Deuteronomy 17:14-20
14 “When you come to the land which the LORD your God is giving
you, and possess it and dwell in it, and say, ‘I will
set a king over me like all the nations that are around me,’
15 you shall surely set a king over you whom the LORD your God
chooses; one from among your brethren you shall set as king over
you; you may not set a foreigner over you, who is not your
brother.
16 But he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the
people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, for the LORD has
said to you, ‘You shall not return that way again.’
17 Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart
turn away; nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold for
himself.
18 “Also it shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom,
that he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book,
from the one before the priests, the Levites.
19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days
of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God and be
careful to observe all the words of this law and these
statutes,
20 that his heart may not be lifted above his brethren, that he
may not turn aside from the commandment to the right hand
or to the left, and that he may prolong his days in his kingdom,
he and his children in the midst of Israel.
God knew in the process of time, His beloved people would desire to
have their own earthly kings, just like their neighboring nations.
The splendor and glory of living in a kingdom where a king ruled
and reigned was something they longed to have also.
God was, and is
and will be their King. But they could not see their Heavenly King.
Their eyes were upon the riches that other nations were enjoying
with a king in place. Their hearts were desiring to have a king to
mobilize them to fight against their enemies in the Promised Land.
God permitted
them to have a king but with some terms and conditions attached:
- Chosen by
God
- Chosen
among their brothers
- No
foreigners
- No
excessive power
- No
excessive wives
- No
excessive wealth
- Copying the
Scriptures himself
- Reading the
Scriptures daily
- Not
becoming proud
- Keeping
God’s commandments
1. Chosen By God
"...you shall
surely set a king over you whom the LORD your God chooses..."
(Deut 17:15)
God foreknew
that the Israelites would elect a king to
rule over them. They needed to be directed in their choices and
decisions for such an important matter. God knew how deceptive their
hearts were, and how they would err if they were left on their own.
He therefore asked Moses to write down this utmost requirement. They
had to seek God, and ask Him for His counsel in electing the right
man.
God Himself is
the King of kings. All earthly kings are under Him. To set a king
over His people, it was necessary that God Himself should nominate
the person. Accordingly, when the people desired to have a king,
they would approach a prophet of the LORD.
Saul was
appointed and anointed as the first king of Israel by the prophet
Samuel. The whole selection process by God can be found in 1 Samuel
chapters 9 and 10. David was the second king of Israel. How God
chose him was described in 1 Samuel 16. But not all kings of Israel
and Judah were chosen by God. The Israelites were reproved by God
for not observing His requirement:
They set up
kings, but not by Me;
they made princes, but I did not acknowledge them.
From their silver and gold
they made idols for themselves--
that they might be cut off. (Hosea 8:4)
2. Chosen Among Their Brothers
"...one from
among your brethren you shall set as king over you..." (Deut
17:15)
God is not just
the King of Israel, He is also their Abba Father! He desires that
His sons would dwell together in unity as loving brothers (Psalm
133:1).
The kingdom of
God is a family setup. Brothers working together for the total and
overall good of the family. There should not be any strife and
fighting among the brothers over who should lead and who should
follow. It was their Father’s choice, and they should obey
accordingly with joy and delight.
3. No Foreigners
"...you may not
set a foreigner over you, who is not your brother." (Deut
17:15)
God is very
protective over His people. Foreigners would introduce strange
customs and other gods. They would not come under the divine laws
and leadership of God. By doing this, God was preserving and keeping
His people holy:
For you are
a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has
chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above
all the peoples on the face of the earth. (Deut 7:6)
The foreigners
could sometimes be their enemies under the pretense of helping them
by forming unholy alliances. Their help was in the LORD Himself, and
no one else.
4. No Excessive Power
But he shall not
multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt
to multiply horses, for the LORD has said to you, 'You shall not
return that way again.' (Deut 17:16)
The king should
not multiply horses for himself. In the ancient East, the horses
were not used for the purposes of agriculture or travel. They were
primarily used for wars and battles.
Some trust
in chariots, and some in horses;
but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.
(Psalm 20:7)
This prohibition
aimed to teach the elected kings to put their trust in God, for the
battle belonged to the LORD! The kings could possess power but
should not be possessed by the lust for power. They should not be
like other pagan kings building costly and formidable preparations
for war.
Yet I will
have mercy on the house of Judah,
will save them by the LORD their God,
and will not save them by bow,
nor by sword or battle,
by horses or horsemen. (Hosea 1:7)
Egypt was the
principal source from which the surrounding nations got their
supplies of horses. This would produce a great reliance and
dependence upon Egypt. In the process, they would reverse the great
deliverance that God had brought them out from the bondage of Egypt.
Trading with Egypt would again enslave them as they became
dependent, and came under the Egyptian powers and controls. God
therefore severely warned that they should no more return that way
again back to Egypt.
5. No Excessive Wives
"Neither shall
he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away..."
(Deut 17:17)
Multiplication
of wives would lead to sensuality. Nothing was worse than the
continual indulgence of satisfying the lusts of the flesh. The king
must not have too many wives as they were beyond his capacity to
handle.
Excessive wives
could turn his heart away from God. Solomon attempted to handle a
thousand wives. But his failure was published in 1 Kings 11. He
disobeyed God's instruction by loving many foreign women. His wives
turned his heart after their pagan gods.
The king must
know his own heart, limitations, strengths and weaknesses. Besides
governing the nation well, God expected the king to manage his wives
and family also.
6. No Excessive Wealth
"...nor shall he
greatly multiply silver and gold for himself." (Deut 17:17)
The king must
not gratify the love of money by greatly multiplying silver and gold
for himself. To multiply money, the king often would oppress his own
people as he raised it through heavy taxes and other evil schemes.
Do not trust
in oppression,
nor vainly hope in robbery;
if riches increase,
do not set your heart on them. (Psalm 62:10)
The king must
not multiply it for himself. David prospered abundantly in silver
and gold. But they were used for the service of God, not for
himself, and not for his own family.
Moreover,
because I have set my affection on the house of my God, I have
given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have
prepared for the holy house, my own special treasure of gold and
silver…(1 Chron 29:3)
7. Copying The
Scriptures Himself
"Also it shall
be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write
for himself a copy of this law in a book, from the one before the
priests, the Levites." (Deut 17:18)
To rule the nation with righteousness and justice, the king must
know the laws of God. He must write himself a copy of the Scriptures
out of the original, which was in the custody of the priests who
served in the tabernacle.
Some
commentators said that the king had to transcribe all the five books
of Moses, which was known as the Torah - the foundation of the
Hebraic faith. But others said that the king was to write only the
book of Deuteronomy, which was an abstract of the Torah. Being
mostly moral and judicial, Deuteronomy would be of more concern to
the king than the ceremonial and priestly laws in Leviticus and
Numbers. Concerning this matter, the complete Torah was the better
option.
The king must
have his own copy to be written by his own hands. He should not be
presumptuous to use those copies handed down to him by his ancestors
or predecessors. Their copies might be worn and torn after many
years of use. The LORD required him to write a fresh copy to begin
his reign.
The king might
have scribes and secretaries whom he could employ to copy the
Scriptures for him. They perhaps could write better or have nicer
handwritings than him. But the king could not pass this
responsibility to them. He must do it himself with his own hands for
the glory and honour of his nation and God.
This exercise of
copying the Scriptures trained the king to do personal study of the
Scriptures. By writing it letter by letter, word by word, the
Scriptures were imprinted in his mind. A prudent pen could go very
far beyond the deficiencies of a weak human memory.
8. Reading The
Scriptures Daily
"And it shall be
with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may
learn to fear the LORD his God and be careful to observe all the
words of this law and these statutes..." (Deut 17:19)
After writing a
copy of the Holy Scriptures by his own hands, the king must not
think that it was to be safely kept in his cupboard, and to be
stored away for good. He must read
everything written therein all the days of his life.
King David
obeyed the LORD, and he had done it as he wrote:
But his
delight is in the law of the LORD,
and in His law he meditates day and night.
He shall be like a tree
planted by the rivers of water,
that brings forth its fruit in its season,
whose leaf also shall not wither;
and whatever he does shall prosper. (Psalm 1:2-3)
Beyond reading
the Torah, the king must use and apply them as the needs arose in
his daily duties and routines. As he studied and learnt of the ways
of the LORD, he became learned and competent to deal with the
various matters of the kingdom. He also increased in wisdom as he
gave holy reverence to the LORD.
The fear of
the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1:7)
9. Not Becoming Proud
"...that his
heart may not be lifted above his brethren..." (Deut 17:20)
As the king kept
the Word of God in his heart, his heart would not be lifted up above
his brothers. He would love them, and take good care of them. He
would consider himself as a humble servant of the Most High God,
serving Him and His people. King David had served his own generation
by the will of God before he died (Acts 13:36).
Even as the king
was exalted in his throne, he remained humble in his heart. The fear
of his God would prevent him to get puffed up, carrying himself
haughtily or arrogantly towards his own people.
10. Keeping God’s
Commandments
"...that he may
not turn aside from the commandment to the right hand or to the
left, and that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his
children in the midst of Israel." (Deut 17:20)
The Word of God
would keep the king in the right path, not turning to the right or
to the left. Trust and obey God is the only way to reign
righteously.
The king who
feared God and kept His commandments did better than those who did
not. Besides godly wealth and power that God would bestow upon the
king and his people, God also promised to prolong his days in his
kingdom.
There were many kings who had
disobeyed the LORD. Samuel said to King Saul in
1 Samuel 13:13-14:
"You have
done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the LORD
your God, which He commanded you. For now the LORD would
have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your
kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought for Himself a
man after His own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be
commander over His people, because you have not kept what the
LORD commanded you."
Nehemiah
testified against those kings who did not obey God’s commandments
(Nehemiah 9:34-35):
Neither our
kings nor our princes,
our priests nor our fathers,
have kept Your law,
nor heeded Your commandments and Your testimonies,
with which You testified against them.
For they
have not served You in their kingdom,
or in the many good things that You gave them,
or in the large and rich land which You set before them;
nor did they turn from their wicked works.
Conclusion:
When our King
returns, we shall reign with Him
as kings and priests (Revelation 5:10).
With this in
mind, let’s shape up our hearts before taking up our royal
priesthood positions, both kingly and
priestly. Remember His terms and conditions if we truly desire to
reign with Him as kings.
A Special Note:
A president is not a king and vice versa. Though presidents and
kings are heads of state, they attain their positions in very
different ways.
A king is a head of state who inherits his
position from his family. A king is a ruler for life unless he
abdicates. A king is usually revered as the sovereign leader of his
nation.
But a president is an official who is elected,
either directly by the people or through a representative system. A
president usually has a limited duration of time or term to serve
his nation.
United Kingdom is a kingdom but United States is
not. A kingdom has a king. USA is a republic. UK is ruled by a king, and USA is governed by a president.
Source:
Matthew Henry's Commentary
Written on:
9 November 2004