A college professor recently made an interesting point about the ancient Hebrew kings Saul and David. Both kings allowed sin to hurt their families and eventually their kingdoms. Their actions and the results that followed show how our private lives can affect other people.

Some might say as the soul goes of the leader, so goes his family. And as the family goes so goes the commonwealth or the kingdom. So there is a direct connection between the private morality of the leaders and the public success of the kingdom. … If the king is a good king, life will go well for the kingdom. If the king is disordered in his soul, his family might be disordered and the decline of his family might be mirrored in the decline of his kingdom. This possibility is evermore prevalent in modern republics when the people are kings. If they are disordered in their private lives the challenge of self-government itself might fail as well.

The application is a good one. Just as the private morality of those kings hurt their kingdoms, so can my godliness or lack of it affect those under my care. It made me stop and think more seriously about my lifestyle and daily habits. How am I affecting others?