A church member asked “Is there some Biblical qualifications in choosing a leader?” Yes, there are a lot of qualifications that God has put forward. There are qualifications for prophets, priests and other leaders.
But there is also a qualification that God has set forth for Kings. This can be found in Deuteronomy 17:14 to 20. God knew that the Israelites will soon choose a king to lead them. This is why God told Moses to write down His expectations of what a king should be.
The qualifications that we can find in these verses can help us in choosing the next leaders of our country especially as we vote in the upcoming Barangay elections on October 30.
First, an ideal leader is someone who does not acquire great riches for his or her own self alone.
Verse 16a says, “The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself…” Verse 17b also adds, “He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.”
Israel had corrupt kings later on. And because they were corrupt, God punished, not just the king, but the whole Israel as well because they have chosen the wrong king.
So, choose a leader who has a no track record of being corrupt.
Second, an ideal leader is someone who will not lead you to a dark past.
Verse 16b says, “… or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the LORD has told you, You are not to go back that way again.”
What happened in Egypt was enslavement and a dehumanizing situation. God freed them from the tyranny of Pharaoh.
So, choose a leader who espouses freedom, and can lead us to a better life.
Third, an ideal leader is not immoral.
Verse 17 says, “He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray.”
King Solomon was an example of a leader who got many wives and it led him astray. The result later was a divided kingdom.
So, let us choose leaders who are not sexually immoral.
Fourth, an ideal leader is someone who reads the Word of God and applies it.
Verses 18-19 say, “When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests. It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees.”
There were kings of Israel later on who did not listen to God’s word. The result was catastrophic. It led to their diaspora.
So, let us choose leaders who are faithful in reading and doing the Word of God. | NWI
