Laws for ruling, Laws for Kings

Deuteronomy Chapter 17

Moses reminded the people of Israel to never use a defective animal for sacrifice, because the Lord detested such gifts.

Moses asked the people to suppose that in one of their towns a man or woman had done evil and violated the covenant by serving other gods or worshipping the sun, moon or any other forces of heaven, which was strictly forbidden. He asked that if this happened, they investigate the matter thoroughly before taking the guilty person to the gates of the town and stoning that person to death. Never, he said, use the testimony of only one witness. Use two or three and the witnesses must be the first to cast the first stone.

Another scene Moses described was where a local court has a case that is too difficult to be decided. Take such cases to the place the Lord has chosen, where the Levite priests and judge on duty will hear the case and make the decisions, he said. Then the sentence must be fully executed and not modified in any way. Anyone who is arrogant enough to reject the verdict or judge or priest who represents the Lord, must be put to death. Such evil must be purged from Israel so those who hear about it will be afraid to act arrogantly.

Soon, said Moses, the Lord would let the people enter the Land and conquer it and settle there. Then the people will begin to wonder if they should have a king like the other nations. Be sure, said Moses, to choose as king the man the Lord chooses. You may appoint an Israelite, said Moses, but not a foreigner. The king must not build a large stable of horses for himself and he must never send his people to Egypt to buy horses there. The king must not accumulate vast amounts of wealth in silver, and gold for himself. The king must not take many wives for himself because they would lead him away from the Lord.

When the King sits at his throne, he must copy the laws on a scroll for himself, in the presence of the Levite priests. He must always keep this copy with him, and read it daily as long as he lives. This way he would learn to fear the Lord by obeying the terms always. Regular reading would also prevent him from becoming proud and prevent him from turning away from these commands in the smallest way; so that his descendants would reign for many generations.

BIBLE NOTES SHOW the fact that Moses had to remind people not to use defective animals, probably meant some of them were sacrificing imperfect ones to the Lord. Shortchanging God and feeling like we won't get caught is tempting, but we and they must give the best to God to honor him.

A person needed two or three witnesses to be condemned to death. Having the witnesses throw the first stones, made them think twice about accusing unjustly.

Israelite kings did not heed the warnings regarding accumulating wealth and it was their downfall. We shall see Solomon becoming wealthy and having many wives. The king was supposed to be a man of God's word. He was supposed to have a copy of the law for his personal use and keep it, and read it every day to obey it completely.

How does this chapter affect us in today's world? It shows how easily influenced the people were, just like us in today's world. They hadn't even reached the promised land and already, their sacrifices were tainted. When we give God our leftovers, it shows God obviously is not our first priority. He must come FIRST!

Kings still exist in our world, as do presidents and prime ministers. Wouldn't it be nice if they acknowledged their faith?

Yours in Christ,
Mary

In case everyone wondered where this blog has been, I have been away to northwestern Montana for the past several days, taking part in my small town class reunion and burying my husband's ashes. I must tell you that a member of my class found this blog on Google and was delighted to read it. Also, I had business cards printed with the blog name, and handed a few out at my reunion.

It was fun to see my classmates, all of us the same age and looking good. All of us taught to be clean and polite, saying please and thank you and all the stuff we learned in kindergarten. In our group of only about 50 strong now, we have a couple of attorneys, an eye doctor, a minister, a woman CEO of a large bank, a woman dean of a college, a couple of nurses, a writer, homemakers, railroad people, teachers and other fine occupations, and a few who let alcohol or drugs into their systems and learned the hard way. Many served in the military, some died on foreign soil. The retired minister told me he considers our class his flock. He told me he noticed my "christian glow" the minute I walked into the room. We had a good chat. God blessed me with the opportunity to have 12 school years with these classmates. Praise be to God!