Rulers must not be wealthy

Published on Updated on Bad Guys, Consequentialism, Greed, Money, Sowing and Reaping

The LORD God forbade the kings from gathering great wealth. Or a great number of wives. However, most kings disobeyed these commands. They became the bad guys.

 

 

Deuteronomy 17:17. He shall not multiply wives to himself, that his heart not turn away. He shall not greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.

1 Kings 10:23. So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom.

1 Kings 11:3. [Solomon] had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart.

2 Samuel 20:3. David came to his house at Jerusalem; and the king took the ten women his concubines, whom he had left to keep the house, and put them in custody, and provided them with sustenance, but didn’t go in to them. So they were shut up to the day of their death, living in widowhood.

2 Chronicles 9:22. So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.

2 Chronicles 11:21. Rehoboam loved Maacah the granddaughter of Absalom above all his wives and his concubines; for he took eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and became the father of twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.

1 Chronicles 14:3. David took more wives in Jerusalem, and David became the father of more sons and daughters.

Wisdom 7:8. I preferred her before sceptres and thrones. I considered riches nothing in comparison to her.

 

In our day, many secular leaders amass great wealth. People support them.

In our day, many church leaders live amidst great wealth. When churchgoers see it, they applaud their leaders for it.

Why do people support rich leaders? Here are a few possibilities:

Possibility 1. In our day, many people are deluded by the unbiblical notion that wealth correlates with godliness and wisdom.

Possibility 2. In our day, many Christians are actually consequentialists. They are deluded into believing the unbiblical notion that the ends justify the means. This is the ideological framework that allows for Possibility 3:

Possibility 3. Many Christians support political leaders who are bad guys, believing the bad guy will achieve good things for them.

 

Unless otherwise noted, all Bible quotations on this page are from the World English Bible and the World Messianic Edition. These translations have no copyright restrictions. They are in the Public Domain.