1 Samuel 8 begins the story of Israel’s first king, Saul, whom God rejected from being King over Israel.
And the Lord said to Samuel, “Hearken to 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.”
God proceeded to give the people what they wanted, so they would learn a lesson about the folly of man being king, vs God.
1 Samuel 9: There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish, the son of Abi′el, son of Zeror, son of Beco′rath, son of Aphi′ah, a Benjaminite, a man of wealth; and he had a son whose name was Saul, a handsome young man. There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he; from his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people.
Rich, tall, and handsome. Those qualities do seem to please many people looking for a good candidate, even today.
But only 4 chapters later, Saul had already disobeyed God by taking responsibility/authority over something that was not his to take.
1 Samuel 13:13: And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which he commanded you; for now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel for ever. But now your kingdom shall not continue; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart; and the Lord has appointed him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”
Now we learn what God has in mind for the kind of man God would recommend, if man insists on having a king other than God himself…
1 Samuel 16:7: the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
1 Samuel 16:13: Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward.
To know who God picks, we have to ask Him. Only He knows the heart of man, and it’s His choice who he will provide to best lead people. But God will not pick anyone who doesn’t follow His commands. Here are examples of things a person may do, who is not following God’s commands:
- They prioritize something ahead of God
- They fashion a god that suits them better than God, such as relaxing His laws, or redefining His truth.
- They use God’s name disrespectfully, such as swearing or cursing or lying about something God said or did.
- They do not keep God’s day of rest Holy. It’s kind of like forgetting your wedding anniversary…but this is one that happens every week. As God, he is eager for the loving relationship and respect this day offers.
- They disrespect their parents. It is possible to respect the role, even though the person(s) may be faulty.
- They have murdered (even an unborn child)
- They have been sexually involved with someone other than the one they are married to.
- They have stolen or cheated someone from what they have or are due.
- They lie about what someone else did or didn’t do.
- They long for something/someone that belongs to someone else. Money, property, position, wife/husband/child, etc.
The candidates presented to the American people for the 2024 Presidential vote by the Republican and Democratic parties are proactively disobedient to God’s commands. God would not pick them to be the leader of a country.