Psalm 20:7
Some boast of chariots, and some of horses;
but we boast of the name of the LORD our God.
With the exception of a few salad days during the Davidic dynasty, Israel was never great shakes in the Political Clout department. They went from being nomads, to slaves, to farmers, to a kingdom which was the size of Maine at its height, and which subsequently got trampled by a succession of foreign dominations till it was squashed out of existence altogether. Then, it was miraculously restored for a few centuries (till the coming of Messiah Jesus) and, shortly thereafter, it was smashed completely. Why? Because the danger of politics, of that complicated jugglery of chariots and horses, is that it makes it incredibly easy to think that power, statecraft, economics, military might and all that rot are the Main Event—-especially when you succeed at it. Israel was never allowed to succeed at it. Consequently, Israel was prepared to receive the fullness of God’s revelation in Jesus Christ, who rode into Jerusalem on a donkey and not on a horse and chariot. Today, join the throng that welcomed the son of David and say “Hosanna!” not to the schemes of power but to the humility of God.
