Fruitful Living
Kingdom of God (Part 1)
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:33)
INTRODUCTION
The concept of the Kingdom of God, also known as the Kingdom of Heaven, is a central theme in Christianity. It refers to the reign or rule of God over all creation, both in the present and in the future. The Kingdom of God is not limited to a specific physical location or realm, but rather encompasses the spiritual and moral realms where God’s will is acknowledged and followed.
OLD TESTAMENT
God rules sovereignly over all His works as King. He desires His rule to be acknowledged in a bond or relationship of love, loyalty, spirit, and trust. Not surprisingly, then, one of the central themes of the Old Testament is kingdom through covenant.
This theme is revealed on the first page of Scripture, when God creates man in His own image. According to the grammar of the original text, ruling over the creatures in verse 26b is a result of creating man in the divine image. Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals.”
The fact that mankind is male and female prepares us for the command to be fruitful, and the fact that mankind is the divine image prepares us for the command to rule over the creatures.
The fact that mankind is male and female in and of itself has nothing to do with the divine image. Instead, we should understand the divine image according to the background of the ancient Near East, where the setting up of the king’s statue was the equivalent of the proclamation of his dominion over the area in which the statue was erected. Accordingly, man is set in the midst of creation as God’s statue. He is evidence that God is the Lord of creation. Man exerts his rule not in arbitrary despotism but as a responsible agent, as God’s steward. His rule and His duty to rule are not autonomous; they are copies. Hence, the concept of the kingdom of God is found on the first page of the Bible. Adam begins to rule the world under God by naming everything created on the earth, just as God ruled by naming everything created in the heavens.
Careful attention must be paid to the language of the promises given to Abraham in Genesis 12 that are later incorporated into the covenant made in Genesis 15. The first promise that God gives to Abram is that He will make him a great nation. The last promise is that in Abram, all the clans or families of the earth will be blessed. God speaks of Abram as becoming a great nation through three considerations:
1. The term “nation” emphasises a people as a political entity defined by cultural, ethnic, geographical, or social factors.
2. In 12:3, the nations of the world are not called “nations” but rather “clans” or “families”. The term family emphasises a people with no real political structure and in which no system of final governmental headship or rule operates.
3. The background to Genesis 12 is chapter 11. There we have the history of Babel, where we see complete confidence and naive optimism about human achievement and effort. Man is at the centre of his world, and he can achieve anything. This philosophy comes under divine judgement. By contrast, Genesis 12 presents us with a political structure brought into being by God, with God at the centre and God as the governmental head and ruler of that system.
In other words, we have the kingdom of God brought into being by the promises to and covenant with Abraham.
When Abram’s family does become a nation, God initiates with them the Sinai covenant or law of Moses as a means for the people to be rightly related to God, to each other as God’s true humanity, and to the creation as His stewards. Therefore, the covenant is the means for establishing His Kingdom. The book of Judges proves that although each person did what was right in his own eyes, nonetheless, the Lord ruled over His people as King. Later, God rose up a king after His own heart and made a special covenant with David. The Davidic Covenant was God’s king seeking to bring the people of God, and indeed all the nations, under this rule made explicit in the covenant. Thus, the king was the mediator of the covenant and the means of extending God’s rule.
When the people failed to abide by the covenant, the prophets and the wise men were sent by God to call the people back to the covenant, the terms of God’s rule. Zephaniah, for example, based his warnings on the covenant as found in Deuteronomy.
Zephaniah 1:2: “I will sweep away everything from the face of the earth,” says the Lord, and Deuteronomy 32:22: My anger blazes forth like fire and burns to the depths of the grave. It devours the earth and all its crops, and it ignites the foundations of the mountains.
Moreover, the literacy structure of Zephaniah is chiastic, with chapter 2:11 as the centre of the book: “The nations on every shore will worship Him, everyone in its own land.” Zephaniah’s theology, then, can be summed up by the theme, kingdom through covenant.
Although the prophets sought to bring the people back to the covenant, the Sinai Covenant (the law of Moses) failed to achieve the goal of establishing God’s kingdom because it did not and, in fact, could not guarantee the obedience of the people of God. Hence, the prophets begin to speak of a new covenant in which God’s rule is guaranteed by an obedient people. As the failure of the Davidic line of kings became evident in history, the hope for a future king came more and more to the fore, along with the promise of a new creation—new humanity in a new heaven and a new earth.
The Old Testament ends (in the Hebrew Canon) with Chronicles, a book that focuses on good kings as the ideal of the future Messiah, in whom Yahweh will be truly Lord over His people and over all His creation. So the last words of the Old Testament call for a temple builder from among the people to make this hope a reality—likely the Messiah Himself.
“This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: “The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has appointed me to build him a Temple in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Any of you who are his people may go there for this task. And may the Lord your God be with you!” (2 Chronicles 36:23)
STAY BLESSED!
By Dr. Joyce Aryee, the author
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1. Introduction
Bismillāhi-r-Raḥmāni-r-Raḥīm.
All the praises and thanks be to Allah, we ask for His countless blessings upon the Holy Prophet Mohammed s.a.w., his household, companions and those who follow the cause till the last day.
Our topic today — “Building responsible men for tomorrow” — could not be more relevant.
Across the world and in our dear Ghana, we are witnessing a crisis of masculinity: moral decay, social irresponsibility, and a growing disconnect between manhood and accountability. The Holy Qur’an reminds us that; “Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves.”(Qur’an 13:11)
Responsibility, therefore, begins not in the parliament, not in the mosque, but within the self — in the heart and the mind of each man who decides to live by principle and faith.
2. Understanding the theme let us unpack the theme itself: “Building responsible men for tomorrow.”
To build means to construct, to shape, or to strengthen. It suggests a deliberate, continuous process— one that requires foundation, materials, and commitment. In this context, we are not building structures, but characters — men whose lives reflect honesty, service, and leadership.
The word “responsible” comes from the root respondere, meaning “to answer.” Yes, the word “responsible” comes from the Latin root respondere, which means “to answer” or” to respond,” and is made up of re- (“back,” “again”) and spondēre (“to pledge”). This original sense highlights the idea of being “answerable for” or “obligated” to something, retaining the core meaning of a pledge or promise to answer for an action or duty.
• Origin: The Latin verb respondere combines re- (“back” or “again”) with spondēre (“to pledge”).
• Meaning: The combined meaning is “to answer” or “to promise in return”.
• Etymology: This root shows that to be “responsible” is to be able to “answer for” something, retaining the sense of being accountable for a promise or obligation.
In the moral and spiritual contexts, it is to be responsible or answerable to Allah, to family, to society, and to one’s own conscience. It is the ability to make choices and accept their consequences with integrity.
The word “men” here transcends biology. It refers to leaders, fathers, sons, and brothers individuals who must embody purpose and discipline. As Dr Myles Munroe (2002) wisely wrote in. The Principles and Power of Vision, “The greatest tragedy in life is not death, but a life without purpose.” Responsible men live with purpose — guided by principles larger than themselves.
Finally, “tomorrow” symbolises the future — the Ghana, the Ummah, and the world we hope to leave for our children. Every action today shapes that tomorrow.
3. Education and career development: The foundation of responsibility
Education is the foundation of all meaningful progress the seed from which responsible individuals and sustainable societies grow. The Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم emphasised, “Seeking knowledge is an obligation upon every Muslim” (Ibn Mājah, Hadith 224). This timeless principle underlines that education is not merely a privilege but a duty — a lifelong pursuit that nurtures both the intellect and the soul.
True education extends beyond classrooms and certificates. It encompasses life skills, emotional intelligence, spiritual intelligence, and ethical leadership — the four pillars that shape responsible manhood in the modern world.
In the Ghanaian context, life skills refer to practical abilities such as problem-solving, decision- making, financial literacy, communication, and adaptability. A responsible man should know how to balance work and family, manage limited resources, and engage constructively in his community.
“For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” – Isaiah 9:6 (NIV)
Great expectations
Imagine that a message has come about the visit of a great king. This king who is coming to visit your city is of impeccable pedigree – a line of ancestors known for their great leadership qualities. This expected king has a reputation for fairness, justice, kindness, wisdom and generosity. All over town people’s expectations are high. The people know that the king will not just visit and go along His way without leaving them something that will make their lives better so each person in the village has made their own list of things that they will either directly or indirectly ask from the king. The issue of not receiving what is asked for is totally out of the question. The awaited king is not like that. He not only keeps His word. He is one who is compassionate and listens to His people and so wherever He goes He leaves a train of fulfilled dreams and hopes.
The Great King
In Isaiah 9:1-7, we read of the famous prophecy at the coronation of either Hezekiah or Josiah as King of Judah “Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honour Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan. The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as men rejoice when dividing the plunder. For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor. Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire. For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over His kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.” The prophecy speaks of the close of the chapter of doom, gloom and melancholy. In verses 2 & 3, Isaiah draws a contrast between the darkness of despair and the joyous salvation which will be ushered in by the coming king, who will be the long awaited Saviour. This passage in Isaiah is quoted extensively at Christmas time because it is the prophecy concerning the coming of the King of Kings and Saviour of the world – the Lord Jesus Christ.
Later Isaiah gives us names which are descriptive of the nature, character and power of this coming King. These names have a very special meaning to us because we know that Jesus has fulfilled every aspect of the prophecy.
By Rev. Dr Joyce Aryee
