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 … 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. (Deuteronomy 17:18-19)
The verses that precede the ones above define the selection, qualifications and duties of the kings of Israel. First of all, they must be a native Israeli and govern according to the Word of God. If Israel were to allow for a foreigner to rule over them, as so many other nations have done, those foreign kings would bring their gods and customs with them. An example of what that would lead to is demonstrated by Jezebel, wife of Ahab, who incited Israel to sin against the LORD.
Furthermore, it was commanded that the king should have no standing cavalry so as not to be consumed with military conquest or as somethinjg to use to keep the people in subjection. He was not to have a harem of strange women lest his heart be turned away from God, a tactic the Adversary has consistently used to defile the hearts of the sons of God.
Also, as the text above states, the king was to diligently study and obey the laws given to Israel. If he were to do this, he was more likely to rule with righteous judgment and effective leadership. That these stipulations might be carried out faithfully, God told the people that He would choose who their king was to be — in short, it would not be a popularity contest but someone anointed for the task. Still, even with all of these standards in place, in time, the kings of Israel ceased to obey the Torah and the evil inclination of rulers and, consequently, the people went unchecked. In fact, it didn’t take long at all for that to happen because it was Solomon, the son of David, who initiated Israel’s descent into spiritual darkness.
For all his wisdom, Solomon failed to comply with the commands given in the Torah. In defiance of God’s Word, he multiplied horses; he multiplied wives who turned his heart to idols (1 Kings 11:4). He multiplied silver and gold at the expense of the people which, after his death, led to the nation being divided into north and south. This happened because, as it is written, “His heart was not loyal to the LORD his God” (1 Kings 11:4). All of this leads me to this point: there is no man, no matter how skilled and talented, who can truly escape the reach of an evil inclination. This is especially true when those men are placed in positions of great power. In short, men, even those who are raised up as kings, are not designed to handle fame, fortune and power — we are designed to be servants.
You see, Grandeur is God’s alone! Only He is holy, righteous and just and, consequently, He alone is infallible. We are not and should never allow ourselves to think otherwise of ourselves. There is a reason God says to us, “Do this” or “Don’t do that” — it is because He knows the heart of man. We would do well, then, to trust Him in that and, at the same time, never completely trust our own hearts. Rather let us place our trust in His Truth, let us fear Him and be careful to observe all the words of His laws and His statutes that it would be well for us and for our children. Amen.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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