One Preacher called these things, “temptations that go with power!”

And around 1000 BC the Kings of Israel were powerful, indeed.

Therefore God gave them “rules” for proper behavior.

Guarding against “sins that might so easily beset them.”

Today we reach the last of those regulations. (By the way, if these are good guidelines for a King, might they not also be good criteria for any leader to adopt? I think so.)

Today’s Text, a positive act, no longer a prohibition.

“And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall WRITE HIM A COPY of this law IN A BOOK out of that which is before the priests the Levites: and it shall be with him, and he shall READ THEREIN all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them: that his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel.” Deuteronomy 17:18-20

Write a Copy of the Word of God!

That would be at least the whole Book of Deuteronomy. But perhaps the entire Pentateuch, Genesis through Deuteronomy, all five Books of Moses.

Wow!

But not just “copy” the Scriptures, looks like with his own hand, but READ them regularly … “all the days of his life!” A man of the “Book,” he is to be!

Why?

That he might OBEY the Words of God!

Now note the promised “benefits” of so doing:

The fear of God will be nurtured in his life! “That he may learn to fear the LORD his God.”

Humility will be engendered as well! “That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren.”

Seems like faithfulness, dependability, steadiness will be a byproduct of this habit too. “That he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left.”

And the result?

Long life, a healthy kingdom with blessed offspring! “To the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel.”

Thrilling!

And truthfully, the Word of God is just as powerful today as it was back then.

Why don’t we make MORE of the Bible than we do?

Help us, Lord.

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

 

Pray for the Revival this week, continuing through Wednesday night, the Lord willing.

TODAY’S LESSON …

I did not originally intend to invest four Lessons in the 17th chapter (of Deuteronomy). Actually it will be a total of five before I can leave the subject at hand. We have been focusing on the “qualifications” God set in place for the different men who would serve as Kings of Israel.

One … He could not be of foreign descent. He had to be a blood brother to all the other Jews.

Two … He could not “collect” horses.”

Three … He could not be involved in polygamy. He could not “multiply” wives.

And for today … fourthly … He could not concentrate solely on money, silver and gold!

Deuteronomy 17:17, the last half of the verse … “Neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.” Pretty plain, direct.

The “string” of words “greatly multiply” requires two Hebrew equivalents, “meod rabah.” An adverb placed by a verb. (In the Hebrew text there’s a preposition between “rabah” the verb and “meod” the adverb. Like this: “Silver and gold he shall not multiply unto greatness.”)

The prohibition is quite clear.

He can’t be a lover of “filthy lucre,” as Paul would have said, Peter too. (They used this negative expression four times between them.)

No, the King must “focus” on other, more worthy things.

But do note what the text did NOT say. He can amass some gold or silver. To meet the “needs” of life, one presumes. But he cannot overly concentrate on the stuff. He is not totally forbidden an income!

In today’s language He is saying, God is: “The King must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.” He is forbidden to be “excessively rich!” He can’t “pile up” a lot of silver and gold.

I believe God wants His leaders (the Jews still being “God’s Heritage”) to concentrate on Him … not primarily on cash or investments or acquiring more and more.

Now, from Solomon to you and me. Let’s apply this verse …

Truly, God supplies all our needs, directly or indirectly.

He gives us benefits, daily!

Yet … He, the Lord, still does not want US to be lovers of money, either.

Craving more silver or gold, simply for the sake of gain, is tantamount to “idolatry” in God’s Eyes! Listen to Paul the Apostle again: “Mortify (to put to death) therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, AND COVETOUSNESS, WHICH IS IDOLATRY.” Colossians 3:5

Today (maybe more than ever) we need to let the words of the old hymn “I’d Rather Have Jesus” become a reality in our lives. With Jesus meaning more to us than “silver or gold.”

Wow!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

“The love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” 1st Timothy 6:10

So true.

 

A Quick Discussion of Deuteronomy 17:17

This “rule,” another in a series concerning the Kings of Israel … is most understandable. It is clearly predicated on previous divine legislation. (Like the Ten Commandments!)

God told Israel (well before her first Monarch ever sat upon a throne) … “Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away.” Deuteronomy 17:17, the first half of the verse, to be more precise.

Simply stated: the King cannot have many wives!

The verb “multiply” (actually “shall multiply”) is “rabah” in Hebrew, meaning “to become many.” Or “numerous,” or just “in abundance.”

This law we can all understand. We have been reared in a (once) monogamous society … the term means “one woman, one wife.”

For man to have two (or more) living wives … in my years … was called an adulterous situation.

So of course … the King cannot have many wives! (Over 500 years previously God had commanded: “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” Exodus 20:14)

But here in our Text today God uses another reason for the limitation! Again: “Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away.”

See it?  “That his heart turn not away.”

They possibly might “turn away” (in Hebrew “sur”) the King’s heart … from the living God of Israel! This verb (“sur”) can mean “to hate” as well, “to eschew” something or someone!

And this is exactly what happened later to King Solomon! “For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives TURNED AWAY his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God.” First Kings 11:4

Lesson “point” today … THAT WHICH WE LOVE OFTEN CAN CONTROL OTHER AREAS OF OUR LIVES! Apparently, the desire to please one’s Wife can (at times) conflict with the desire to please one’s God!

And God was fearful that the Wife would win! God, knowing human nature as He does, since He is the very Creator of us all! So God has (wisely) “banned” many wives for an individual man.

By the way, seems that if one has a Wife who also loves the God of Heaven and earth … he has been prudent from the very start! The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!

That’s why Proverbs 18:22 shouts: “Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD.”

Wow!

And Amen!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

 

 

Should Israel ever have an earthly King, trying to be like the nations who surrounded her, God preemptively placed some restrictions on that man, whomever he might be.

One of those “prohibitions” involved horses!

“But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.” Deuteronomy 17:16

Why couldn’t the King “collect” horses?

Because in that long-ago day horses were not used primarily for ploughing, working a field agriculturally. Not for personal enjoyment. Really not even for transportation, traveling.

They were essentially animals of “war!”

And God Himself wanted to be Israel’s DEFENSE!

Her PROTECTOR!

Her “ARMY!”

Read these verses, God’s view of horses.

“Some trust in chariots, and some in HORSES: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.” Psalm 20:7

“There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength. An HORSE is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength.” Psalm 33:16-17

God’s longing: “But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by the LORD their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, by HORSES, nor by HORSEMEN.” Hosea 1:7

Wow!

Furthermore, Egypt is mentioned in our Text verse because that (wicked) nation was the key source for horses in Moses’ time. Remember? “But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to EGYPT, to the end that he should multiply horses.”

Stay away … from that ungodly land, really land of many-gods and goddesses!

A Verse on “separation!”

And though today God certainly does not forbid you owning a horse … HE DOES TAKE OFFENSE WHEN YOU FOLLOW ANOTHER SOURCE OF STRENGTH AND PROTECTION!

Micah 3:8 is a good ending thought. “But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the LORD.”

God, my Fortress!

Not a squadron of F-16 fighters or B-1 bombers!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

God is your Protector, too, dear Christian friend! He is your Safety! Not your bank account! Not your secure job! Not your ____________ whatever else! Only the Lord God Almighty!

 

Good Thursday morning!

In Deuteronomy, the whole Book, God is “rehearsing” the Law (given via Moses on Mt. Sinai nearly years earlier) before the Nation of Israel.

In chapter 17 the subject of a “King” is being discussed. (In reality God Himself wanted to be their “King!” Israel then would have been a true “Theocracy.” Instead, God knew their hearts, their carnal desire to be “like other nations” … so He “allowed” them to become a “Monarchy” instead. Less than God’s best, by the way!)

BUT … certain requirements, restrictions, must apply … when they chose their Leader, their King.

Here’s the first one. With another one following tomorrow morning, the Lord willing.

“Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the LORD thy God shall choose: ONE FROM AMONG THY BRETHREN shalt thou set king over thee: thou mayest NOT SET A STRANGER over thee, which is not thy brother.” Deuteronomy 17:15

God’s (reluctant) choice will be a man … who is also a Jew!

“One from among thy brethren!”

That’s the positive way of stating it, a fellow Jew.

Then immediately God continues legislating, but now negatively:

“Not a stranger, which is not thy brother.”

Wow!

So much for “globalism!”

God just cast a vote for “nationalism.”

Or should I say “another vote.”

He is against “one world government,” folks.

Remember the Tower of Babel?

And God’s yet promised judgment on the global kingdom of antichrist?

But more specifically, GOD WANTS ISRAEL’S LEADER, HER KING, TO BE A PERSON FROM HER OWN RANKS. WHO UNDERSTANDS HER PROBELMS. WHO HAS WALKED “IN HER SHOES.” WHO PERSONALLY IDENTIFIES WITH HER!

What’s my “point” today, in this little Lesson?

The best leaders are those who share identity with their subjects, who come from “among” their constituency!

And that reminds me of … JESUS!

He is our (Believers, Christians) future King, you know!

And He is too our great “High Priest!”

Both Offices being possible to Him because … HE IS ONE OF US, FROM THE MIDST OF US!

Yes, He is God made into human flesh!

He is God come to earth.

He is the God-man!

I am not saying He is 50% God and 50% man. I am saying He is 100% God and 100% man!

I am saying He is “touched with the feeling of our infirmities!” See Hebrews 4:15.

I am saying (1 Timothy 3:16) Jesus is God “manifest in the flesh!”

I am saying God (the Word) “was made flesh, and dwelt among us!” See John 1:14.

I am saying Jesus is no “foreigner, stranger” … to the people He serves.

I am saying He is the TRUE King of His domain!

Are you one of His?

If you’re not, He has made it possible (through the Cross of Calvary, His shed Blood there) for you be be “saved,”nationalized, “born again” … into His domain!

Jesus, very God … yet “one of us!”

Hallelujah!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell