the Universe
In the Old Testament days, peace treaties between nations were common. Ancient peace treaties followed a formula. In the preamble, the greater king known as the “suzerain”, is named. This is followed by the prologue wherein the mighty deeds of the suzerain are listed.
The stipulations part of the treaty would tell the vassal (lesser) king all the things required of him to uphold his end of the treaty. The most important stipulation would be absolute loyalty to the suzerain. The vassal can have no other suzerainty. Keep the treaty and you are blessed with all the resources, power, protection, and provision that the suzerain has to offer.
The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20) given to Moses on Mt. Sinai follow this ancient peace treaty formula:
Preamble, “I am the Lord your God”.
Prologue, “I brought you out of Egypt”.
Stipulations, “You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not steal, kill, covet, lie…”
Blessings, “You must serve only the Lord your God. If you do, I will bless you…” (Ex 23:25).
God is our suzerain, and we are his vassals.
New Understanding Brings Freedom
None of these thoughts about God as king are new. But the concept has had an effect on my view of grace. The nature of God’s grace has always been a struggle in my spiritual life. The pervasive belief that I am not enough, have not done enough good things, need to increase productivity to prove my worth as a child of God, and similar work-based thinking undermines the depth of goodness and joy that is found in the grace of God.
Our culture has many gods. The status of possessions, the drive of success and influence, accumulation of knowledge, the needs of self, among others. If I can truly remember that everything comes from God and belongs to God, then there is nothing I need that I cannot trust my King to provide.
At some point in time, the human effort to try harder and do better is exhausted. We each come to a place where we realize that a lifetime of working harder will not produce anything that is a worthy enough gift for our King. I must accept his gift of provision, acceptance, and grace with gratitude. It is because of the grace of a generous and merciful King that I have a place in his kingdom.
If God is my faithful King, I need not fear an enemy.
If God is my gracious and forgiving King, I need not fear punishment.
If God is my generous King, I’m not afraid to share what I have and I need not steal from another .
Because of Jesus, God has made me part of His family and I am a royal heir of the King's kingdom.
If God is my King of power and authority, I do not fear the future.
If God is my good and kind King, I will seek ways to give him glory and honor.
He is my suzerain King and I am his vassal. My King gives peace and joy.
I am blessed.
Copyright@ TA Boland 2024
Pic: Unsplash
[1]. Westblade, Prof. Donald J, Lesson 2 “The God of Grace in Judaism in the Hebrew Bible”, (Theology 101: The Western Theological Tradition), Hillsdale College, December, 2024.
[2] “Man” is used as a shortened phrase depicting all of mankind, male or female.
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