The right kind of politician

In the midst of Thy Kingdom Come, the ten day wave of prayer between Ascension and Pentecost, today's bible reading (Deuteronomy 17.8-20) at Morning Prayer at St Anne's seemed strangely relevant.

In the section headed by the Good News Bible 'Instructions Concerning a King' (read 'prime minister' or 'president' or 'government') we hear that the king must be:

1. The man chosen by God
2. He must not have too many horses (ie he must not be too powerful)
3. He must not have 'many wives' (ie he must be maritally faithful and sexually continent).
4. He is not to make himself rich (ie not financially corrupt).
5. He mustn't think himself better than his fellow citizens
6. He must have a copy of the 'book of God's laws' made from an orginal copy (ie he mustn't change them for his own convenience) and, crucially 'he must keep this book near him and read from it all his life, so that he will learn to honour the Lord and to obey faithfully everything commanded in it.'

What misery would be avoided if every leader of the nations followed that advice, and what a marvellous guide those verses offer as we pray 'Thy kingdom Come' for our nation and every nation.

The last stipulation about the 'book of God's laws' reminded me of something Sir Simon Hughes told me about when he was sworn in as a member of the Privy Council: each new member of Her Majesty's Council, serving ministers and members of the opposition, having sworn the oath, is presented with a copy of the New Testament.

Let's pray during Thy Kingdom Come, that we have godly politicians who will read it and live by it.