God provided Israel with qualities they should desire in a king. In short, when the king ceased to be right with God, he ceased to be right for the people.
Nations have only been great so long as they resembled a nation submitted to God. When a nation forsakes the Lord, He will forsake that nation.
Thrones and empires are terminated because of the unruly evil of sin. As such, they rise or fall based upon their choice to sin or their refusal to partake therein.
Nations have lost sight of the Almighty God. In doing so, they fail to recognize that neither they nor their leaders are the highest authority.
Good friends are a tremendous blessing to be nurtured and treasured. Yet, friendships are to have certain God-ordained limitations. The wrong kinds of friends and inappropriate associations have led many people away from the truth and astray from God. The Bible provides detailed instructions to help people avoid any relationship that tends to lead to rebellion against God. Although these instructions were explicitly given while Israel remained under the Law of God, they forever reveal God's feelings toward those who would lead someone away from Him. Just as it was instructed of the Israelites, men today should never consent nor hearken to those who seek to lure them astray (Deuteronomy 13:8). In refusing to listen to those individuals, a believer should never feel guilt or pity the so-called friend, but rather find joy from making the right decision.
