Kings in the history of Israel were to complete an assignment and refer back to it over and over again. We are told in Deuteronomy 17:18-20; “And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests. And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them, that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel.” (ESV)
The king of the nation Israel was to take the Law already written and make his own copy so that it would direct him in leading the people of God. In writing it out for himself, it would necessitate the new king to interact intimately with the Law of God.
Since Deuteronomy is the second giving of the Law and the fifth book written in the Old Testament, that means the Law which the king would write for himself comes from the first four books. Today we may look at Exodus, which first records the Ten Commandments, as the Law the king would write for himself. Yet it could be all four of the books with the exception of Deuteronomy.
What is interesting about this passage is that there was no king at the time Moses wrote those words. Yet, God knew that eventually the nation would clamor for a king to be like the nations around them.
The advantages of the king of Israel knowing the Law of God were manifold. After writing it down, they will read it many times so that the king may highly respect the LORD through knowing and obeying the Law. With knowing and obeying God’s Law, the king would not become boastful, but dependent upon God for the safety and security of the nation. God has infinitely more wisdom than any human and the king needed to remember this.
Next the king will follow the Law of God without turning to the right of left. The result of writing down the Law of God by the king for his own reign is that he can rule for a long time in the land and so could his children.
The Ten Commandments were the Law of the land in Israel. Everyone was to obey them and when they did, the nation was prosperous and free from worries of the nations around them. However, when they disobeyed the Law of God they struggled and eventually, after not following God’s Law for a long time, they were overtaken by another nation and enslaved for 70 years.
Maybe our government leaders could take a page from the history of the Jewish nation. Our nation was founded on the Constitution which was based on principles of the Bible. It began with the Articles of Confederation, but they were inadequate to unite the first states, so a few years later the U. S. Constitution was written, voted upon and ratified in 1789.
We the people, being the employers of those who sit in office should perhaps require our elected officials to hand write the U. S. Constitution so that they might know and follow the original laws of the land. The words written in our founding documents were to free us from an overbearing government and give us the ability to reach our full God-given potential.
God knew that a human king would restrict the people from reaching their full potential and pull families apart. God’s Law, from the beginning, has been to bring forth the full potential of each individual as long as His Law is followed.
However, it seems that men cannot get out of their own way of disobeying the perfect Law and so God did something about it. Paul the apostle wrote to the church at Rome and us, “For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending His Own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” (Romans 8:3-4)
God sent His very own Son to do that which we could not do and that was to follow His Law perfectly. Jesus was sent by His Father out of His love for us as we languished in our own pigsty called sin and took it from us. He put all of that filth upon Himself, even though He never did anything wrong. He did it so that we could again have a full-fledged relationship with His Father.
So perhaps our government leaders should not only write out the U. S. Constitution but also the Law of God. This would advance this great nation back to the solid foundation upon which it began in our founding fathers’ visionary minds and eyes.
Check that: Maybe we all should write down the Constitution and Law of God/Ten Commandments so that we can right the ship and not only get back to what made this country exceptional, but also move forward. Apart from God’s blessing we cannot advance, for true progress is not made in the ways of man, but in the ways of God.