When thou art come unto the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, I will set a king over me, like as all the nations that are about me; Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the Lord thy God shall choose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother(Deut. 17:14-15).
Moses knew the people that he led very, very well. He knew their many weaknesses and their tendency to yield to peer pressure. Although God had established a comfortable hierarchy of leadership through the priests, Levites, and judges (established under the authority of Moses) (Ex. 18:24-26), and although God Himself occupied the position of Leader and final authority in all things, Moses knew that the people would not be satisfied for long. They would look at the nations surrounding them, realize they were different, and begin clamoring for a king. It was not the path He wanted for them, but he was aware that it was one they would eventually choose.
Through His servant Moses, God outlined His requirements for such an eventuality, detailing both the selection and the manner in which the king would be expected to conduct himself once crowned. For a man to be crowned king, he would have to be an Israelite of God’s choosing; no one else would do (Deut. 17:15). Once placed on the throne, he would be dependent on God for power and expected to draw His might from the Lord. He would be forbidden to amass large stables of horses or outfit a standing cavalry, and neither he nor the people he led would be allowed to return to Egypt for aid or trade (17:16). God intended for Israel to stand as a testament to the power of God, not to the power of her king.
Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold (17:17). To remain in God’s favor, the king would be expected to abstain from marrying multiple wives. It was common practice for kings of that era to take wives from the daughters of rulers of surrounding kingdoms. Through these marriages, they would form powerful political alliances. God wanted to ensure that Israel’s king stayed true to his covenant relationship with God. That sacred partnership would suffer if he divided his loyalties between multiple allies. For much the same reason, the king would not be allowed to build up and capitalize on his own wealth (17:17). Just as the Israelites in the wilderness had relied on God for their daily bread, so too would the king be required to trust in the Lord to meet his needs.
The final and most important of the commands indicated that the appointed king would need to understand all the laws of God. And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites: And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them (17:18-19). Only by following these statutes would the king and the kingdom entrusted to him by God thrive.
The Lord hath prepared His throne in the heavens; and His kingdom ruleth over all(Ps. 103:19).
Thought For TodayGod expects us to better ourselves in His service, but His expectations have never been for perfection; faith is found in braving the challenge, not succeeding in it.
Word Studies17:2 transgressing His covenant = sinful conduct; 17:4 wrought = done; 17:12 presumptuously = arrogantly, haughtily; hearken unto = listen to and obey; 17:15 stranger = foreigner; 18:3 due = right; 18:6 sojourned = has been residing; 18:8 like = equal; patrimony = father’s estate.
Christ Revealed:Through the Old Testament animal (without blemish) from which sacrifices were made (Deut. 17:1). Christ was perfectly pure from all sin. Christ . . . without blemish and without spot (I Pet. 1:19).
Pray For Staff:Kevin Jennings • Government Official: Rep. Juan Vargas (CA) • Country: Syria (17,951,639) Middle East • Major Language: Arabic • No Religious Freedom - Islamic State • 87% Muslim; 10% Christian (Orthodox, Uniate, Nestorian); 3% Other (Druze, Jewish) • Prayer Suggestion: Continually watch and pray so that you won’t yield to temptation in a moment of weakness (Matt. 26:41).
Optional Reading:Luke 22