The True King Rules Like Morning Sun, Not Lightning

David's closing words contrast two sovereignties: the despotic ruler and the just king. Surrounded by giant empires wielding brute force—Pharaoh and his kind—David had learned through both experience and divine inspiration that true monarchy operates on different principles entirely. The distinction Maclaren draws is visceral: the oppressor acts "as the lightning which blasts and scorches," destroying indiscriminately. Such sovereignty consumes.…