Guidelines for a King

Deuteronomy 17: 14-20

¹⁴ “You are about to enter the land the Lord your God is giving you. When you take it over and settle there, you may think, ‘We should select a king to rule over us like the other nations around us.’ ¹⁵ If this happens, be sure to select as king the man the Lord your God chooses. You must appoint a fellow Israelite; he may not be a foreigner.

¹⁶ “The king must not build up a large stable of horses for himself or send his people to Egypt to buy horses, for the Lord has told you, ‘You must never return to Egypt.’ ¹⁷ The king must not take many wives for himself, because they will turn his heart away from the Lord. And he must not accumulate large amounts of wealth in silver and gold for himself.

¹⁸ “When he sits on the throne as king, he must copy for himself this body of instruction on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. ¹⁹ He must always keep that copy with him and read it daily as long as he lives. That way he will learn to fear the Lord his God by obeying all the terms of these instructions and decrees. ²⁰ This regular reading will prevent him from becoming proud and acting as if he is above his fellow citizens. It will also prevent him from turning away from these commands in the smallest way. And it will ensure that he and his descendants will reign for many generations in Israel.

Searching for a CEO or president of a company usually comes with lots of interviews by a few selected people. These internal people are trying to determine if this candidate will align with the company’s why, what, and how. Pick the wrong one and your company could go down the tubes; select the right one and you could be off to a billion-dollar showcase someday. History has always been the judge, jury, and executioner for these selected ones. For Israel, we find the Lord laying out the qualifications for the “right” king long before the first king ever graced the crown.

Here we find the exact description of a king that God would be OK with in Israel long before Saul. Below is an outline of the qualifications God lays out.

1. When the Israelites have taken control of a land the Lord your God has given you and have settled in and say, “Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us.”
2. He must be one the Lord God chooses.
3. He must be an Israelite, not a foreigner.
4. He must not acquire a great number of horses for himself.
5. He must not send people to Egypt for more horses because the Lord says that you must not go back that way again.
6. He must not have many wives, or his heart will be led astray.
7. He must not acquire large amounts of silver or gold.
8. He is to write for himself a copy of the law from the Levitical priests.
9. He must read it daily to follow it carefully.
10. He must not consider himself greater than his fellow Israelites.

This does not sound like most of the leaders we have today, unfortunately. I am sure we have a whole host of good leaders in our world today, but they largely go unheard of doing great things for people. We seem to always hear about the newsworthy ones who are pretty much obtuse to the list above.

Today, like it or not, you are the best Christian leader someone knows. For them, you define their first taste of what Christ offers because you are His ambassador wherever you walk today. You don’t have to go around with a smile saying, “Jesus loves you” all day. No, the Bible says they will know you by your love and the fruit of your life, not your constant verbiage about Christianity.

Jesus had no Instagram or Snapchat to spread His word; He only had twelve guys who mostly just followed Him like some groupies for three years. Your lifestyle shows people what is in your heart. Jesus says, “When you lift me up, I will draw all men unto me.” Being an effective leader starts with serving and ends with grace. Today, let Christ in your heart be seen by spreading smiles and grace, and let the Holy Spirit direct you in your leadership. You should read the list above and put your name in it; make it personal. See how many of the qualifications fit you and your leadership.

Prayer: Father, we always need good leaders. Good bosses, good leaders, and good politicians, to name a few. I pray that those of us who are in leadership positions will strive to match your list in the verses above. I also pray for godly leaders who will not compromise on the values and lifestyle you lay out for leaders in your Word. In Jesus’ name, amen.