The other day, I was sitting in an elders' and deacons' meeting at our church. We were discussing whether to use some money for a certain outreach project. One of the guys was really in favor of it, and he knew that we he would have a majority of the votes if we had a vote and everyone voted the way they felt. However, one other guy was extremely hesitant and expressed that he did not want to do it.
After a few quick minutes of discussion, the guy leading the charge declared, "Let's have a vote then. Can we have a motion?"
I then suggested, "I motion that we operate on consensus and don't make a decision that one of us is uncomfortable with."
The fact that I would vote "no" even when I wanted to vote "yes" would have prevented it from passing. I believe another deacon would have went along with me despite also wanting it. This is the second time that I have forced the group to operate on consensus by being willing to vote opposite of what I wanted to vote. Although I have pushed for it, the group has yet to formally decide to always operate on consensus. We usually are in complete agreement and it does not matter, but then there are times like this.
This refusal to allow a vote that would alienate one of the guys spurred it into a much healthier and further discussion. The guy pushing it asked the guy against it, "So why do you not want to do this?"
A great conversation ensued about the use of God's resources, church marketing, loving the community, and outreach. This conversation would not have taken place and we would have had a divided leadership and ill feelings over just a little thing if we had not decided to operate, against the by-laws and Robert's Rules of Order, on consensus.
I think all church leadership should operate on consensus. It might prevent some things from getting done, but the church should never harm relationships for the sake of getting things done. Our job is not to get things done. Our number one task to get done, if it can be phrased as such, is to love one another and show Christ's love to the community around us.
Not operating on consensus prevents healthy dialogue. A vote that alienates always happens without people hammering out a common ground. Consensus makes conversation take place and forces us to share our fears, hopes, and reach a compromise.
Consensus is a result of reliance on prayer and the Holy Spirit. If we believe the Spirit is at work in each of us, is guiding us to the truth, and that God cares about directing the church to where he wants it to be, then we can be comfortable that he will turn all of those who are listening to him to his guidance and direction. This cannot happen if the leadership is all business and never spiritual.
There is no Bible verse that tells us how to conduct a meeting of leadership in a church. I cannot point at some passage and say, "See it there!" But what I can do is point at the principle of love. Is it really loving to alienate or divide a group? Some boards are divided and need some serious spiritual growth time together. With those types of boards, consensus seems almost impossible. However, growing together to be of one mind is a tough job in some situations but it is a worthwhile task. The church would definitely benefit.
In the end, the person that wanted to say "no" on the issue at my church turned around and said "yes." He shared his worries and we worked through them. We were in unison and consensus worked, yet again. It always has.
Showing posts with label leadership. Show all posts
Showing posts with label leadership. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Monday, September 17, 2007
A Biblical Leader
Here is the conclusion of my kingship series.
Part 1 (Principles for a King)
Part 2 (Ignoring the Principles)
Part 3 (Our Selfish Reasons for a King)
Part 4 (The Problem with a King)
I do not want to be misconstrued as teaching that there is no such thing as leadership in the church. We see in the New Testament that God appointed elders and deacons to oversee and take care of the ministries of the church, but I think what we read in the New Testament is much different than what is experienced in most churches in America today.
We see throughout the Old Testament that God desired for His people to not have an earthly king. Nothing in the New Testament overturns this, so the style of leadership that we should see in the church should not be the top-down authoritarian leadership of a king.
The style of leadership that we are to model is the style Jesus used and taught.
In Mark 9:33-35, we see a great picture of true biblical leadership: “Then they came to Capernaum; and when the was in the house he asked them, 'What were you arguing about on the way?' But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest. He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, 'Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.'”
Not only did Jesus teach servant leadership, we see this leadership modeled by Jesus throughout the Gospels. We see it most dramatically at the time when Jesus washed the disciples' feet and at the cross. Jesus did not have to get on his hands and knees to clean the dirty feet of his followers, but that is what true biblical leadership does. He did not have to hang on the cross and sacrifice his life so that others might live, but that is what true biblical leadership does. True biblical leadership is self-sacrificing and seeks the needs of others before their own.
Kingly leadership and top-down corporate leadership is about making decisions and having people below you implement those decisions. Biblical leadership is about getting your hands and knees dirty cleaning off the filth of those around you. It is about taking on as much of the burden of a brother or sister as you can to help them through a tough situation. It is about being the least in a real, literal sense.
These leadership principles do not just apply to leadership in a church. We are all leaders in some area of our life, whether it is to our family, our community, our friends, or our neighbors. We must make sure that we do not lord things over others but sacrifice ourselves for their best interests. That is what Jesus did, and that is what we are called to do. I want to leave us with these words of Jesus. If they apply to every Christian, they definitely apply to leaders.
Matthew 16:24-26
“If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?”
Part 1 (Principles for a King)
Part 2 (Ignoring the Principles)
Part 3 (Our Selfish Reasons for a King)
Part 4 (The Problem with a King)
I do not want to be misconstrued as teaching that there is no such thing as leadership in the church. We see in the New Testament that God appointed elders and deacons to oversee and take care of the ministries of the church, but I think what we read in the New Testament is much different than what is experienced in most churches in America today.
We see throughout the Old Testament that God desired for His people to not have an earthly king. Nothing in the New Testament overturns this, so the style of leadership that we should see in the church should not be the top-down authoritarian leadership of a king.
The style of leadership that we are to model is the style Jesus used and taught.
In Mark 9:33-35, we see a great picture of true biblical leadership: “Then they came to Capernaum; and when the was in the house he asked them, 'What were you arguing about on the way?' But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest. He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, 'Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.'”
Not only did Jesus teach servant leadership, we see this leadership modeled by Jesus throughout the Gospels. We see it most dramatically at the time when Jesus washed the disciples' feet and at the cross. Jesus did not have to get on his hands and knees to clean the dirty feet of his followers, but that is what true biblical leadership does. He did not have to hang on the cross and sacrifice his life so that others might live, but that is what true biblical leadership does. True biblical leadership is self-sacrificing and seeks the needs of others before their own.
Kingly leadership and top-down corporate leadership is about making decisions and having people below you implement those decisions. Biblical leadership is about getting your hands and knees dirty cleaning off the filth of those around you. It is about taking on as much of the burden of a brother or sister as you can to help them through a tough situation. It is about being the least in a real, literal sense.
These leadership principles do not just apply to leadership in a church. We are all leaders in some area of our life, whether it is to our family, our community, our friends, or our neighbors. We must make sure that we do not lord things over others but sacrifice ourselves for their best interests. That is what Jesus did, and that is what we are called to do. I want to leave us with these words of Jesus. If they apply to every Christian, they definitely apply to leaders.
Matthew 16:24-26
“If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?”
Monday, September 3, 2007
The Problem with a King
This is part 4 of my articles on kingship.
Part 1 (Principles for a King)
Part 2 (Ignoring the Principles)
Part 3 (Our Selfish Reasons for a King)
In 1 Samuel 12:11-25, God deals with some of the consequences of having a king.
Verse 14 contains the scariest scenario about setting up leaders above us: "If you will fear the Lord and serve him and obey his voice and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, and if both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord your God, it will be well."
Once we have placed leadership over us, our wellness is no longer just dependent upon our faithfulness in serving the Lord. It becomes dependent upon our leader also faithfully serving the Lord. It is only when we are faithful serving the Lord and when our leader is also faithful in serving the Lord that all will be well. When we place ourselves under formal leadership, our blessings and curses appear to be linked with those that the leadership will receive.
Asking for a king was a great wickedness for the people of Israel. Even through the people committed this great wickedness, God was still going to use them to bring about His will for His name's sake. God had chosen to link Himself to the people of Israel; other nation's image of God would be based upon the actions of His people. Despite their great wickedness, He would continue to bring about His will through them. God commanded them to not be afraid of this evil act they committed. They could correct their wrong decisions if they would continue to serve the Lord with all of their heart and not chase after empty things.
We find ourselves in a similar situation. We have made "kings" all around us. We might call them Pope, presidents, chairmen, pastors, or ministers. These people are any that we place in a position between us and Him. But we need not lose hope. Just as Samuel vowed to continue to pray for those who had made the great wicked mistake of choosing a king, we should continue to pray for ourselves and our brothers and sisters. All the while we need to focus on fearing the Lord and serving Him faithfully with all of our heart. We need no king but God.
Part 1 (Principles for a King)
Part 2 (Ignoring the Principles)
Part 3 (Our Selfish Reasons for a King)
In 1 Samuel 12:11-25, God deals with some of the consequences of having a king.
Verse 14 contains the scariest scenario about setting up leaders above us: "If you will fear the Lord and serve him and obey his voice and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, and if both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord your God, it will be well."
Once we have placed leadership over us, our wellness is no longer just dependent upon our faithfulness in serving the Lord. It becomes dependent upon our leader also faithfully serving the Lord. It is only when we are faithful serving the Lord and when our leader is also faithful in serving the Lord that all will be well. When we place ourselves under formal leadership, our blessings and curses appear to be linked with those that the leadership will receive.
Asking for a king was a great wickedness for the people of Israel. Even through the people committed this great wickedness, God was still going to use them to bring about His will for His name's sake. God had chosen to link Himself to the people of Israel; other nation's image of God would be based upon the actions of His people. Despite their great wickedness, He would continue to bring about His will through them. God commanded them to not be afraid of this evil act they committed. They could correct their wrong decisions if they would continue to serve the Lord with all of their heart and not chase after empty things.
We find ourselves in a similar situation. We have made "kings" all around us. We might call them Pope, presidents, chairmen, pastors, or ministers. These people are any that we place in a position between us and Him. But we need not lose hope. Just as Samuel vowed to continue to pray for those who had made the great wicked mistake of choosing a king, we should continue to pray for ourselves and our brothers and sisters. All the while we need to focus on fearing the Lord and serving Him faithfully with all of our heart. We need no king but God.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Our Selfish Reasons for a King
This is Part 3 of my articles on kingship.
Part 1 (Principles for a King)
Part 2 (Ignoring the Principles)
Our Selfish Reasons For A King
Israel desired a king for what appears like three reasons. The judges that followed Samuel were corrupt and they wanted someone to rule over them rightly, all the other nations had one, and they wanted someone to fight their battles.
I think those are some of the same reasons we want formal leadership in our religious organizations. We get sick of the wrong decisions being made and feel that if we appoint a leader, then right decisions will be made. We feel that we need to look like all of the other organizations in our culture that are respected. And we don't want to struggle and do things on our own. We want our leaders to make our role as Christians easier to carry.
The thing is that God is willing to do those things for us already. God is at work in our midst without formal leaders. History has shown that having formal leaders brings about just as many - maybe even more - problems than not having them brought. Our structure will not be what gains us respect by those around us; it is faithfulness to God that should do that. If our faithfulness doesn't gain respect, then respect really isn't something that we should care about attaining. When it comes to our own battles, we can be assured that God is willing to make our burden just what we can carry. He states that he will be with us to take care of that burden when it becomes too much. We can trust God to rule over us rightly, to provide the proper structure for us, and to equip us to fight our battles.
God submitted his actions to the will of his people despite that will being wrong. That is an amazing and disturbing thing about God. When His people will something, He will let them attain what they will. He seems to hope that through attaining their wrong desires people's hearts will be transformed into desiring that which God really wants for them.
The people wanted a king. God did not want the people to have any other king besides Himself. In the end, God gave the people the king they wanted. I think the same has happened with the church in America. God has given us all of the wrong things we have desired in the hope that in the end we will desire what God wants us to desire. We are to be God's people under His leadership. We need no middlemen. We need no mammoth organizations that require us to have the leadership structures necessary to run them. We need to be a collection of people fully committed to being the people of God, bringing His will into our reality, and sharing His redeeming light to everyone around us. When we are the people of God all other things will line up into proper perspective.
Part 4 will be next week.
Part 1 (Principles for a King)
Part 2 (Ignoring the Principles)
Our Selfish Reasons For A King
Israel desired a king for what appears like three reasons. The judges that followed Samuel were corrupt and they wanted someone to rule over them rightly, all the other nations had one, and they wanted someone to fight their battles.
I think those are some of the same reasons we want formal leadership in our religious organizations. We get sick of the wrong decisions being made and feel that if we appoint a leader, then right decisions will be made. We feel that we need to look like all of the other organizations in our culture that are respected. And we don't want to struggle and do things on our own. We want our leaders to make our role as Christians easier to carry.
The thing is that God is willing to do those things for us already. God is at work in our midst without formal leaders. History has shown that having formal leaders brings about just as many - maybe even more - problems than not having them brought. Our structure will not be what gains us respect by those around us; it is faithfulness to God that should do that. If our faithfulness doesn't gain respect, then respect really isn't something that we should care about attaining. When it comes to our own battles, we can be assured that God is willing to make our burden just what we can carry. He states that he will be with us to take care of that burden when it becomes too much. We can trust God to rule over us rightly, to provide the proper structure for us, and to equip us to fight our battles.
God submitted his actions to the will of his people despite that will being wrong. That is an amazing and disturbing thing about God. When His people will something, He will let them attain what they will. He seems to hope that through attaining their wrong desires people's hearts will be transformed into desiring that which God really wants for them.
The people wanted a king. God did not want the people to have any other king besides Himself. In the end, God gave the people the king they wanted. I think the same has happened with the church in America. God has given us all of the wrong things we have desired in the hope that in the end we will desire what God wants us to desire. We are to be God's people under His leadership. We need no middlemen. We need no mammoth organizations that require us to have the leadership structures necessary to run them. We need to be a collection of people fully committed to being the people of God, bringing His will into our reality, and sharing His redeeming light to everyone around us. When we are the people of God all other things will line up into proper perspective.
Part 4 will be next week.
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Ignoring the Principles
Part I (Principles for a King) was posted last week.
The principles of leadership expressed in Deuteronomy seem to be very wise, yet all of those principles were ignored by the people of Israel. We see this throughout the book of Judges.
Judges 17:6
In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
Judges 18:1
In those days there was no king in Israel. And in those days the tribe of the people of Dan was seeking for itself an inheritance to dwell in, for until then no inheritance among the tribes of Israel had fallen to them.
Judges 19:1
In those days, when there was no king in Israel, a certain Levite was sojourning in the remote parts of the hill country of Ephraim, who took to himself a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah.
Judges 21:25
In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
The people of Israel had "no king", but the problem was that they had the best king yet refused to acknowledge and obey Him. In practice they had no king, but the unseen reality was that God was working and desiring to be their king. The rejection of him caused all sorts of strife. We see a cycle throughout the book of Judges. Israel serves the Lord --> Israel falls into sin and idolatry --> Israel is enslaved --> Israel cries out to the Lord --> God raises up a judge --> Israel is delivered --> and the cycle starts all over again.
If only the people of Israel had remained faithful in serving the Lord, they would've avoided their desire to have an earthly king. Too often we make our major decisions when we are in the wrong place on the cycle. Many of our decisions, as was the nation of Israel's, are made when we are in sin and idolatry. The key to making wise decisions is to get out of this terrible cycle and keep God the king of our lives and make our major decision when we are faithfully serving the Lord.
1 Samuel 8
1 When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. 3 Yet his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after gain. They took bribes and perverted justice.
4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah 5 and said to him, Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations. 6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord said to Samuel, Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8 According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. 9 Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them. 10 So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking for a king from him. 11 He said, These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. 12 And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. 15 He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. 16 He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men and your donkeys, and put them to his work. 17 He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. 18 And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you in that day. 19 But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, No! But there shall be a king over us, 20 that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles. 21 And when Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the Lord. 22 And the Lord said to Samuel, Obey their voice and make them a king. Samuel then said to the men of Israel, Go every man to his city.
Here we see that God did not desire a king for Israel. Despite the regulations in Deuteronomy, setting apart an earthly king was not God's will. God points out to Samuel that the desire for a king was not a rejection of Samuel but a rejection of Himself. God was their king, yet they were blind to seeing it. They were living outside of His kingship. The people had become the people of themselves rather than the people of God.
Part 3 (Our Selfish Reasons for a King) will be next week.
The principles of leadership expressed in Deuteronomy seem to be very wise, yet all of those principles were ignored by the people of Israel. We see this throughout the book of Judges.
Judges 17:6
In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
Judges 18:1
In those days there was no king in Israel. And in those days the tribe of the people of Dan was seeking for itself an inheritance to dwell in, for until then no inheritance among the tribes of Israel had fallen to them.
Judges 19:1
In those days, when there was no king in Israel, a certain Levite was sojourning in the remote parts of the hill country of Ephraim, who took to himself a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah.
Judges 21:25
In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
The people of Israel had "no king", but the problem was that they had the best king yet refused to acknowledge and obey Him. In practice they had no king, but the unseen reality was that God was working and desiring to be their king. The rejection of him caused all sorts of strife. We see a cycle throughout the book of Judges. Israel serves the Lord --> Israel falls into sin and idolatry --> Israel is enslaved --> Israel cries out to the Lord --> God raises up a judge --> Israel is delivered --> and the cycle starts all over again.
If only the people of Israel had remained faithful in serving the Lord, they would've avoided their desire to have an earthly king. Too often we make our major decisions when we are in the wrong place on the cycle. Many of our decisions, as was the nation of Israel's, are made when we are in sin and idolatry. The key to making wise decisions is to get out of this terrible cycle and keep God the king of our lives and make our major decision when we are faithfully serving the Lord.
1 Samuel 8
1 When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. 3 Yet his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after gain. They took bribes and perverted justice.
4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah 5 and said to him, Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations. 6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord said to Samuel, Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8 According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. 9 Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them. 10 So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking for a king from him. 11 He said, These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. 12 And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. 15 He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. 16 He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men and your donkeys, and put them to his work. 17 He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. 18 And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you in that day. 19 But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, No! But there shall be a king over us, 20 that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles. 21 And when Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the Lord. 22 And the Lord said to Samuel, Obey their voice and make them a king. Samuel then said to the men of Israel, Go every man to his city.
Here we see that God did not desire a king for Israel. Despite the regulations in Deuteronomy, setting apart an earthly king was not God's will. God points out to Samuel that the desire for a king was not a rejection of Samuel but a rejection of Himself. God was their king, yet they were blind to seeing it. They were living outside of His kingship. The people had become the people of themselves rather than the people of God.
Part 3 (Our Selfish Reasons for a King) will be next week.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Principles for a King
"Why do we always seem to appoint leaders and put them on pedestals?" It would be comforting to think that this problem happens only in the political realm, national denominations, or religious organizations, but it is within our midst; it permeates all the way down to the local church and the way we interact as brothers and sisters of Christ in our churches.
Principles For A King
In dealing with this topic, I have examined the story of Israel and her king. It begins in Deuteronomy.
Deuteronomy 17:14-20
14 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," 15 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. 16 The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself 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." 17 He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. 18 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 priests, who are Levites. 19 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 20 and not consider himself better than his brothers and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.
Just because the law contains what to do when his people have a king does not mean that God desired for his people to have a king. There are many laws that deal with what to do when wrong actions are committed, so I do not think we can conclude that God desired for Israel to have an earthly king just because he made some stipulations for the actions of a king.
God knew the human tendency for people to have a king over them, so he made some regulations that His people and the king were to follow when they would stray from His kingship.
1. Be sure to appoint the king God chooses for you.
2. Make sure the king is one of your brothers.
3. The king was to not acquire a large military might. That is what the horses represented.
4. He must not take many wives.
5. He must not accumulate wealth.
6. He was supposed to make his own copy of the law, read it all the days of his life, and follow carefully all the laws and the decrees.
7. He is to revere the Lord.
8. He is not to consider himself better than others. The laws that apply to others should also apply to him.
As with most of the commandments of God, this one ends with a blessing. If the king would do this, then he and his descendants would reign a long time over the kingdom of Israel.
This is Part 1. Part 2 (Ignoring the Principles is posted here.
Principles For A King
In dealing with this topic, I have examined the story of Israel and her king. It begins in Deuteronomy.
Deuteronomy 17:14-20
14 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," 15 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. 16 The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself 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." 17 He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. 18 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 priests, who are Levites. 19 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 20 and not consider himself better than his brothers and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.
Just because the law contains what to do when his people have a king does not mean that God desired for his people to have a king. There are many laws that deal with what to do when wrong actions are committed, so I do not think we can conclude that God desired for Israel to have an earthly king just because he made some stipulations for the actions of a king.
God knew the human tendency for people to have a king over them, so he made some regulations that His people and the king were to follow when they would stray from His kingship.
1. Be sure to appoint the king God chooses for you.
2. Make sure the king is one of your brothers.
3. The king was to not acquire a large military might. That is what the horses represented.
4. He must not take many wives.
5. He must not accumulate wealth.
6. He was supposed to make his own copy of the law, read it all the days of his life, and follow carefully all the laws and the decrees.
7. He is to revere the Lord.
8. He is not to consider himself better than others. The laws that apply to others should also apply to him.
As with most of the commandments of God, this one ends with a blessing. If the king would do this, then he and his descendants would reign a long time over the kingdom of Israel.
This is Part 1. Part 2 (Ignoring the Principles is posted here.
Principles for a King
"Why do we always seem to appoint leaders and put them on pedestals?" It would be comforting to think that this problem happens only in the political realm, national denominations, or religious organizations, but it is within our midst; it permeates all the way down to the local church and the way we interact as brothers and sisters of Christ in our churches.
Principles For A King
In dealing with this topic, I have examined the story of Israel and her king. It begins in Deuteronomy.
Deuteronomy 17:14-20
14 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," 15 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. 16 The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself 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." 17 He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. 18 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 priests, who are Levites. 19 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 20 and not consider himself better than his brothers and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.
Just because the law contains what to do when his people have a king does not mean that God desired for his people to have a king. There are many laws that deal with what to do when wrong actions are committed, so I do not think we can conclude that God desired for Israel to have an earthly king just because he made some stipulations for the actions of a king.
God knew the human tendency for people to have a king over them, so he made some regulations that His people and the king were to follow when they would stray from His kingship.
1. Be sure to appoint the king God chooses for you.
2. Make sure the king is one of your brothers.
3. The king was to not acquire a large military might. That is what the horses represented.
4. He must not take many wives.
5. He must not accumulate wealth.
6. He was supposed to make his own copy of the law, read it all the days of his life, and follow carefully all the laws and the decrees.
7. He is to revere the Lord.
8. He is not to consider himself better than others. The laws that apply to others should also apply to him.
As with most of the commandments of God, this one ends with a blessing. If the king would do this, then he and his descendants would reign a long time over the kingdom of Israel.
This is Part 1. Part 2 will be posted next week.
Principles For A King
In dealing with this topic, I have examined the story of Israel and her king. It begins in Deuteronomy.
Deuteronomy 17:14-20
14 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," 15 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. 16 The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself 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." 17 He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. 18 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 priests, who are Levites. 19 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 20 and not consider himself better than his brothers and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.
Just because the law contains what to do when his people have a king does not mean that God desired for his people to have a king. There are many laws that deal with what to do when wrong actions are committed, so I do not think we can conclude that God desired for Israel to have an earthly king just because he made some stipulations for the actions of a king.
God knew the human tendency for people to have a king over them, so he made some regulations that His people and the king were to follow when they would stray from His kingship.
1. Be sure to appoint the king God chooses for you.
2. Make sure the king is one of your brothers.
3. The king was to not acquire a large military might. That is what the horses represented.
4. He must not take many wives.
5. He must not accumulate wealth.
6. He was supposed to make his own copy of the law, read it all the days of his life, and follow carefully all the laws and the decrees.
7. He is to revere the Lord.
8. He is not to consider himself better than others. The laws that apply to others should also apply to him.
As with most of the commandments of God, this one ends with a blessing. If the king would do this, then he and his descendants would reign a long time over the kingdom of Israel.
This is Part 1. Part 2 will be posted next week.
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