Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim in CT
zero thought. just long, long anti trump diatribes.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device
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Here is some thought for you and your brass knuckled would-be King.
You claim him to be Cyrus and say that is a good thing.
Ancient Near Easterners expected their kings to perform three primary functions:
(1) provide military protection against foreign threats
(2) provide judicial protection against internal threats among the citizens
(3) provide spiritual protection against the fury of the gods by constructing temples for and promoting the worship of the state deity. According to these standards, Cyrus was successful.
But these are not Jewish and Christian God’s metrics.
Moses’ “Charter for Kingship” in Deuteronomy presents an alternative to the prevailing exercise of kingship, a model in which rulers are to function as servants of their people. To guard against the predominant megalomaniacal paradigm, Moses focused on the personal character of the king.
They were not to use their position of authority in self-interest (multiplying horses, women, and silver and gold for himself).
Rather, Israel’s kings were to read the Torah for themselves and then embody the righteousness the Torah called for in all of YHWH’s people: fearing YHWH, walking in the ways of YHWH, and walking humbly among their fellow Israelites.
In short, the Israelite king’s primary function was to be a model citizen, so that people could look up to him and declare, “I want to be like that person!”
This image of leadership as the embodiment of righteous covenantal ideals and seeking the well-being of those one leads ahead of one’s own status is consistent with the Hebrew portrayal of YHWH as the shepherd of his people and of the New Testament’s portrayal of true shepherds of God’s people.
Biblical history suggests that no matter how and why we cast our vote for a particular candidate, Democrat or Republican, we must never allow ourselves to become blind to their personal and moral flaws.
According to the Bible, leadership is more than effectiveness; it’s also (and, in fact, primarily) a matter of character.
Jesus modeled perfectly the righteous standard of which he spoke: “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep”.
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