The Heart of the King

This week, I was reading through Deuteronomy 17. Moses is giving his last address to the people (the whole of the book) before he dies and the new generation of Israel enters to take possession of the Promised Land. Knowing that they will possess the land and then desire a king to rule over them like the other nations, God lays down some guidelines about the man He will choose to be king. I liked thinking of these guidelines as indicators of character in the man I will marry, and as a test for my own heart. God says that the king:

1. Should be from among Israel, and not a foreigner.
2. Must not acquire great numbers of horses (military strength which would be like tanks and aircraft today)
3. Must not take many wives or his heart will be lead astray
4. Must not accumulate large amounts of silver or of gold for himself
5. As King, he must copy the Law for himself to read all the days of his life

What I see in those qualities that relates today is that my husband should be from among the Christian brethren. His core values should reflect a Christ-centeredness. Second, his greatest strength is not his ability to bust his shirt by flexing muscles or having a great car, but deep down his confidence and strength are found in Christ's righteousness. As women, we can encourage men so they know that we respect them greatly, but first it comes from their relationship with Christ. (We should never be a substitute for Christ in a man's life.) Muscles and cars are not sinful things (preach it, sister), but they are not to be the source of a Godly man's confidence. Thirdly, gratification of his desires is held to account by other brothers in Christ. Women, or other sources of gratification, can act as seducers to lead a man away from God. In the Old Testament, foreign women were seducers who led sinful men to worship other gods. A man being called to account by other brothers in Christ is important, because sinful battles don't dissipate with marriage. They are lifelong and part of the sanctification process. Fourth, his bank account does not rule him. God granted his kings great wealth, a blessing to the king and to the kingdom. What is financially acquired should be treated as kingdom property, under God's and the individual's authority. It is not a boastful possession, but a matter of stewardship while on earth. Lastly, the words of God are near and dear to his heart. The OT king had to copy, a long and careful process, his own scroll of the Law. The words of God are read by this man all the days of his life so that he fears and honors God appropriately.

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A man who fears the Lord...isn't that such an attractive quality?! I'll never have to be his nagging wife or his disciplinarian, because God's got that under control. There's a country song that reminds me of this. It uses the phrase, "Because she never asked me to." The husband does all of these honorable things for her, because he can love freely instead of by her nagging.

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All of this talk about Godly men makes me want to be a better Christian woman. Now, how do you and I measure up to these same qualities?

© 2006 by Kendra Hinkle.