There is a notion that the Messiah will be some charismatic ruler who will miraculously be able, without the preparatory work of much preliminary institution building on the part of the people of Israel, to resolve all the contradictions the Diaspora will have presented to the Jewish people as they ‘cross the Jordan’, at the moment of their taking hold of their new, sovereign destiny. That vision of (wish for) some charismatic ruler (savior) shades dangerously close to the cult of personality that is the hallmark of all great totalitarian regimes.
The emphasis in the Chumash on the authority and the unity of YHWH serves as a surrogate for, and a defense against, the cult of personality that could otherwise grow up in the leadership of the Children of Israel.
The compelling contemporary question about the divine redemption of the Jewish people is as follows: do present day Jews need to give the matter of ultimate redemption any serious thought or will it all happen by the hand of God with the Jewish people behaving passively, without much of a role in all that will be transpiring for the people? If the latter, then we should not be surprised if instead of divine rule what the Jewish people ultimately get is a totalitarian despot who claims Davidic descent.
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