DEUTERONOMY 17:14-20 NIV When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, “Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,” 15 be sure to appoint over you the king the LORD your God chooses. He must be from among your own brothers. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not a brother Israelite. 16 The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the LORD has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.” 17 He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.
18 When 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 priests, who are Levites. 19 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 20 and not consider himself better than his brothers and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.
TITUS 1:6-9 ESV if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. 7 For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, 8 but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. 9 He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.
1 TIMOTHY 3:1-7 ESV The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. 2 Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, 5 for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7 Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.
I Read the other night a facebook comment about there being no religious tests to be made for candidates. And as comments were given the idea that it is also bad for individuals to do the same was repeated.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!???
Of course I don’t want to agree with them!
But, I have to ask: What would God through Scripture tell us about testing any candidate?
I’m not sure but I have a feeling that those opposed to this kind of test would have to agree with at least some of these points. Who knows?
NOT a FOREIGNER – Deut. 17:15 Well that one is a given… and all candidates are compliant. Yes Birthers I know what you are thinking! Please just sit down and place hands over your mouths.
NOT a WARMONGER – Deut. 17:16 Kings accumulating horses had to do with military might. Not in protection as much as in conquest. God isn’t into expanding His kingdom through force. Even David, the one after God’s own heart, wasn’t allowed to build the temple because of this. I don’t believe that this is an issue with any candidate.
NOT a SKIRT CHASER – Deut. 17:17a Self explanatory, or should be. Cain and Gingrich have some difficulties here, and deserve to have points taken off due to this issue. Newt is especially troublesome with this. He just doesn’t sound like a man who is sorry for the hurt he has caused by this.
NOT a MONEY GRABBER – Deut. 17:17b It’s national SERVICE not business! Our whole system flunks this test.
CITIZEN FIRST / RULER SECOND - Deut. 17:18-20 Once again I believe our whole system flunks out on this. Our elected officials are quick to burden citizens with requirements that they exempt for themselves.
KNOWS the LAW – Deut. 17:18-20 If you can’t remember them all you have to many.
NO OPEN ACCUSATIONS – Titus 1:6 Herman Cain did the right thing by removing himself.
HOW’S THEIR FAMILY? – Titus 1:6b Has the candidate raised their family well? This is where the conservatives will be mad at me… Barack Obama shows to be a wonderful Father with good standards for his children. Gingrich? Hmmmmm?
NOT ARROGANT, EASILY ANGERED, DRUNK, FORCEFUL, MONEY GRABBER – Titus 1:7 Most of these are already mentioned. Forceful? Someone who wants to make people do as they say.
HOSPITABLE – Titus 1:8 Someone who has brotherly love for people who are extremely different than themselves. How does a candidate deal with the opposing party? How does a candidate deal with gays, different religions, other nationalities, illegal immigrants, etc? God would choose one who deals with truth and compassion.
LOVER OF GOOD – Titus 1:8 Seeks to do what is BEST and MOST HONORABLE even when it is not expedient.
SELF-CONTROLED, UPRIGHT, HOLY, and DISCIPLINED – Titus 1:8 With the previous… Does the candidate show that they can do what’s right even if it’s against what their party/advisors endorse? Big job needs big shoulders.
INSTRUCTOR OF SOUND DOCTRINE – Titus 1:9 Calm down atheists. In the US sense someone who is able to teach the public with a Constitutional mind. Someone who would rather use differences to teach rather than win by force. Someone who refutes through the Constitution rather than through party loyalties.
The trick with this is to hold each candidate to this and not just the other party. Democrats and Republicans surprisingly score similarly. That is because God is of neither party.
God is interested in the Character of leaders much more than their political ideology.
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