From David's Line

Haiku for a shepherd

The shepherds have failed,

the sheep are destroyed, scattered

and driven away.

Leaders stand accused,

they are evil, not taking

care of God’s people.

God will shepherd them,

gathering the remnant flock

from among the lands.

God’s sheep will return

to the safety of their fold;

no longer fearful.

The days are coming.

From David’s line shall be raised

a righteous ruler.

He shall reign as king

with wisdom, justice and truth.

And we shall be blessed.

Judah will be saved

Israel will live in safety;

Righteousness will reign.

We yearn for the day

when justice, hope, and peace reign;

Come, Lord Jesus, come!

© Ken Rookes 2022

The son of the Most High God

The son of the Most High God

sits upon an elusive throne;

his reign resembles more joke than substance.

The house of Jacob appears to have forgotten him;

if they ever recognised his reign

in the first place.

There are any number of seats of power

upon which he might have been installed

by his eager acolytes:

Washington, Rome, Beijing, Brussels,

Canberra; (sorry, I couldn’t help myself!)

– but he seemed uninterested.

It would have proven a futile effort anyway;

he failed to sell himself, didn’t seem

to grasp the basic requirements

of the job. If you expect to rule

then you need the right power-base,

and the best he could do

was point to an incongruous crew,

the members of which didn’t seem

to have made any real advances

with the passing of two millennia.

He spoke in riddles about his ancestor, David,

and a throne that would endure.

When we pressed for some details

he gave an idiot grin

and muttered something about the weak,

forgotten and desperate ones;

those who sail in fragile wooden boats,

who camp sadly behind barbed wire,

who dwell in shabby boarding houses,

or caravan parks, and who occupy

public squares and plazas.

As if these counted for anything

when it comes to the serious matter

of might and thrones and power;

and kingdoms that are said to have no end.

© 2011 Ken Rookes.