Deu 17:17 Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.
Deu 17:18 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:
Deu 17:19 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:
Deu 17:20 That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel.
As we have in Deut 17 the instructions to the king, let us not forget our royal lineage and responsibility.
1 Peter 2 says that I am part of the royal priesthood, Romans 8 tells me that I have been adopted into the family of the KING of Kings and Rev. 1:6 tells me that Jesus Christ has made me a king and a priest unto God and His Father.
Being royalty as a child of God, we are obliged to take great consideration when reading this text.
Not multiply horses to himself - greed and covetousness
nor cause the people to return to Egypt - this king must be an example of separation and standards as well as a watchman that warns of the pitfalls of the world (Egypt)
Ye shall henceforth return no more that way - this king has been saved from that world, why should he ever want to return, why entertain even a portion of it and why would he not consider that the slightest association that he maintains with the world will only be magnified by those he influences by thinking "if it is ok for the king..."
Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away - Solomon was warned and fell in this area. There is to be one wife, she is to be loved and ministered to, the kings are not to wander elsewhere. Prov 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence... Matt. 5:27-28 - adultery is not just physical, Job 31:1 - make a covenant with your eyes, Ps 103 - set no wicked thing before your eyes, 2 Cor. 10:5 - cast down imaginations, Prov 5:14-23 - rejoice with the wife of thy youth.
neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold - 1 Tim. 6:10-11 - the love of money is the root of all evil. Not only will it corrupt and destroy you in greed and covetousness but the king has been made God's steward with the noblest of causes - SPREADING THE GOSPEL - the resources we have been given should be used for that cause - time is short - how much will we regret standing before God having built up storehouses for ourselves that will never get used for the spreading of the gospel, much less at such a time as this when the need is so great.
he shall write him a copy of this law in a book - we can praise the Lord that we have the Bible in written form and beautifully bound already but this writing of the law is less about having a copy for personal reading; after all, the king could have had a scribe do that. The writing is about writing the law of the Lord upon the tables of our hearts (Prov. 3:3; 7:3; 1 Cor. 3:3). Some in times past have hand copied out the scriptures - I think that is wonderful and would be a worthy undertaking. Other will take that to mean memorization - I am a big proponent of memorization as I believe in God's ability to bring thing to RE-membrance which implies initial "membrance - memorization." What better thing could you put in your mind than Bible. More than that though is Ps 119:11 which (as we all know) says Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee. This is more than writing, reading or even memorizing. It is the moving of the words in your mind to the Truth manifested, understood and vowed allegiance to in your heart.
And it shall be with him - in mind, in heart and as a testimony to others of the dedication you have to the Bible. The physical presence of a Bible in your hand, on a desk etc has an impact and also places a serious measure of accountability on the one that is carrying it. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid - Mt. 5. A city on a hill is seen from a distance. This is not something that you have to have personal contact or relationship with. From far away, a city on a hill will stand out as blatant as a 6'8" guy in the Philippines :). So should there be a difference in a king - not only inwardly, but outwardly. Many have used outward dissimulations of piety for selfish reasons but that ought not to take away from the fact that a Christian should not look like the world. The fashions and immodesty of the world should not be part of the kings attire. It is a royal priesthood - and the priest had certain garments that identified him with the priesthood. Jesus did face the hypocrites and tell them their outside was clean but inside was filthy - the remedy that was suggested was not to make the inside clean and let the outside be filthy - He desired both to be clean...
and he shall read therein all the days of his life: - ok, this one is as obvious as it sounds. Never is the king to think himself as having attained. Never should we think that the perfect law of liberty has nothing left to show us. Every day we must tremble before the living, cutting, discerning, edifying and true words of God. May the Lord help us if other reading ever becomes more sweet or important as the word of God or if we think we have a good enough grasp because we can put messages together efficiently.
Also keep in mind that the scanning of 3 or 4 chapters in a reading plan will have little effect without the help of the Lord
Psa 119:18
(18) Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.
Notice the colon after that phrase - the next points are sub points or things that will be gained from the daily reading of the word.
- that he may learn to fear the LORD his God - we must tremble in reverence and awe before a God whose holiness exceeds what our minds can comprehend. I taught Sunday School last week on sort of an overview of the wilderness wanderings. We talked of all the times the children of Israel rebelled against God's authority and were not content with His provision - to see the earth open up, fire consume, plagues move across the congregation, fiery serpents etc - my fear of the Lord was increased. The more we stand still and meditate on His holiness and then His mercy on us, the more we should fear and love Him together. Lam. 3:22-23 say that it is only God's faithfulness, mercy and compassion that we are not consumed every day!
- to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them - knowing what the word of God says only means that you cannot plead ignorance with God - the expectation is not just to know it or understand it but to live it. Ezra 7:10; Joshua 1; Deuteronomy 6; Psalm 119; James 1:25 and the list could go on. I won't comment on the foolishness of pleasure seekers who want to disregard the law in the name of "liberty." Paul was the one who penned this under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit - did he live in opposition to the law? Ceremonial law, yes, this is well documented - moral law? - read Romans 6. Salvation - faith that works. Sounds like Lk. 16:15 to me when people try to justify themselves using Galatians.
Joh 14:21
(21) He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. - That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren - surely it is the Bible that teaches humility. God does not want us ever to forget that SUCH AS WERE SOME OF YOU...BUT! We all deserve hell and it was God that made the way of escape, that orchestrated for us to hear the gospel, that convicts of sin and that does the saving work. After salvation it is God which works in us to will and to do of His good pleasure. He will perform and do what He says in our lives - the only glorying that we should ever do is that we understand and know Him! (Jer. 9:23-24; Gal. 6:14)
- that he turn not aside from the commandment - our deceitful hearts are prone to wander - it is that daily focusing on God's word and seeking His help in keeping it that will keep our feet from sliding in due time
THE RESULT
to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children - follow the instructions of the king and not only will you continuously dwell in the realm of God's kingdom (by seeking the Kingdom of God - Mt. 6:33) but consider the impact on your children. Whether that be your physical earthly children that will be raised in the nurture and admonition of the Lord or spiritual children - disciples that you have the privilege of influencing with your witness, conversation and teaching.
What did the Lord show you today?
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