Chooses

“you shall surely set a king over you whom the Lord your God chooses”  Deuteronomy 17:15

Chooses – In less than two months, you will vote for the candidate of your choice.  It is interesting that God had something to say about who would sit in authority over His people as far back as the time of Moses.  The characteristics He mentions are worth noting because they give us some guidelines as to what God thinks is important.  After all, the Hebrew word here is bachar.  Except for a very few instances, it always means a careful examination and choice based on eternal relevance.  God does not choose lightly.  He does not choose for the short-term.  He is interested in what matters forever.  So, be careful, He says.  Do a rigorous examination before you select.

Here are the things God’s says must be the measure of the “king”.  A countryman, not a foreigner.  A man who does not multiply strength for himself.  A man who does not cause the people to return to the strength of others.  A man who is not out for pleasure (does not increase his wives, says the text).  A man who does not seek to increase his personal fortune.  A man who meditates on God’s Word all the days of his life.  A man who carefully observes God’s law.  A man who does not think of himself as greater than his people.  A man who is not swayed to the right or left when it comes to justice. 

When you have examined a candidate on these criteria, you are aligning yourself with what God considers leadership material.  But don’t be fooled.  Even though you vote, God does the choosing.  And God always selects on the basis of a man’s heart toward Him.  Think about David.  As it happened, David started well.  But David let his power and prestige come between himself and God.  He fell – hard.  God had to restore Him to a place of abject humility.  A king is no good to God and to anyone else if he thinks of himself as the king.  The role of a king under God is to be the voice of God’s values and the servant of all.