What a King is to Do

"Now it shall come about when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. 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, by carefully observing all the words of this law and these statutes, that his heart may not be lifted up above his countrymen and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, to the right or the left, so that he and his sons may continue long in his kingdom in the midst of Israel." -Deuteronomy 17.18-20

Moses continues with further instructions on what a king is to do. When he comes to power he is to write a copy of the law in the presence of the priests. He is to keep it with him and read it daily in order to learn to fear God and to carefully observe all of the law. The purpose is to keep him humble and committed to the service of his people. If this is what he does his line will continue to rule Israel.

A king is to personally write his own copy in the presence of the priests. He is to invest himself in this, and writing adds another learning aspect to aid in retention. It is to be done in the presence of the priests to insure accuracy and avoid corruption. But personally writing an accurate copy of the law isn't enough, he needs to read it daily. This cannot be overlooked. Every day we must be studying the laws of God and learning His statutes. This cannot be an occasional practice for leaders, but one the depend on daily. If they lose sight of God, they lose sight of the purpose for their rule, which is ultimately to point their people to Him.

A king who fears God knows that God has put him in a position of power and influence, and realizes that God can remove him. He knows that God is the highest King, and seeks to lead others to follow and serve Him. A king who seeks God, learns and lives by His statues, and serves his people, will have God's blessing on his reign.

Men, does your reign have God's blessing? Are you daily studying what God has said and learning to fear and follow Him? Do you write out accurately what God's law says? Are you humble, knowing that you only are where you are because God has brought you there?

The purpose of a king is to better the lives of the people he leads. Looking at history there are kings that start out with this mindset, but in failing to do this, lose focus and over time they become selfish and lazy. Other kings never have this mindset and couldn't care less about doing this.

Let us be kings who fear and follow God. Let us daily study His laws and statutes so that we may better live them. And as we do, may we point those we lead to follow God. That is what a king is to do.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

The Purpose of a King

"When you enter the land which the Lord your God gives you, and you possess it and live in it, and you say, 'I will set a king over me like all the nations who are around me,' you shall surely set a king over you whom the Lord your God chooses, one from among your countrymen you shall set as king over yourselves; you may not put a foreigner over yourselves who is not your countryman. Moreover, he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor shall he cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, since the Lord has said to you, 'You shall never again return that way.' He shall not multiply wives for himself, or else his heart will turn away; nor shall he greatly increase silver and gold for himself." -Deuteronomy 17.14-17

In the book of 1 Samuel the people get to the point where they want a king to rule over them. At that time God warns them of what a king will do and be like, and tells Israel that they do not need a king because He is their King. The people refuse to listen and so God appoints for them a king. Here in Deuteronomy 17 God lays out some guidelines for a king to follow.

The king Israel appoints is to be one of their own, and chosen by God. He is not to use the position to acquire wealth and possession. He is not to take multiple wives, not even to secure treaties with other nations. With these instructions we can learn a few things about God's intention for a king.

Primarily, being king is about serving the people you lead, not the other way around. A king is not to oppress his subjects to make his own life comfortable, but rather subject himself to them, doing whatever he can to better their lives. A foreigner doesn't care about people they aren't part of.

Because a king's primary purpose is to serve others, he is not to use his position to increase his wealth or his possessions. He is not to compromise the security, or freedom, of his people to advance himself. His role is to protect his people, not his rule. His focus is not to be on bettering his own life, but the lives of his people.

A king is not to take the easy way out. The simplest way to secure a friendship with a foreign nation was to marry a relative of another king. But in doing this it welcomed pagan influence into the home of the king. A king is to trust God and lead his people in trusting God. He is to provide for the security of his nation by protecting his integrity and the worship of God.

Look over the past few centuries, how many kings/presidents/leaders like that have their been?

Men, what kind of king are you? last year in the study of The Way of the Wild Heart we looked at the stage of king that every man is born to play, and as we've stated here, a king is in place to serve those he leads. Are you using your position to better the lives of those who are leading? Or have you taken advantage of your position to better your own life?

All men have been chosen by God to be kings in some capacity. Let us strive to be good kings who serve the people.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Justice and Society

"If a man takes the life of any human being, he shall surely be put to death. The one who takes the life of an animal shall make it good, life for life. If a man injures his neighbor, just as he has done, so it shall be done to him: fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; just as he has injured a man, so it shall be inflicted on him. Thus the one who kills an animal shall make it good, but the one who kills a man shall be put to death. There shall be one standard for you; it shall be for the stranger as well as the native, for I am the Lord your God." -Leviticus 24.17-22

The Bible does speak to capital punishment. God says that if a man takes someone's live, he shall be put to death. Murder cannot be overlooked, and it cannot be treated with leniency. God lays out justice for His people so that society can function.

People will wonder how Christian's can be in favor of the death penalty if we're supposed to be all about forgiveness, mercy, and grace. The best answer I've heard came from Mike Huckabee during one of the Republican primaries. He was asked how he could be pro-life and in favor of the death penalty. He shared some of the experience he had had with signing the capital punishment order as governor, and ended by saying the difference between the death penalty and abortion is that abortion takes a life that hasn't had the chance to choose what to do.

In Deuteronomy 17 we see the requirements for carrying out the death penalty. There had to be at least two eyewitnesses, and the witnesses would cast the first stones to carry out the sentence. Those who took like intentionally were punished by having their life taken. Life has to be protected for society to function.

Men, do we believe in and support justice? Do we defend life and work to protect society itself? Do we value life? Are we willing to stand up for justice to protect the lives and rights of the innocent?

Let us stand up for justice and protect society. It is part of our responsibility as men.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor