By Christine Coleman | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice
“You shall surely set a king over you whom the LORD your God chooses, one from among your countrymen you shall set as king over yourselves; you may not put a foreigner over yourselves who is not your countryman.” — Deuteronomy 17:15
When God brought the children of Israel into the Promised Land, He established clear laws and commandments for their governance. Among them was the explicit requirement that rulers must be chosen from among their own people — no foreigner born outside the nation was permitted to rule over God’s covenant people.
This principle was repeatedly tested and its violation brought severe consequences. In 1 Kings 11, King Solomon’s heart was turned away from the Lord through his many foreign wives, who introduced idolatry and foreign influence into the leadership of Israel. With 700 wives and 300 concubines, “his heart was not wholly true to the LORD his God” (1 Kings 11:4). As a result, the kingdom was torn from him and given to his servant Jeroboam — one of Israel’s most unfaithful kings.
Similarly, King Ahab of the northern kingdom allowed foreign influence to dominate through his wife Jezebel, daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians. This led to widespread idolatry and national judgment. Scripture warns that allowing foreigners to rule is among the curses for covenant disobedience. In Deuteronomy 28:43-44, God declared: “The alien who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower. He shall lend to you, but you shall not lend to him; he shall be the head, and you shall be the tail.”
It is therefore no accident that figures such as Zohran Mamdani have risen to prominence in New York, or that socialist candidates like those recently elected in Colorado are gaining power. When a nation drifts from God and His wisdom, Scripture indicates He may permit foreign influence to rule as a form of discipline.
History offers sobering parallels. King Nabonidus, the last ruler of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, was himself of non-Chaldean origin — his mother was of Assyrian ancestry, and he came from Harran in northern Mesopotamia, making him something of an outsider to the traditional Babylonian elite. He elevated foreign religious practices (particularly the worship of the moon god Sin) and neglected national defense in favor of personal and foreign interests. This internal weakness enabled Cyrus the Great of Persia to conquer Babylon in 539 BC with little resistance — a dramatic fall for what had once been the world’s greatest power.
The solution for America is clear. We must return to obedience to God’s laws and commands, and we must return to foundational wisdom.
It is time to amend the U.S. Constitution to ensure that only natural-born citizens may hold the offices of President, Vice President, federal elected positions, and key state leadership roles. Naturalized citizens contribute greatly to our nation and deserve respect, but placing them in positions of ultimate authority risks divided loyalties and foreign influence.
Dear America, let us protect this republic for another 250 years of liberty. To safeguard our sovereignty and resist the spread of socialism and communism, we must uphold the biblical and common-sense principle that those who rule over native-born Americans should themselves be natural-born citizens. As Deuteronomy 17:15 commands: “He must be one of your own people. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not your brother.”
It is time to amend the Constitution.
Christine Coleman is a Colorado pastor, author and founder of Blazing Holy Fire Ministries. A survivor of the 1994 Rwandan genocide and a U.S. citizen, she writes and speaks on religious freedom, human rights and faith. Read RMV’s profile of Coleman and the story behind her journey from Rwanda to Colorado.
Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in commentary pieces are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the management of the Rocky Mountain Voice, but even so we support the constitutional right of the author to express those opinions.