When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, “Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,” be sure to appoint over you the king the LORD your God chooses. He must be from among your own brothers. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not a brother Israelite.” Deuteronomy 17:15-15 (Chapters 17-23)
God created Israel to be Theocracy, not a monarchy. For four-hundred years they did live under the leadership of judges and prophets as spiritual and civil leadership, but then they demanded that Samuel find and anoint a king…… so they would have the security that other nations enjoyed.
These verses are not an endorsement for a king. Even as the nation was putting down roots, God knew the heart of man and knew Israel would wish for a king, so God warned and gave direction for their selection and asked to be consulted. God allowed this move, a complete rejection of His sole leadership, but He did not commission this act. God instructed that Israel’s king not take multiple wives, a practice among pagan nations to form alliances. He warned Israel not to return to Egypt in search of greater wealth. It takes a great deal of money to run a country and money would soon become a greater priority than faith and obedience.
King or no king, God is to be our authority. Governmental failure was the demise of God’s covenant nation, yet the faith of individuals, in the face of adversity and against all odds, was the salvation of mankind. There are great Biblical Heroes that had no government to lead them, yet they believed and followed the commands God had given hundreds of years before. Do the right thing, no matter what is going on around you!
Love you!
Gretchen