Deuteronomy 17:14 - Meaning and Application

After the laws for the people, the laws for kings fitly follow, because those who rule others must also remember that they are under authority themselves. Here God gives laws, first to the people who would choose a king, and then to the king who would be chosen (Deuteronomy 17:14, Deuteronomy 17:15).

The people are here assumed to want a king in time, drawn by the outward greatness and splendor of royal rule. God does not present a king as either a special blessing or a commanded duty, because nothing could have been better for them than the rule they already had under him. Still, if they wanted a king, he allowed it, as long as the purpose of government was preserved and God’s laws were obeyed and enforced. Their desire was partly irregular, because they wanted to be like the nations around them, though God had set them apart from those nations. Even so, God allowed it because he meant to use kingship for his own purposes, making the royal office a picture of the Messiah’s kingdom.

They were also given clear direction in choosing their king. If they would have a king over them, as God knew they would, then they must ask for guidance from God and choose the man God selected. They were blessed to have an oracle to consult in such a serious matter, and a God who knows exactly what each person is and will become. Kings are God’s representatives, so it is fitting that he should choose them. God had been Israel’s king in a special way, and if they set another king over them under his rule, God himself should name the man. So when the people later wanted a king, they came to Samuel, a prophet of the Lord, and later David, Solomon, Jeroboam, Jehu, and others were chosen through prophets. The people were blamed for not keeping this law, “They have set up kings, but not by me” (Hosea 8:4). In every case, God’s choice should guide ours, if we can know it.

They must not choose a foreigner, even if they claimed it would strengthen alliances or that he seemed especially able. A foreign king would likely bring in foreign customs and practices, which would go against the divine law already established among them. He must be one of their own brethren, one of their own people, so that he would also point forward to Christ, who became truly one with us, sharing our human nature (Hebrews 2:14).

The second part of the law gives directions to the king who would be chosen, so that he could govern well. He must carefully avoid whatever would pull him away from God and true religion. Riches, honor, and pleasure are the three great hindrances to godliness, especially for people in high positions. These are the desires of the flesh, the eyes, and pride of life. So the king is warned against them.

He must not feed his love of honor by multiplying horses (Deuteronomy 17:16). A man who rode on a horse in a land where asses and mules were common would seem very grand. So although the king might have horses for his own riding and chariots, he must not place servants on horseback (Ecclesiastes 10:7), nor keep many horses for officers and guards, since when God was their king, their judges rode on asses (Judges 5:10; Judges 12:14). He must not gather many horses for war either, or he might begin to trust in them too much (Psalm 20:7; Psalm 33:17; Hosea 14:3).

The reason given is that this would create too close a connection with Egypt, which supplied horses to Canaan (1 Kings 10:28, 1 Kings 10:29). That was not fitting for Israel, since God had brought them out of Egypt with such a mighty hand. “You shall return that way no more,” because they were in danger of being infected by Egypt’s idolatries (Leviticus 18:3), to which they were very prone. We should beware of any trade or companionship that puts us in danger of sin. If Israel must not return to Egypt, they must not build close business ties with Egypt either. Solomon gained nothing good from that kind of trade.

He must also not feed his love of pleasure by multiplying wives (Deuteronomy 17:17), as Solomon did, to his own ruin (1 Kings 11:1). If his heart became fixed on them, they would turn him away from business and from serious duties, especially from worship and devotion. Nothing is a greater enemy to true piety than giving free rein to the flesh.

He must also not feed his love of wealth by greatly increasing silver and gold. He was allowed a suitable treasury, and he was not forbidden to manage it wisely. But he must not pile up wealth in a way that oppressed his people, as Solomon seems to have done (1 Kings 12:4), or in a way that made him trust in riches and set his heart on them (Psalm 62:10). He must not gather wealth for himself. David did multiply silver and gold, but he did it for God’s service (1 Chronicles 29:4), not for his own comfort, and for the good of the people, not for his private family.

He must also give himself carefully to God’s law and make it his rule. That law must be better to him than riches, honor, pleasure, many horses, many wives, or great stores of silver and gold. He was to write out for himself a copy of the law from the original kept by the priests who served at the sanctuary (Deuteronomy 17:18). Some think he was to copy only Deuteronomy, since it is a summary of the law and its commands are mostly moral and civil, which concerned the king most. Others think he was to copy all five books of Moses, since all of them together were called the law and formed the foundation of Israel’s faith.

Even if he already had good copies from his ancestors, he was still to have one of his own. Their copies may have been worn out from use, and he was to begin his reign with a fresh one. And even if he had scribes around him who could write better than he could, he was to write it himself, with his own hand. That would honor the law, remind him that no act of religion was beneath him, and train him in labor and study. It would also force him to pay close attention to every part of the law and help fix it in his mind. It is very useful for each of us to write down what most helps and moves us from Scripture, good books, and sermons. A wise use of the pen can make up for weak memory and help fill the storehouse of a good heart with both old things and new.

He was to do this even after he sat on the throne of his kingdom, if he had not already done it before.

When a king begins his work, he must put this first. A ruler has many demands on his time and mind, at home and abroad, yet he must write out a copy of the law. Those who call themselves busy people should not think that busyness frees them from making religion their main work. Nor should great men think it lowers them to copy for themselves the great truths of God’s law, which God has written for them (Hosea 8:12).

Having a Bible in his own hand is not enough if he keeps it locked away in his cabinet. He must read it all the days of his life (Deuteronomy 17:19). It is not enough to own Bibles, we must use them, and use them daily, as our need requires. Our souls must feed on that manna regularly, and when it is well digested, it gives real strength and nourishment. The body keeps gaining help from food again and again, not only while eating, and so the soul is helped by God’s word when we think on it day and night (Psalm 1:2). We must keep using God’s written word as long as we live. Christ’s students never get beyond their Bibles, and they will always need them until they come to the world where knowledge and love are both made perfect.

All his writing and reading would be useless if he did not put what he learned into practice (Deuteronomy 17:19, 20). God’s word is not meant only to be studied as an interesting subject, but to serve as a ruling guide for life. He must understand what rule religion should have over him, and what effect it should have on him. First, it must fill him with a deep respect and awe for God’s majesty and authority. He must learn, and even the most learned must keep learning, to fear the Lord his God. No matter how high he is, he must remember that God is above him. Whatever honor his subjects owe him, he owes far more to God as his King.

Second, that fear must lead him to constant obedience to God’s law. He must keep all the words of this law, not only seeing that others do them, but doing them himself as a humble servant of the God of heaven and a good example to those below him. Third, it must keep him humble. No matter how high he rises, he must keep a low spirit. The fear of God should stop him from looking down on his people or treating them with pride. He must not think himself better than they are just because he is greater and has more outward splendor. He must remember that he is God’s servant for their good, greater than any one person, yet less than the whole people.

Religion will also bring him real advantage. Those who fear God and keep his commandments will surely be better off in this life. The greatest monarch in the world may gain more from religion than from all the wealth and power of his kingdom. It will help, first, his own life, for he shall live longer in his kingdom. In the history of Judah’s kings, the best reigns were usually the longest, unless God shortened them to punish the people, as he did with Josiah. Second, it will help his family, for his children shall also do well. Pass on religion to your descendants, and God will pass on a blessing to them.