Deuteronomy 17:14-20 - Real Rulers Read God’s Word

Deuteronomy 17:14-20

Principles Governing Kings

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.

We see that God wanted to set a ruler, a king, over His people (Romans 13:1) and not give the choice to the people themselves.  We always choose badly.  This ruler was to have a copy of God’s word with him at all times to read and follow, something modern rulers seldom ever do; they claim God or even Christ, yet do not heed the word of God sitting on public display somewhere.  The ruler was to come from the people, the nation, of God and not from another place where their God was not known and worshiped.  The king was not to be accumulating his own wealth or power base either.  He was not to turn the people back with his own wandering heart to the bondage of sin (Acts 7:39-40) in supporting it as Egypt represented here.  To rule well, the ruler was to keep (make back then since no printing press existed) a copy of the word of God, a scroll of the the scriptures, with the priests as witnesses that he actually did this.  This was to remind him to keep the word close and spend time reading it every day (Psalm 119:10-11) in order that he might revere the LORD God as his own sovereign who put him in place to guide his people.  He was not just to read, but put the words into practice to keep him humble and not privileged as more worthy or important than the others he served, a good example for leaders today that they do not do.  A long reign comes from a man who knows that a real ruler reads and follows God’s word in humility and service, not selfish pride and power or wealth building.  May God put such a godly man over us!