1 Kings 6:11-13 “Now the word of the Lord came to Solomon, ‘Concerning this house that you are building, if you will walk in my statutes and obey my rules and keep all my commandments and walk in them, then I will establish my word with you, which I spoke to David your father. And I will dwell among the children of Israel and will not forsake my people Israel.’”
The actions of a leader have such a great impact on those whom he or she leads. Proverbs 29:2 tells us that “When the righteous increase (or rule), the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan.” Throughout the history of the world, we see this demonstrated over and over again. We need look no further than North Korea to see the oppressive effects on the people of an ungodly ruler. Then there was China under Mao Tse Tung, Germany under Hitler, Russia under Stalin, and on and on it goes. The Bible is filled with such examples. Unholy and wicked kings brought hardship on their people, while under good kings, the citizens were blessed. In the case of ancient Israel, the failures of leadership resulted in captivity under the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Medes and Persians, Greece, and finally Rome.
As we look at the passage above from 1 Kings 6, we see the principal of God’s expectations for leaders enunciated as well as the consequences of those leaders’ response. God tells Solomon that if he wants the nation over which he ruled to be blessed by God, then Solomon must walk in the statutes that God had laid down for him. If he did this, then God would dwell with them. He would not forsake them. They would be greatly blessed. But if not, obviously these promises didn’t apply.
Sadly, Solomon failed with respect to God’s commands. He started out well, and the result was peace and unmatched prosperity for those over whom he ruled. However, he eventually took his eyes off of God, fell into all kinds of idolatry as he was influenced by his many wives, and Israel started on a downward spiral as a result. It was a sad state of affairs that had started with such promise.
But isn’t that the story of the world? Nations rise, but then they fall with a rot that typically starts from within. Israel was just one example of this, but so many others have followed suit. Ungodly leadership dooms nations. It’s a reality that is evident to all who examine the facts.
And so the Bible urges “that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way” (1 Timothy 2:1-2). For again, the leadership of a nation has such far-reaching effects on all that serve under that rule.
It is worth noting that this principle extends to the citizens of a nation whether those citizens are righteous or not. Just as all who live under the sovereignty of the infinitely good King of kings receive His benefits, all those who live under righteous earthly rulers also benefit. You see, the sun rises on the evil and the good and the rain falls on the righteous and the unrighteous because of the goodness of God. Likewise, the benefits of a righteous earthly leader will fall on all he or she leads. The converse is just as true.
Which brings up the point that sooner or later, all earthly leaders fail, for all of them are flawed individuals. There is no king that is perfectly righteous and even the good ones die. But there exists a great contrast when we look at the Son of David that came many years after Solomon and was called “the king of the Jews.” It is critical to realize that just as the prosperity of Israel hung on the obedience of King Solomon per God’s command to him in the passage above, the prosperity of those ruled by King Jesus depends on His righteousness as well.
But let’s look more closely to God’s command. Again, God said this to Solomon: “If you will walk in my statutes and obey my rules and keep all my commandments and walk in them, then I will establish my word with you, which I spoke to David your father. And I will dwell among the children of Israel and will not forsake my people Israel.” Do you realize that this was impossible, for no earthly ruler follows the Lord in such a perfect way? It is because kings fail that kingdoms fail. Again, it’s been demonstrated over and over again. That’s why the obedience of King Jesus is so critical to each and every one of us. You see, unlike Solomon and unlike any other king who has ever lived, Jesus obeyed His Father perfectly. As He told us when He walked this earth, “I have not come to abolish the Law of the Prophets (i.e., the Scriptures) but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished” (Matthew 5:17-18). And you know what? Jesus is the only one who has ever done so. He accomplished it all. That obedience extended the whole way to His death on the cross. You see, when Jesus proclaimed, “it is finished,” what was finished was fulfillment of the entire Law of God. As a result, it is on that basis alone that God’s conditional promise to the King of Israel is available to each and every one who serves under His rule. It is because of Jesus’ perfect obedience that we can live in a condition where God will dwell among us and not forsake us for all eternity. Jesus said as much when he promised, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:1-3). And it’s all because of Jesus’ perfect obedience. It’s His obedience that has resulted in such eternal blessings to every believer, rather than any works of ours.
So do you know this Savior? Have you placed your faith in the only perfectly obedient King? If not, I urge you to consider it, for it’s the only way that God’s wonderful promise to the Son of David can ever become a reality in your life and mine.
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