I
recall seeing Heile Sallassie, Emperor of Ethiopia, pass through the airport in
Addis Ababa one day while I was waiting for someone to arrive (circa 1973). Everyone,
including our party, bowed. This is not in worship but in respect. It is the way
men respond to the king of any nation.
I
was amused to see a couple of potentates drop all the way down on their knees
and kiss the floor as the Emperor passed. These men had some special reason for
this extreme genuflection, which only they and the Emperor understood. Perhaps
in the past they had rebelled, and Heile Sallassie showed them mercy. Perhaps
they hoped to receive an appointment to some better position. Perhaps they were
simply grateful because he had been particularly generous to them toward a family
member. The Emperor was well known for quiet acts of tender generosity to the
needy.
This
may sound harsh, but, in the context of the above story, I look forward to the
day when Henry Kissinger, Javier Solana, Yassir Arafat, Bill Clinton, George Bush,
Kofi Annan, Tony Blair, and all the other ego crazed world leaders bow before
Jesus Christ and kiss the dust.
Or,
perhaps, in a better context....
Psalms
2:12
Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his
wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.
Whether
you love Jesus or hate Him, one day, you will bow before him. Why not be ready?
Worship, adore, and submit to him as Savior now. Then, one day you will bow before
Him in joy and love.
Psalms
138:4
All the kings of the earth shall praise thee,
O LORD, when they
hear the words of thy mouth.
