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This is but one of the meanings of the spiritual sovereignty which We have set forth in accordance with the capacity and receptiveness of the people. For He, the Mover of all beings, that glorified Countenance, is the source of such potencies as neither this wronged One can reveal, nor this unworthy people comprehend. Immensely exalted is He above men’s praise of His sovereignty; glorified is He beyond that which they attribute unto Him!

The first question we have is "What is one of the meanings?" Well, if we look back at the previous paragraph, He has said that the sovereignty alluded to here is the power of the Word of God. This is so much more powerful than any earthly sovereignty, which is what the uncle of the Bab was wondering about.

The next point that catches our attention is the fact that this is only "one of the meanings". We are reminded of Part 1, in which Baha'u'llah spent so much time discussing the myriad meanings in Matthew 24. Obviously, He could do the same here. He can give us meaning upon meaning, writing many volumes all on the meaning and interpretation of this single word, sovereignty.

But that leads us to the next point: He is only going as far as is "in accordance with the capacity and receptiveness of the people". This reminds us very much of what He just said in paragraph 114, that the sacred Word "revealeth itself to the world in direct proportion to its capacity and spiritual receptiveness". That is, it is only revealed as much as we are able to bear it. This also brings us back to Jesus, in John 16:12, "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now."

Perhaps that is part of the joys of trying to study the infinite: you can never get it all. No matter how much we praise Him, no matter how exalted we think He is, we are guaranteed to fall short.

By the way, it is also interesting to note that this concept of sovereignty is alluded to in the very beginning of the book, in the introductory invocation: "In the Name of our Lord, the Exalted, the Most High". The very title, "Lord", is an allusion to that absolute sovereignty, while even the attributes of exalted and most high are doomed to fall short of His true exaltation and... high-ness? Sure. We'll go with that.

Given that any attempt at a description is destined to fall short, that He is so far beyond anything that we can attribute to Him, how can we even begin to approach any study of Him? If we look back at the very beginning of the book, we will see that a posture of humility is key. We must be detached from anything we know, not forget it, but not be so attached that we are not willing to hear a new perspective. With this stance, we allow ourselves to be open to this new perspective given to us by the Manifestation.

And you know what? It also works in our daily life. As soon as we close ourselves off to a new perspective, we are no longer able to learn. When we no longer are learning, we are moving backwards, for nothing in the world remains in stasis. So this concept of detachment, so pivotal in Part 1, really does come into play here, too.

* * * * *

As we look at this paragraph again, another point comes to mind.

We imagine a town in which the messenger of the King arrives. He proclaims the new message from the King, and reads out the new law that is to take effect. Although the law takes effect immediately, it still takes time for it to spread throughout the town. It takes even longer for it to be understood, and for the people to act upon it. Even though the law is there, there is a mercy from the just sovereign for the first little while, allowing the people to become used to this new law. They will likely have their guards issue warnings for the first little while, and work towards educating the people to this new law. But over time, it will become a routine part of their life.

Similarly, the Messenger of God arrives and proclaims the new Law to the people. In the epochal history with which we are dealing, it likely takes a few hundred years for this gradual effect, the education of the people, to become apparent. But in the end, the new law will become infused within the life of the community.

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To resume: Our purpose in setting forth these truths hath been to demonstrate the sovereignty of Him Who is the King of kings. Be fair: Is this sovereignty which, through the utterance of one Word, hath manifested such pervading influence, ascendancy, and awful majesty, is this sovereignty superior, or is the worldly dominion of these kings of the earth who, despite their solicitude for their subjects and their help of the poor, are assured only of an outward and fleeting allegiance, while in the hearts of men they inspire neither affection nor respect? Hath not that sovereignty, through the potency of one word, subdued, quickened, and revitalized the whole world? What! Can the lowly dust compare with Him Who is the Lord of Lords? What tongue dare utter the immensity of difference that lieth between them? Nay, all comparison falleth short in attaining the hallowed sanctuary of His sovereignty. Were man to reflect, he would surely perceive that even the servant of His threshold ruleth over all created things! This hath already been witnessed, and will in future be made manifest.

"To resume". Our hearts leap when we read this phrase. Baha'u'llah, through His grace and bounty, is helping us grasp His outline here. He is reminding us of where this is all leading. And this is really wonderful, for by this point we had actually forgotten. It is so good that He reminds us.

So, why did He write all that He had written in these past couple dozen paragraphs? It has been to to demonstrate Bab's sovereignty.

As we mentioned earlier, the overarching theme of this entire half of the book is summed up in the word "sovereignty", as far as we can tell. He first mentions it here in paragraph 102, that first paragraph of Part 2 - He holds, for all time, "undisputed sovereignty over all that is in heaven and on earth, though no man be found on earth to obey Him." He brings it up again in 109 and 110 as one of many attributes the Manifestation of God has. In 113, He looks at the question asked by the uncle about why this sovereignty has not been made manifest in the Bab. Baha'u'llah then proceeds to explain that it was manifest similarly as it was in Muhammad. If we examine the Qur'an we can clearly see that this sovereignty was not manifest outwardly in His life, but is very evident today. If we understand how it was manifested during Muhammad's time, we can see that the same sovereignty is expressed today in the Bab. And this, in short, brings us up to where we are right now.

Here, though, He refocuses the question. The uncle was clearly asking about the earthly sovereignty of kings and rulers, and wondering why the Bab did not demonstrate this. Baha'u'llah reminds him of the true nature of Muhammad's sovereignty, which he clearly recognizes, and asks which is superior. Is the earthly sovereignty superior to the spiritual? Of course not. The spiritual is always more important than the material.

Interestingly enough in this particular paragraph He uses phrases like "King of kings" and "Lord of lords". Why? Why does He use them here? The uncle, like most of us, naturally thinks of the king when he thinks of a sovereign, and has naturally placed the Bab at that level. Why, he is wondering, is the Bab not ruling like a king? Baha'u'llah is reminding us of these phrases, which we are all familiar with, even outside of Handel's Messiah, and that the king of a country, no matter how lofty that throne may be, is only at one level. The Manifestation of God is at a much higher level of sovereignty.

This awareness of the many levels of sovereignty make us think of others, too, such as the throne of our heart, and being sovereign in our own life. It reminds us that even at the level of our own actions, we have to continually remember that the spiritual is always more important than the physical. In other words, we have to act with integrity and truthfulness, trustworthiness and compassion, and not sacrifice these qualities to, say, get a promotion at work.

Another aspect of this paragraph is His graciousness towards the rulers mentioned here. He presumes that they are showing "solicitude for their subjects" and providing "help of the poor". Here He is reminding them of what it is they should be doing. It is as if He is saying "Well, of course they're doing this", and hoping that they arise to do it. But, He also reminds them that this does not inspire "affection or respect". In the political realm, any allegiance is likely only fleeting and outward, not deep and sincere. This should not stop them from doing what is right and just. It should not affect the bounties that they pour out upon their subjects. It's a beautiful reminder, and we can learn from this. Not only should we always do what is right and just, but we should presume the best of others, too, in the hope that they will arise to that station.

Finally, one last point that caught our attention. "Reflect", He says. Over and over this word, or a synonym, comes up, and it usually arises when there is an important point to consider. Here, He is telling us to specifically reflect on "the servant of His threshold", and his station. Well, as soon as we see this phrase, we are immediately put in mind of 'Abdu'l-Baha. Now, if we reflect on the Master, and consider what signs He had already shown in His life when Baha'u'llah was writing this, we can clearly see that He was already showing great signs. It has "already been witnessed". The stories of His childhood abound and show the greatness to which He would rise. Baha'u'llah also mentions that this station "will in future be made manifest". And that, dear Reader, sure feels prophetic.