Since I was a young lad, the stories of knights, queens, and kings have fascinated me. The battles some fought were interesting, but it was always the character of the individuals in the midst of those times that caught my attention and held it captive.
While there were numerous examples not to follow, it was not as easy to define how a good king or queen ought to act. So it begs the question, what does it mean to act like a king? On the other side of the coin, what are the characteristics of a good queen? As we study some Hebrew together, I think we’ll find that the process for each is a similar journey.
In the Hebrew language, the word for king is MeLeCH (prounounced Me-Lek). The Hebrew spelling for queen is similar and requires adding a single letter, called a “hay” to the end of MeLeCh. This gives us the word MaLKaH. The purpose of the letter “hay” is to feminize the root word MeLeCH, but the two are basically identical. When we break down the three letters that build these two words we have:
· Mem, which stands for mo-ach, which means “brain”
· Lamed, which stands for Lev, or “heart”
· Kaf, which stands for Ka-ved, meaning appetites, or the piece of us that is in opposition to our heart and mind.
As we see the progression from intellect, heart, and finally appetites, an outline for kingly or queen like behavior emerges.
Before we delve into this progression, it would be helpful to see the opposite of a king or queen so that we know what not to do.
As usual, a Hebrew word spelled backward retrieves the negative connotation of that same word or concept. In our case, the word MeLeCh spelled backwards gives us Ka-LeM, which means “shame” or “embarrassment.” Any good English wordsmith will see where we derive the words calumny, or calamity from this root in the Hebrew language.
Now that we understand how a king and queen can go wrong, a picture of pure, good, and selfless character emerges that we can display and then expect from people in leadership.
A king or queen ought to be individuals who put their appetites and desires last in their priorities and reasoning. They ought to be selfless people who use their intellect to assess situations, and then give and serve out of the overflow of their hearts to the people in their care.
So, what is the path to kingship you ask? How does a young woman act like a queen? Both offices require one to submit our hearts to our minds, and our appetites to our hearts. In that order, one can find a true leader who seeks the good of people and not the betterment of themselves alone.