The Virtue of a King

The women living there said, “Naomi has a son!” And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.  -- Ruth 4:17 (NIV)

There were plenty of good kings and bad kings alike in the Bible; above all of them in greatness—at least to the Hebrews—was King David.

David wasn’t a great leader; sometimes he wasn’t even a great man. But he had high virtues and a strong regard for God. He had character values that made up for what he lacked in what some might call good characteristics for a strong leader.

A lot of what he had came from Ruth—the little woman who would not leave her mother-in-law, and was blessed by God as a result.  Sometimes we have good virtue for no reason, but more often then not it’s passed down from parents and grandparents.

When it comes down to it, we don’t need strong people—we need good people; people with high moral character. The greatest leaders in the Bible rose from less than ideal circumstances. They came from circumstances that should have failed them.

God can make possible the impossible with anyone who listens and obeys his words. You don’t have to be a great leader, because when you believe in God, God will make you great.

It’s no coincidence that Jesus Christ came from this royal line. It wasn’t because they were great, it was because they had virtue.