The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord;
he turns it wherever he will.
Every way of a man is right in his own eyes,
but the Lord weighs the heart

Proverbs 21:1–2

We are rapidly approaching election season 2024 in America. The first Tuesday of November will mark the United States’s presidential election, which we know will have massive implications for every state and local election across the entire republic. The stakes are extraordinarily high, making the national tensions equally high. Four years ago, we all witnessed adverse events and outcomes we never thought possible, and now we head into this election season with a sense of trepidation that is warranted.

As Christians, we want leaders elected who reflect biblical values and who will protect our religious freedoms. Yet, as we consider the responsibility of voting, we may be tempted to discouragement, or even despair, in our ongoing crisis-upon-crisis national circumstances. Unfortunately, we see far too many exceedingly weak and even immoral vessels vying for office, and we wonder what they will do to us.

Yet, as Christians, we are also called to view it all through the eyes of faith. The revelation of the Scriptures tells us God is sovereign and always working providentially for His good purposes, even when we do not see the good temporally. Indeed, Scripture and church history together argue there is nothing that believers are facing this summer that is new! The Apostle Paul encouraged the church in Philippi to “not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

Biblical theology—a doctrinally sound Christian worldview—is the single antidote to all anxious temptation or propensities to despair because when we are willing to take a deep breath and focus, we can see God consistently and faithfully at work through the arc of history carrying out His foreordained salvation plan for mankind.

The Old Testament book of Kings provides a sobering yet reassuring narrative that God is always in control and on schedule, employing His amazing grace despite the vagaries of good and bad human leaders. Yahweh worked in and through the raised-up kings of Israel to advance His highest plans while also working providentially in the details of each king’s individual life, blessing and punishing according to their heart and deeds. Such providential action is how God always works, and it is profound! It is life-changing when we see it and imbibe it!

The Kings narrated the tragedy of Israel’s post-Davidic monarchies. Yahweh judged the kings’ comprehensive sin—covering forty dynasties over a four-hundred-year period—by ultimately removing Israel and Judah from the Promised Land (2 Kings:17, 24). Notably, the book of Kings account was as much a story of God’s prophets as recounting individual rulers and reigns. Yahweh’s elect confronted the royals with inspired prophetic evaluation. Through this agency, Yahweh advanced His larger plans for mankind’s salvation while also judging men’s hearts and specific choices in the historical moment. Most of the monarchs earned wrath, proving human kingship alone would always fall short as the means for Yahweh to fulfill His salvific promises. However, as Israel descended to spiritual nadir, Yahweh’s grace remained displayed through prophetic revelations pointing to the need for Christ, the promised messiah, who would prove the promised human king and our divine Lord. This utter uniqueness of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, means that as we consider human leaders of any stripe, we must see that our only real hope is in this Christ alone. Full stop, as the saying goes.

In making this case, an excellent example of inevitable human failure to lead, even with the best of temporal circumstantial provision, is King Solomon.

Solomon—Wisdom, Wealth, Wives, and Military Might

Yahweh blessed David’s son Solomon with the throne of Israel, superior wisdom, historic achievement, and unprecedented wealth. Solomon had reason to think he was the prophetic king fulfilling the Davidic Covenant (2 Sam:7). Solomon saw himself as “the son of David, who would build a house for Yahweh’s name” (7:13). Solomon trusted Yahweh’s “steadfast love would not depart from him” (7:15–16). Therefore, he confidently accomplished much, including the spiritually vital project to build the Temple in Jerusalem and transport the ark of the covenant into its completed splendor (1 Kings 5, 6, 8).

However, First Kings 2, 3, 6, and 9 contained clear conditions regarding Yahweh’s approval of Israel’s kings. Upon completing the Temple, God appeared to Solomon reiterating His expectations: walk in integrity and uprightness as David had modeled, and obey His commandments, keeping all statutes and ordinances (9:4). Heart-motivated total obedience was the necessary qualification for the Davidic Covenant fulfilling king. Failure to obey, or a turning to other gods, would bring calamity. Yahweh would cut Israel off from the Promised Land and cast them out of His sight (9:7).

Solomon failed. Deuteronomy 17:14–20 provided Yahweh’s kingship boundaries that Solomon did not respect: the king was never to multiply horses for himself, cause the people to return to Egypt, multiply wives, or increase his wealth beyond God’s purposeful blessing. Solomon married Pharaoh’s daughter for political advantage. Solomon pursued 700 marriages and 300 concubines, inviting many complications in accommodating their gods and entangling family connections. Solomon greatly increased wealth through political intrigue and taxation policies that led to many horses and military might. Yahweh’s judgment was certain: “I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant” (1 Kings 11:11).

Solomon received a sobering declaration, to be sure, and one that would ultimately be fulfilled. We serve a mighty God who is righteous to judge. Yet, this same God is the God of grace who began His salvation plan for you and me long before Solomon’s failure. Solomon’s triumph and tragic failure were all on God’s perfect script, just as the summer and fall of 2024 are and will be on God’s perfect script.

 So, how do we practically meter the inevitable stress, pressure, fear, and disappointment ahead in the 2024 election season? Paul David Tripp once said, “No one is more influential in your life than you are…because no one talks to you more than you do.” Such a thought accents the Christians’ need to preach the Gospel to ourselves daily. Elaborating, Pastor Tripp exhorts: “In our sin, we constantly find our responses to life in our fallen world to be disconnected from the theology that we confess. Anger, fear, panic, discouragement stalk our hearts and whisper a false gospel that will lure our lives away from what we say we believe.”

Jerry Bridges once preached the importance of not listening to the whispers of false gospels and instead preaching the Gospel to yourself, which essentially means these things:

• That you take at face value the precious words of Romans 4:7-8: “Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.”
• That you believe on the testimony of God expressing His heart and perfect provision in Scripture that “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).
• You believe that “Christ redeemed [you] from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for [you], for it is written ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree’” (Galatians 3:13).
• That you believe He forgave you all your sins (Colossians 2:13) and now “[presents you] holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation” (Colossians 1:22). (https://www.challies.com/reading-classics-together/preach-the-gospel-to-yourself/)
• That you believe He knows everything (Omniscient), He is everywhere (Omnipresent); that He is all powerful (Omnipotent); that He is in Control (Sovereign); and that He is good (Mark 10:18)

Considering Proverbs 21:1-2, as God weighs your heart, are you in His family by faith alone in Christ alone, or are you yet among His enemies? Unlike politics, there is no compromise or neutral ground in answering this fundamental question. As a healthy and doctrinally sound New Testament church, let’s commit to preaching the single saving Gospel corporately and individually to ourselves between now and November!