Daniel 1:3-4
New International Version (NIV)

Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king’s service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility—young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace

For meditation
Nebuchadnezzar defeats Judah, and Jerusalem lies in ruins. The center of its worship, Solomon’s magnificent Temple, is now ashes and smoke, with spikes of smothering timber rising out of them because of their disobedience and rebellion. Its king and officials lead the procession of captives trekking into Babylonian exile. King Nebuchadnezzar instructs Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to look for young men from the royal house of Judah, to come into royal service in Babylon. These must be young men “with no physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve” (Daniel 1:3-4).

In the New Testament, God also lays out the qualities of the men He calls into His service as overseers of His church. They must be:

“Above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money (1 Timothy 3:2-3). These men must keep “hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience,” men who love “what is good… self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined” (Titus 1:8).

Do you see the difference in values?
While the world looks for physical abilities and appearances, worldly wisdom, intelligence, natural abilities, and linguistic aptitudes, God looks for integrity, honesty, fidelity, faithfulness, holiness, and comportment. So, you realize why the world is so chaotic and in trouble?

What is sad and disappointing is how God’s people choose their leaders. Instead of God’s criteria for leadership in His kingdom, the church selects its leaders with the world’s criteria.
Israel made the same mistake when they demanded a king like that of the surrounding nations (1 Samuel 8:5). Saul met their expectations (10:24), and what a disaster that was! Strangely, Samuel almost made the same mistake when God sent him to anoint David as the next king. That is, until God intervened to save the situation.

“Do not consider his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearances, but God looks at the heart” (16:7).

So, what are your priorities in life? What is your value system? How do you choose your leaders? What characteristics do you look for—external factors or internal qualities? How helpful have they been to you and the world? More importantly, how have your value system and preferences affected your home and the church?

Let us see things from God’s perspective and not from a human point of view so that our choices will be godly and a blessing to us, our families, churches, and communities. When we choose by His standards, we glorify Him, who has saved and called us into His Kingdom in Christ Jesus.

Pray with Me

Father, we confess our selfish ways of evaluating and choosing our leaders. We need discernment at such times that we will not suffer defeat at the hands of the enemy by our human preferences but that your Spirit will lead us to make the right choices for the health of your church and our nations. Amen.