“Jesus called them over and said to them, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles dominate them, and their men of high positions exercise power over them.” ‭‭Mark‬ ‭10:42‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

We will get to how Jesus calls us to act in the next verse. But today, what is God’s requirement of how a king should act? What did God expect from rulers in the Old Testament?

“When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, take possession of it, live in it, and say, ‘I will set a king over me like all the nations around me,’ you are to appoint over you the king the Lord your God chooses. Appoint a king from your brothers. You are not to set a foreigner over you, or one who is not of your people. However, he must not acquire many horses for himself or send the people back to Egypt to acquire many horses, for the Lord has told you, ‘You are never to go back that way again.’ He must not acquire many wives for himself so that his heart won’t go astray. He must not acquire very large amounts of silver and gold for himself. When he is seated on his royal throne, he is to write a copy of this instruction for himself on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. It is to remain with him, and he is to read from it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, to observe all the words of this instruction, and to do these statutes. Then his heart will not be exalted above his countrymen, he will not turn from this command to the right or the left, and he and his sons will continue ruling many years over Israel.”

‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭17:14-20‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

https://www.bible.com/72/deu.17.14-20.hcsb. 

The king or ruler or people of high position or boss was to write his own copy of the Word of God. He was not to make his own Bible but to copy the Word of God in his own handwriting. Why? So that he may read it daily and learn to fear God. What would the church look like if every Pastor, elder, Sunday school teacher, and every member was to write out just 10 books in their own handwriting? Would they learn to fear God? Would they observe all that they have written? Would they learn how to serve their students? Would they walk the straight and narrow path? Which 10 books would they write? Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The Gospels so that they may see how Jesus lived. Acts so that they may see how the early Church lived for Jesus. The Pentateuch so that they may see how Jesus fulfilled its requirements. My guess after we have written down these ten books we would begin to write more books and by the end of our life we would have copied the whole Bible, But the kicker would be to read it every day. 

This was the Lord’s plan for a King but what really happened?

“Samuel told all the Lord’s words to the people who were asking him for a king. He said, “These are the rights of the king who will rule over you: He will take your sons and put them to his use in his chariots, on his horses, or running in front of his chariots. He can appoint them for his use as commanders of thousands or commanders of fifties, to plow his ground or reap his harvest, or to make his weapons of war or the equipment for his chariots. He can take your daughters to become perfumers, cooks, and bakers. He can take your best fields, vineyards, and olive orchards and give them to his servants. He can take a tenth of your grain and your vineyards and give them to his officials and servants. He can take your male servants, your female servants, your best young men, and your donkeys and use them for his work. He can take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves can become his servants. When that day comes, you will cry out because of the king you’ve chosen for yourselves, but the Lord won’t answer you on that day.”

‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭8:10-18‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

https://www.bible.com/72/1sa.8.10-18.hcsb

Instead of serving the people, Kings began to make the people serve them! The difference here is not that people are serving the king but that he would make them serve him. On the other hand, a king that ruled the way God required the people would willingly serve him. 

The same is true today. If we see Jesus as a just ruler we will want to serve Him, but if we are misguided and see Jesus as an unjust ruler who only waits to punish us for our mistakes then we will be reluctant to serve Him.

“But if it doesn’t please you to worship Yahweh, choose for yourselves today the one you will worship: the gods your fathers worshiped beyond the Euphrates River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. As for me and my family, we will worship Yahweh.”

‭‭Joshua‬ ‭24:15‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

https://www.bible.com/72/jos.24.15.hcsb

“For this reason God highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow — of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth — and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2:9-11‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

https://www.bible.com/72/php.2.9-11.hcsb

What kind of “ruler” will you be. Will you be humble and serve the people or will you be lifted up with pride and make the people serve you. (I wish I could give this to every President who will serve America.) You may not be President, but you have an audience whom God has put you over. It may only be a few people at work who respect as a leader or it may be that you rule the whole operation. We are all leaders and still have the choice to do it God’s way or the world’s way?