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Though the Lord was the leader of the Israelites, He predicted a time when His people would desire to have a human king to rule over them. He both predicted and permitted this, commanding, 鈥淲hen you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, 鈥楲et us set a king over us like all the nations around us,鈥� be sure to appoint over you a king the Lord your God chooses鈥� (Deuteronomy 17:14).

In the verses following Deuteronomy 17:14, we find several insights that can provide wisdom for the selection of leaders today. First, God tells His people to make sure they are following His will when crowning a king. The Bible makes it clear that leaders are chosen by the Lord (see Romans 13:1). In situations where we have a choice in who our leaders are, we must consult with God regarding our vote.

Second, leaders are often best selected from among the people they will lead. In the case of Israel鈥檚 kings, the Lord commanded, 鈥淗e must be from among your fellow Israelites. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not an Israelite鈥� (Deuteronomy 17:15).

Third, a godly leader must not focus on amassing personal wealth. Deuteronomy 17:16–17 warns, 鈥淭he king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them. . . . He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.鈥� Great wealth has a way of turning a person鈥檚 heart from the Lord (see Matthew 19:23), and a leader of people should not allow himself to be distracted by riches.

Fourth, a good leader must be content with his family situation. Verse 17 warns, 鈥淗e must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray.鈥� A multitude of wives will turn a leader鈥檚 heart from the Lord. This is exactly what happened in the reign of King Solomon, who had 700 wives (1 Kings 11:3). Despite Solomon鈥檚 great wisdom, his heart turned from the Lord to honor his wives鈥� deities.

Fifth, a good leader must be committed to God鈥檚 Word. Verses 18–19 add, 鈥淲hen 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.鈥� There is no record of an Israelite king actually writing out the entire Law of the Lord, but King David serves as an example of a leader who was committed to the Law and was blessed as a result. Other kings of Israel who did not adhere to God鈥檚 laws did not enjoy the same leadership quality.

Sixth, a godly leader serves in humility. The Israelite king was told 鈥渘ot [to] consider himself better than his fellow Israelites鈥� (verse 20). Even though he sits on a throne, a king is still God鈥檚 servant.

The benefit to Israelite kings who followed these commands was a long reign and an established dynasty: 鈥淗e and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel鈥� (verse 20). The people under a godly king also benefited. It is important that leaders in any nation, in any era, seek to be godly. 鈥淲hen the godly are in authority, the people rejoice. But when the wicked are in power, they groan鈥� (Proverbs 29:2, NLT).