The leader God wants is a true son of David–someone who believes in Him and obeys Him. All aspects of his life must reflect that belief and obedience. These should include the kind of leadership he has in his family, work, and the government.
The leader God wants:
When I got the answer
10 May 2004 was an election day in the Philippines. Brother Eddie Villanueva, a Christian leader, was running for the presidency. He was my choice, and so I prayed for him.
After praying for Brother Eddie Villanueva, I began thinking of what he could give as a legacy to our people, the Filipinos. Placing myself in his shoes, I imagined that the best gift would be paying the IMF loan since the economy would be better if the government paid its debts. However, I also thought that paying debts would only be possible if all the Filipinos trusted the government. If the people did, then everyone could contribute to paying the loan.
I began computing with everyone contributing from the richest to the poorest either in donations or in advanced payment of taxes. The rich could give for an improved economy. The government can lower taxes in the long run after paying debts. Even the poorest, being used to skipping meals, could give whatever little money they may have with joy and dignity. All the more that Christians, who are used to giving in church and fasting, could.
I was excited to think that everyone, including the poor, could confidently say they were assets to the nation.
The big questions
However, reality sank in. I began to think of these questions: What can happen after paying debts? What if the next president was corrupt and borrowed money again in the guise of development but stole a big part of it? Then, I thought our country would be in the same position again of being in debt.
As a result, I cried to the Lord and asked, “What can be done, Lord? How can my people be free from the current situation of being in debt because of the structural evil of corruption in the government and the society? How do we choose our leaders?” I kept asking and crying.
The leader God wants is in His promise.
As I opened my Bible and read where I felt led to read, I came upon the words He gave to David.
If your sons will obey me, you will never fail to have a son as a ruler in Israel.
I read it over and over to understand it fully. I asked: “What is God saying? How will it apply to us?”
Finally, I realized that we, Christians, are the sons of David through Christ, and the key is in us. If we fully obey the Lord, we shall never fail to have righteous sons of David as presidents and leaders in the Philippines. Instead of pointing fingers at others, we should assume our responsibility towards obeying the Lord and raising godly and obedient leaders in the government and society.
Yes, we need to raise leaders whose hearts and minds are passionate for God and righteous leadership. However, it must start with all of us—the sons of David.
The leader God wants is a true son of David.
One king of Israel who was a true son of David was Josiah. He was both the biological “son of David” (by ancestry) and a spiritual one. Hence, he became the best king from the time of David. He was better than Solomon, the wisest and the richest.
Josiah’s grandfather was Manasseh and his father was Amon, who were both evil kings.
Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king. ... He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, just as his father, Manasseh, had done. He followed the example of his father, worshiping the same idols his father had worshiped. He abandoned the Lord, the God of his ancestors, and he refused to follow the Lord’s ways. 2 Kings 21: 19-22 NLT
Yet, Josiah repented of and turned away from the sins of his father and grandfather. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and walked in all the way of his father David.
Josiah was eight years old when he became king .... He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight and followed the example of his ancestor David. He did not turn away from doing what was right. 2 Kings 22: 1-2 When the king heard what was written in the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes in despair. Then he gave these orders ... “Go to the Temple and speak to the Lord for me and for the people and for all Judah. Inquire about the words written in this scroll that has been found. For the Lord’s great anger is burning against us because our ancestors have not obeyed the words in this scroll. We have not been doing everything it says we must do.” 2 Kings 22:11, 13 But go to the king of Judah who sent you to seek the Lord and tell him: ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says concerning the message you have just heard: You were sorry and humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I said against this city and its people ....' 2 Kings 22: 18-19
What does it mean to be a true son of David?
Jesus is called the Son of David. Hence, in our generation now, even though we may not be a biological son of David, having come from his ancestry, we can still become sons of David through Jesus Christ. As we become part of God’s family through Jesus Christ, we also become part of David’s family in the same way we became part of Abraham’s family.
Here now are the examples of Josiah we can follow as sons of David.
- seeks and loves the Lord
- acts in obedience to the Lord
- dares to be different
- leads by example of humility and righteousness
- removes evil from his society
Yes, the sins of the father are not the sins of the son, but it takes acknowledging the sins and repenting of and turning away from those sins.
Do we want to have sons of David as leaders in our country?
I do, but as I realized on May 10, 2004, the key is in us, so called Christians and supposedly sons of David through Jesus Christ.
Are we fully obeying the Lord?
The answer to this is the reason we haven’t had a true son of David. I pray that as we pray for a righteous and able leader for our country, we also assume the responsibility of obeying God fully, thereby setting an example to the ones whom we want to raise as godly leaders for the next generations.