I’ve always loved fantasy, especially the kind inspired by British folklore and surrounding countries. Many of them were based on the idea of a coming king. Years ago I collected a set of books which included the tales of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. I also loved reading T. H. White’s The Sword in the Stone.
A lesser known work, which I enjoyed, is Alan Garner’s The Weirdstone of Brisingamen. Garner drew elements for his book from the legends of King Arthur who would one day awaken from slumber and ride out to save England. According to Wiki:
The legend of The Wizard of Alderley Edge revolves around a king and his sleeping knights who rest beneath the hill, waiting for the day when they must awake to save the land. In this tale a wizard, whose job it was to guard the king and his knights, one day encountered a local farmer riding upon a horse. The wizard had lost one of the knight’s horses and needed to replace it He therefore offered the farmer many rich jewels taken from a secret store of treasure under the Edge in payment for his horse.
The idea of a returning king is also found in Tolkien’s third installment of The Lord of the Rings – The Return of the King. The future King is Aragorn who is first introduced as the roaming ranger Strider. Aragorn is the future King of Gondor. He aids Gandalf and the Hobbits, and once he becomes king after Sauron is defeated, he rules wisely and benevolently. Many Christian commentators see Aragorn as a type of Christ, or at least having Christ-like qualities. For an example of this see Fleming Rutledge’s book The Battle for Middle-earth.
Of course, for Christians, the King we wait for isn’t sleeping under a hill waiting to be woken in order to save us. He is fully awake and has already been victorious against His enemies. Moreover one day He will come to rule this earth with a Rod of Iron (Rev 2:27).
Paul Shirley has pointed to some of my favorite Psalms about the True King Jesus, King of kings and Lord of lords. He writes:
God reigns over the universe as a magnificent King whose resplendent royalty fills every corner of creation. We see this especially in the psalter, which reads like a collection of coronation hymns. The book of Psalms glorifies God as King and exults in the benefits of his kingdom. Consider just a sampling of statements from various enthronement psalms…
Shirley also notes:
Unlike Arthur, this King is not an idea. He is a person, and His name is Jesus. Born of the tribe of Judah (Heb 7:14; Rev 5:5) in the family tree of David (Matt 1:1-17; Luke 3:23-28), he took his first breath in Bethlehem (Luke 2:1-7), but as the Son of God he existed long before that (John 1:1, 34). Jesus is the King God promised and humanity needs.
Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, The LORD mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, O you gates! Lift up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah
Psalm 24:7-10
Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth; Break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises.
Sing to the LORD with the harp, with the harp and the sound of a psalm,
With trumpets and the sound of a horn; shout joyfully before the LORD, the King.
Let the sea roar, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell in it;
Let the rivers clap their hands; Let the hills be joyful together before the LORD,
For He is coming to judge the earth with righteousness; He shall judge the world, and the peoples with equity.
Psalm 98:4-9
See also Psalm 96. Doesn’t that make your heart glad?
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