The Great General Series - Part 1
Word was sent to King Edward of England appealing to him to arbitrate in the matter. Edward thus called a meeting of both Scotch and English nobles, wherein he named himself Lord Paramount of Scotland.
It was a title to which he had no right but he challenged the nobles to refute it. Though evidence against the claim was brought it was soon discarded and the nobles resisted him no further. Many of the Scottish families of nobility had intermarried with the English, for peace had long stood between the countries, and these, holding properties and titles in both countries, feared to incite Edward. Thus he was permitted to judge the contender's claims.
The Lord Paramount was advised that one of the possible successors, John Baliol, if appointed the new King of the Scots would be submissive to him. John Baliol was therefore given the throne.
Not long after, Baliol was ordered to prepare a Scottish contingency to fight under Edward in his campaign against France. In the eyes of King Edward, Scotland had become a mere vassalage of England. Its king nothing more than a puppet in his hand.
The Scottish nobles gathered and the people prepared to withstand the Lord Paramount. But Edward, entering Scotland with his armies took the city of Berwick by surprise and massacred all the inhabitants of the place regardless of age or sex. Their courage thus undermined, and the nobles remembering all that they stood to loose personally, the Scot's leaders resigned the war after a single battle. Thus, the people of Scotland found themselves abandoned by their leaders and left to mourn the dead of the Battle of Dunbar as lives lost in vain.
The country that had long been free was subjected to the rule of the English by betrayal rather than conquest.
It was onto such a stage that Sir William Wallace stepped.
Scotland's Knight
His father and elder brother had been executed by an English regiment for refusing to acknowledge Edward's lordship over Scotland and Sir William himself was likewise opposed to the tyranny. Thus, the simple knight began his resistance with his single sword.
He soon made himself an outlaw. His home, Ellerslie, was burned to the ground and his young wife, Marion Braidfute, was put to death by the Governor of Lanark for aiding in his escape. In this fatal blow, Wallace lost all that the Scottish nobles had feared would be asked of them.
In avenging his wife, Wallace and a small band of men took the city of Lanark, routing its garrison, and thus struck the first significant blow to Scotland's chains.
Before long, hundreds of Scots rallied under his banner, ready to fight at his command. So did the Scottish Wars of Independence begin with a leader whose valiance stirred the people into resistance.
“The exclamation which burst like inspiration from the lips of the bishop struck to every heart. “Long live our William the Lion! Our Scottish King!” Was echoed with transport by every follower on the ground, and the lords themselves joined in the glorious cry. Galloping up from the front of their ranks they threw themselves from their steeds, and before Wallace could recover from the surprise into which this unexpected salutation had thrown him, Lord Bothwell and Lord Loch-awe, followed by the rest, had bent their knees and acknowledged him to be their sovereign. The Bishop of Dunkeld, at the same moment drawing from his breast a silver dove of sacred oil, poured it upon the unbonneted head of Wallace.
“Thus, O King,” cried he, “do I consecrate on earth what has already received the unction of Heaven.” Wallace at this action was awestruck and looking on the bishop,
“Holy Father,” said he, “this unction may have prepared my brow for a crown; but it is not of this world, and Divine mercy must bestow it. Rise lords!” As he spoke he flung himself off his horse, and, taking Lord Bothwell by the hand, as the eldest of the band, “kneel not to me,” cried he. “I cannot assume the sceptre you would bestow, for He who rules us all has yet preserved you a lawful monarch. Bruce lives. And were he extinct the blood royal flows in too many noble veins in Scotland for me to usurp its rights.”
“The rights of the crown lie with the only man in Scotland who knows how to defend them. Baliol has abdicated our throne; the Bruce desert it; all our nobles slept till you awoke; and shall we bow to men who may follow, but will not lead! No, bravest Wallace, for the moment you drew the first sword for Scotland you made yourself her lawful king.” Wallace turned to the veteran Lord of Loch-awe, who uttered these words with a blunt determination that meant to say, the election which had passed should not be recalled.
“I made myself her champion, to fight for her freedom, not my own aggrandizement." ” – Jane Porter, The Scottish Chiefs
Unwilling to Accept a Crown
The people of Scotland pleaded with Wallace to take its throne on more than one occasion but he persistently refused it. Convinced that it was not his role to assume and that doing so would only prove to injure the cause in which he fought.
Those who by blood had claim to it had fought fiercely to win such a right, the King of England had tried to seize it by trickery and threats, but Wallace would not accept it. The responsibilities of the position he had already assumed but he denied himself the power, honour, and pleasures that were generally the benefits of such authority.
It was a humble and patriotic deed for he had proved himself to be more worthy of the throne than any who by blood might have claimed it. However, it was not for those reasons alone that Wallace denied himself the crown.
Wallace had begun the battle with the English in order to free the people, a cause that proved greater than any personal gain. He refused to be distracted by selfish ambition from the goal he had set out to accomplish.
It was a resolution that called for the greatest degree of humility to maintain.
The Humblest of Kings
Long before Scotland found herself in chains or Wallace stood to fight for freedom, another general employed the same tool to rescue his people.
The history of Scotland and its champion is a mere foreshadow of the greater tale of another people. Who found themselves in turmoil because of men's selfish ambitions and, like the Scots, accepted the council of one who was their enemy.
He appointed for them a king, but the throne was never his to rule. So were we subjected to the reign of sin and thus lost all the freedom we had once called our own.
Unwilling to Accept a Crown
The people of Scotland pleaded with Wallace to take its throne on more than one occasion but he persistently refused it. Convinced that it was not his role to assume and that doing so would only prove to injure the cause in which he fought.
Those who by blood had claim to it had fought fiercely to win such a right, the King of England had tried to seize it by trickery and threats, but Wallace would not accept it. The responsibilities of the position he had already assumed but he denied himself the power, honour, and pleasures that were generally the benefits of such authority.
It was a humble and patriotic deed for he had proved himself to be more worthy of the throne than any who by blood might have claimed it. However, it was not for those reasons alone that Wallace denied himself the crown.
Wallace had begun the battle with the English in order to free the people, a cause that proved greater than any personal gain. He refused to be distracted by selfish ambition from the goal he had set out to accomplish.
It was a resolution that called for the greatest degree of humility to maintain.
The Humblest of Kings
Long before Scotland found herself in chains or Wallace stood to fight for freedom, another general employed the same tool to rescue his people.
The history of Scotland and its champion is a mere foreshadow of the greater tale of another people. Who found themselves in turmoil because of men's selfish ambitions and, like the Scots, accepted the council of one who was their enemy.
He appointed for them a king, but the throne was never his to rule. So were we subjected to the reign of sin and thus lost all the freedom we had once called our own.
In order to save us, Jesus made Himself of no reputation. The Son of God denied Himself the power, honour, and glories that were His to claim and for our sake adopted instead the position from which He could best secure our freedom.
"He, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men." (Philippians ii.6)
Jesus suffered Himself to be scorned and accused of blasphemy whenever He said that He was God. He came and took on the body of a man. He suffered hunger, ridicule, and persecution all the whilst He was preforming the very work that is most worthy of praise.
The Scots didn't understand why Wallace would accept lowliness when he could have taken the highest title and neither did the Jews understand why their Messiah didn't come in all the glory and triumph they had expected.
But Wallace fought under the simple title of Warden of Scotland because he cared more about setting the people free than seeking his due. Likewise, our Saviour forgot Himself, set aside all that was His right, and fought from a position that required humility to fill.
His strategy - to employ humility as a means of effecting our rescue.
He made Himself our champion by fighting for our freedom rather than His own aggrandisement.
"Yes, living, dying: let me bring my strength, my solace from this spring, that He who lives to be my King once died to be my Saviour." - Aaron Shust, My Saviour, My God
In Christ
Quiana
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