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.
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.
Israel was given commands on having a king chosen by God in the land they would possess. They would ask for such a king to be like the nations around them in power and show, even if they put their true King in a lesser place. God knew this would be their desire and would choose the king for them from among them. A good king would therefore be one who did not go back to Egypt for strength, nor seek multiple wives, nor great personal riches. Most of all, that king was commanded to not turn away from God’s commandment of His word (the Law) by making himself a copy of the book and read it daily for his entire life. This was to read and come to know the fear of the LORD through following these words of His. That would also keep him humble and on a straight path in following Him, not turning away (Isaiah 30:21) to either side of what is right in God’s eyes according to this word of command. Only then would the king live long and prosper along with the people he leads by God-given rule. Even now, rulers in government should spend daily time in the scriptures to avoid turning out of the way of justice and wisdom, either to the extreme left or right. His word keeps humility by the fear of the Lord in sight as the path straight ahead with strength in restraint and power used righteously. Though no other country besides Israel will ever be a land ruled by God, a good leader can seek to honor Him and give the example for his people from the scriptures. As 2 Chronicles 17:9 says, the scriptures should be then taken throughout the land and taught to others, giving the meaning and understanding to live by (Nehemiah 8:8).
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