God anticipated that at some point, the children of Israel would desire to have a king to rule over them. He anticipated that when they had settled in the land, influenced by the surrounding nations, they would ask for a king to be installed over them. This came to pass in the prophet Samuel’s closing days. In First Samuel 8:15, the elders of Israel came to the aged prophet saying, “…Now appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations.” Since it was their desire to have a king over them, God granted their desire but stipulated the conditions. In Deuteronomy 17:15-20, God specified what they should and should not do concerning the installation of a king.
Firstly, the person to be installed as
king must be an Israelite, one among them and not a foreigner. Besides, he must
be one who was divinely approved. Secondly, this king must not multiply horses,
for to do so was to depend on his own strength to govern the people. That could
lead him to put the people under bondage to serve him like what their
forefathers went through in Egypt. Thirdly, the king whom they would install must
not multiply for himself wives or riches. For if he did so, he would be
distracted, and his heart might be turned away from God. Notice here the three
things God forbade in verses 16-17 had to do with money, sex, and power. To
multiply silver and gold had to do with money, to multiply wives had to do with
sex and to multiply horses had to do with power. Money, sex and power are still
the three potent forces in our lives that can lure us away from God. It behooves
us therefore to be careful how we handle these areas of our lives.
Instead of concentrating on matters that could increase money, sex, and power, the would-be king should instead make the instructions of God primary in his life. Verses 18-19 urged him to do three things. Firstly, he was to copy the instructions of God in the presence of the Levitical priests. This probably was to ensure accuracy and that he would not add or subtract from what God had given. Secondly, he was to read it all the days of his life so that he would learn to fear the Lord. Thirdly, he must be careful to observe the instructions of God. Focusing on obeying the instructions of God would keep him humble and he and his children would continue to reign. Again like the potential king, we too must focus on obeying God’s Word. If we want to stay humble and not lord over others, the Word of God must play a major part in our lives. We are told to hide the Word of God in our hearts so that we will not sin against Him.
Many of us will probably never get to be a king to reign over a nation and the lives of others. But we all have to govern and reign over our own life. Interestingly this is what Romans 5:17 instructs us to do. In the J.B. Philips’ translation of the New Testament, this verse reads this way: “For if one man’s offence meant that men should be slaves to death all their lives, it is a far greater thing that through another man, Jesus Christ, men by their acceptance of his more than sufficient grace and righteousness, should live all their lives like kings!” And if we are to reign over our life successfully, we must be watchful not to be enticed by money, sex, and power. We must instead be grounded in God’s Word. We must meditate, read, study, memorize and assimilate the Word of God and make it a part of our daily living. It is even more needful now in our days!
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