I See A King
by Justin Emerson
As a musician on the New City Macon worship team, I had the privilege to learn and play the song, “I See a King” for Sunday morning worship. I wanted to share the lyrics with you and dive a little deeper into their meaning. If you’re like me, we often sing along to worship songs but we don’t pause to ponder their meaning. God has given us music to joyfully celebrate the truths of the Gospel, and it is a beautiful thing when the words of a song connect with our heart and we joyfully sing together! My hope is that through this blog, you and I will uncover the truths of Jesus and, in turn, boldly declare the goodness of God this coming Sunday! Let’s break this down verse by verse!
[Verse 1]
I see a King
Ruling with equity
Reigning with empathy
In the name of love
I see a King
Standing with those in need
Welcoming refugees
In the name of love
The first thing we declare is the Kingship of our Lord Jesus! Jesus, the perfect Son of God, rules with equity and empathy. Equity can be translated as fairness, impartiality, and with justice. Often, we get mixed up on the idea of equity because we look at others to compare ourselves with and to justify our worth. We are misguided, unfair, and unjust with our decisions, thoughts, and actions. We show partiality and favoritism to those who are like us but turn a cold shoulder to those who aren’t. But not our King! He “reigns with empathy” – “standing with those in need, welcoming refugees.” Our King took on flesh and became like us; He willingly suffered for our sake. When it comes to empathy, Jesus is the only person who knows the fullest extent of our suffering. He tells us to “come to Me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.” As the song says, “in the name of love” He died the death we deserve, and rose again defeating hell, sin, and the grave. In the name of love Jesus rules and reigns. He is truly the only one who we can trust to be good, right, and fair, and the only one who truly knows the pains of life we go through. He tells us to cast our burdens onto Him because He cares for us!
[Verse 2]
I see a King
Making it all like new
Turning the sad untrue
In the name of love
I see a King
Governing every place
Cherishing every race
In the name of love
Have you ever had a dream where something incredibly bad happens and it just keeps getting worse? It feels like you’re in a never-ending cycle of one bad thing after another. It feels hopeless, lifeless, and exhausting.., and suddenly, you jolt up, fully awake! The only thing I can manage to say is, “Thank God that was a dream!” I feel a rush of peace and breathe out a sign of relief. All the evil things from the dream are instantaneously undone. Unlike a dream, the world we live in is filled with sin and brokenness that is indeed very real. We experience it in our closest relationships and in our own hearts. Often, we look to a created thing to give us comfort rather than look to God and believe His promise. I have good news for you! “I see a King making it all like new, turning the sad untrue in the name of love.” God has ransomed for Himself people from every nation, tribe, and tongue who will worship Him forevermore. One day, our Savior King will return to this earth and fully establish His Kingdom - like waking suddenly from a nightmare. On that day, the curse of sin will be forevermore broken, and every nation, tribe, and tongue will lift their voices in praise to our King!
[Chorus]
I see the glory of the Lord
Fill the corners of the world
Like a river to a desert He restores
And I can hear the earth rejoice
Clap her hands and shout for joy
Singing, "Great is the King
Hallelujah, He's done great things"
Do you believe this? That one day the “glory of the Lord will fill the corners of the earth?” It is hard for us to grasp this idea, but literally, everything will be filled with the splendor and majesty of our God. Like a cold drink on a hot day, the earth itself will let out a long-awaited “Ah!” Creation itself longs for the return of Christ! Plants, animals, the seasons, etc. – all of them are longing for the return of Christ. The curse on creation will one day be lifted and we will see the lion lay down with the lamb! All of creation will “clap her hands and shout for joy, singing, “great is the King, hallelujah, He’s done great things!”
[Verse 3]
I see a King
Throwing a wedding feast
Inviting the poor and least
In the name of love
I see a King
Laughing with great delight
Sharing the finest wine
He's the name of love
This is my favorite verse of this song for a number of reasons. First, we see the beauty of the great commission being displayed by our King. He is “throwing a wedding feast, inviting the poor and least in the name of love.” Remember before how our King shows no partiality, but rules with equity? This is a picture of what that looks like. There is always room at God’s table, especially for the poor and least. And if you really think about it, you and I were the poor and least at one time, and truly still are apart from Christ! Let us remind ourselves of the genuine love Jesus has for the lost and (as we say every Sunday), let us welcome one another to God’s table just as He has so lovingly welcomed us into His family.
Second, I love the line, “laughing with great delight, sharing the finest wine, He’s the name of love.” Can you imagine Jesus at a wedding feast? My heart leaps at the thought! Hebrews tells us that Jesus was filled with the oil of gladness above all of His companions – Jesus is the happiest person alive. Let me repeat that for some of you who need to hear it! Jesus, our sovereign King, is the happiest person to ever exist! I imagine that Jesus’s laugh is a genuine, deep from the soul kind of laugh, one like my grandaddy has that makes him lean back into his chair so that his belly can have enough room to get more air in his lungs, all while his broad smile shines like sunrise. Jesus, fully God, fully man, is the epitome of joy, laughter, and love. It is His heart’s delight to share the riches of His grace! Figuratively speaking, He shared the finest wine of all, the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit fills us as believers, producing all the fruit of the Spirit as we learn to love and obey Him.
[Bridge]
Soon the day, soon the day
Soon the day, soon the day
No more sickness, no more tears, no more pain
Soon the day He will reign forever
Soon the day, soon the day
Soon the day, soon the day
No more sickness, no more tears, no more pain
I see a King, His reign will be forever
Whew! What a day of rejoicing that will be. The penalty, power, and presence of sin will be forevermore done away with and we will live eternally with our God. We will be fully restored just as God intended it to be from the beginning. And as we wait for and hasten the day of the Lord, let us sing this chorus joyfully in celebrating the things to come!
“I see the glory of the Lord
Fill the corners of the world
Like a river to a desert He restores
And I can hear the earth rejoice
Clap her hands and shout for joy
Singing, "Great is the King
Hallelujah, He's done great things"