Kings detest wrongdoing, for a throne is established through righteousness. (Proverbs 16:12, NIV)
About the time of the last presidential election in the United States, singer Jon Troast released a thoughtful song on his album With, To, From. That song was titled “I Want to Be the President.” Its overall conclusion was that we all need to be the president of our own lives, living up to the ideals that we say we want in those who would lead us. But it’s from the opening lines that we are captured by the song:
I don’t know who I should vote for
’Cause I’ve only seen them talking on TV
But I’ve never met their mother
Never had the chance to tell them what I think
Troast was right. It is some trick to choose a candidate you don’t really know. And because these potential leaders try very hard to show us only what they want us to see, we don’t really know any of them. We can only sort through what we’re given and make our best attempt as voters to choose the candidate who most closely aligns to what we want in a leader. Which begs the question…
What should we be looking for in a leader? Policies certainly matter, but if you read Solomon’s words in the Proverbs, you can’t help but be reminded of the paramount importance of character. If a leader’s position (and legacy) are to last, they must do so on the basis of righteous character. In fact, in the absolute sense of Solomon’s proverb, we might suggest that a leader who does not despise wrongdoing is no king at all.
We might also do well to consider the nature of kings and kingdoms as opposed to presidents and other democratically elected leaders. Though we often have grandiose mental pictures of kings these days, ancient kings generally ruled rather small kingdoms, in some ways close to today’s mayors in their jurisdiction, though put in place by birthright or by victory as opposed to election. In fact, those who run companies these days function more like the kings of old than presidents do.
Are you one of these modern-day “kings”? Do you have a place of leadership where those “under your rule” can’t vote you out in the next election? If so, as a man or woman of God, you are called to “establish your throne” not by profit or policy first but by righteousness. Of yes, your desire to run your business or organization or home in the spirit of Jesus will inform your decisions about profit and policy—but where you start is with righteousness; where you start is by giving the Righteous One, Jesus, full kingly authority over you. From there, all your operations will honor him, and he will in turn honor you.
—
Jeff Hopper
February 27, 2012
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The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday through Friday at www.linksplayers.com.