Reflecting the Image

Scripture:

Deuteronomy 17:14–20

14 “When you have come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, ‘I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me,’ 15 you may indeed set over you a king whom the Lord your God will choose. One of your own community you may set as king over you; you are not permitted to put a foreigner over you, who is not of your own community. 16 Even so, he must not acquire many horses for himself or return the people to Egypt in order to acquire more horses, since the Lord has said to you, ‘You must never return that way again.’ 17 And he must not acquire many wives for himself or else his heart will turn away; also silver and gold he must not acquire in great quantity for himself. 18 When he has taken the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. 19 It shall remain with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, diligently observing all the words of this law and these statutes, 20 neither exalting himself above other members of the community nor turning aside from the commandment, either to the right or to the left, so that he and his descendants may reign long over his kingdom in Israel. (NRSVUE)

Observation:

God was providing leadership lessons for the future of Israel because every generation must be willing to serve in such a way that there will be safety and security for future generations. There were rules for this leader:

1. The leader needed to be from among the people. They were not supposed to bring in an outsider, but someone who knew this community from the inside out.
2. The leader wasn’t supposed to acquire a lot of horses. The more horses you acquire, the more resources you need to care for them, and the greater the temptation to depend upon military strength. Most important—it appears that you could get horses in Egypt! Why become dependent upon the Egyptians for anything when God had delivered His people from Egypt? This was about dependence upon God.
3. The leader was not supposed to have many wives. God knew that these relationships could turn a leader’s heart away from Him.
4. The leader was supposed to write down the law himself, in the presence of the priests. This process of writing would help to get the law into his heart and mind. He could never say, “I didn’t know what was in the law!”
5. Not only was the leader to write the law, but he was to read it over and over again. In this way, he would know who the real leader was—God—and the laws of God would be on the tip of his tongue so that they could be observed continually.
6. The leader was not to exalt himself above the other people of his community. He was to live as a member of his community, together with his people, in humility.

God knew that the temptation for every leader would be to focus on himself and his own personal gain, without thinking about the impact on future generations. Leadership for the long haul meant humility and obedience in service to God.

Application:

King Solomon is who comes to mind when I read this passage of Scripture. The reality is that his father, King David, even had his failures in these areas. David was a leader from among the people, but by the time Solomon comes along, he’s had a bit of an upbringing away from the ordinary people of his community. David had been a simple shepherd boy, and I’m guessing that impacted him for his whole life.

Solomon went out and acquired lots of horses and chariots. Scripture tells us that he had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen. My friends, that’s a lot! David already had trouble with multiple wives. He had several named wives, and then we are told he had other wives and concubines. Not to be outdone, his son Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines. Honestly, I can’t even imagine!!!

David did know the law of God and sought to pass it on to his son. Solomon even began his reign by asking God for wisdom. But somewhere along the way, he became distracted by everything else that came with being king. There were horses and chariots to acquire, wives and wealth to accumulate, and a magnificent temple and palace to build. The very things God had warned Israel’s kings against became characteristic of Solomon’s reign. His heart was eventually turned away from the Lord.

Solomon’s son Rehoboam took over after him. His father had placed heavy burdens on the people to support the kingdom. When the people asked Rehoboam to lighten those burdens, he refused and threatened to make them even heavier. The kingdom divided, with ten tribes seeking their own king and only two tribes remaining loyal to the house of David.

Solomon’s descendants didn’t continue reigning over a united kingdom of Israel.

Because self-centered leadership eventually takes its toll.

If we are to become the kind of long-haul leaders who will help future generations succeed, we need to take our eyes off ourselves. These are the kinds of servant leaders needed in the world and in the church today. Those who are from among the people, who know the landscape and don’t see themselves as above others. Those who are willing to associate with anyone in the room.

If a leader has been financially successful, the goal should not be to accumulate more and more for themselves, but to give generously to others. Who needs 12,000 horses—or more cars than one can drive?

Fidelity in marriage is a reflection of fidelity to God and to the people a leader serves. A wandering eye can reveal a lack of self-discipline. Emotions and lust can make us do stupid things. A leader needs to be intentionally self-disciplined when it comes to relationships.

A leader needs to know their business from the inside out. A spiritual leader needs to know the Word of God from the inside out. Spiritual leaders who fail often begin by neglecting time in the Word and fellowship with the Lord in prayer. They become too busy to focus on that which would keep them from turning to the right or to the left. Instead of knowing and following Christ, they begin making decisions based on their own human understanding. That may carry someone for a while, but not for the long haul.

Finally, leadership for the long haul makes decisions for the next generation. These leaders invest themselves in future leaders and are willing to share the spotlight with others.

We live on an old farm in Kansas. This farm used to have an apple orchard, but the trees were not cared for, and we had to remove the last one not too long ago. However, we don’t just want our home to be for today, but for tomorrow, and for the grandkids and great-grandkids. Recently, we planted nine new apple trees in honor of the orchard that used to exist on this property. I may never see them grow to their full height, but maybe my grandkids will. We planted different varieties, including some of their favorites. Someday they will get to eat that fruit and enjoy it. We aren’t planting for today—but for tomorrow. That’s what a good leader is supposed to do.

It’s not about you—it’s about them.

What will you leave them?

Prayer:

Lord, there are always lessons to learn in Your Word—both good and bad. Thank You for this model of leadership, but help me not to just read about it. Help me to look neither to the left nor to the right, but to follow You. Amen.