Day: November 27, 2022

Sunday, November 27, 2022

“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 KJV).

Behold, Israel’s King and God’s Word!

Sin, unfortunately, causes people to have an extremely negative view of government. Whenever individuals oversee others’ affairs, there will always be the high risk (and presence) of abuse of power—leaders taking advantage of or not seeking the wellbeing of those under them, governmental officials allowing evildoers to go unpunished, and the like. God took great care in minimizing that possibility in today’s Scripture.

Centuries prior to their demand for a king (see 1 Samuel 8:1-9), the LORD in today’s Scripture foresaw the day when Israel would have a monarch. The LORD God could not be clearer through Moses’ parting instructions. Once a new king came into power, that king was to “write… a copy of this law in a book.” That is, whatever Bible had been written up to that point, the king was required to have a copy of it himself so he could study it. Whereas the Levitical priests kept the original manuscripts in the Ark of the Covenant, the king was to have a copy of these sacred texts and he was to read and study that copy of the Bible his entire life. “And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life.” As long as that king valued God’s words, God’s blessing would be upon his kingdom.

“The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just [fair, righteous], ruling in the fear of God” (King David in 2 Samuel 23:3).

NOTE: In case you have not noticed, concerning our New Testament Survey Project, we are now studying Acts verse-by-verse. The introduction to Acts video can be watched by clicking here. Stay tuned for additional studies!