Deut. 17:14-20
14. When thou art come unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, I will set a king over me, like as all the nations that are about me;
15. Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the LORD thy God shall choose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother.
16. But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.
17. Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.
18. And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites:
19. And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them:
20. That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel. (KJV)
In this passage, as well as in others that could be cited, the Lord set forth those principles upon which He insisted for the guidance of Israel's national leaders. It is easy to see that His primary concern was that the king keep God's Word at the forefront of his thoughts and actions. The government of Israel was first in the form of a theocracy, in ., which God was their ruler. When the people rebelled against God's rule, they demanded a king to be like -their neighbors. Even in the monarchy there was God's plan for the kings to be the kind of men approved by Him. It is clear that the Lord intended for the leader to set an example for the rest of the nation to follow.
Would a drunkard, an adulterer, a thief, an embezzler, or a liar have pleased God as king? These verses make clear the answer to this question. Without declaring any leader on any level to be guilty or innocent of any matter, we do stress that at all levels of government we need moral leaders. The moral fiber of the people is influenced by the kind of leaders in that nation or other political subdivision. It was said of various kings in Israel or Judah that they caused the people to sin. It is also true that nations deserve what they get in their leaders, because of the people's own failure to insist on morality in leaders on all levels. When the people tolerate graft, corruption, immorality, and ungodliness in their current or future leaders, they will continue to receive that very king. On the other hand, when they demand their leaders be exemplary men in character, they will receive the kind of leadership that pleases God and blesses that people. It will be ever true that righteousness exalts a nation while sin reproaches it. (Prov. 14:34).
What are the roots of the kind of problems we see plaguing our country, affecting both leaders and citizenry? What has, caused people to view lying and immorality so lightly? Why would a majority of people not even see such matters as cause for alarm and demand that leaders conform their lives to a higher standard? The amoral society that has developed in this country is no accident. It is the result of, some myths that destroy both nations and souls:
1. Life began by blind chance. No God was involved; in fact, there is no God.
2. We can have morality without God and religion.
3. Whatever is legal is moral. The sanction of law has become almost equivalent to morality in the minds of most. If truth be known, as the moral underpinnings of the society be completely destroyed, the sanction of law also will eventually vanish as establishing curbs and bounds. Every person will do as he pleases to do.
4. Morality cannot be legislated. The clear intent here is to keep Biblical morality out of consideration. When government does not stand for right and morality, immorality rules and that nation falls.
5. The role of men and women is interchangeable.
6. A fetus is not human.
These myths, discussed in The Rebirth of America, are cutting the very soul out of the country because they are now believed by so many. Secular humanists and religious modernists are responsible for such widespread unbelief in God and the Bible. What are you going to do?
The major problem in the time of the judges of Israel was that each person did what was right in his own eyes (Judg. 21:25). The verse adds that there was no king in Israel then. Not even God was their king, for they had "dethroned" Him and at the same time "enthroned" themselves. Is this true of you and of me? Not only do we destroy our own hopes of eternal life by doing so, but we also further doom our nation spiritually. May we think, act, and pray about these matters.
B.G.