The King Must Follow the Law

[Dale]

The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of
horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get
more of them, for the LORD has told you, “You are not to
go back that way again.”
He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray.
He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.
When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for
himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the
priests, who are Levites.
It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life
so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow
carefully all the words of this law and these decrees
and not consider himself better than his brothers and turn
from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his
descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.
--Deuteronomy 17:16-20 NIV

The King of Israel is instructed to personally copy a scroll of the law and read it frequently.

It looks like David, Solomon and other Kings of Israel should have paid attention to the warning against “many wives.”

The principle that no one is above the law is something that we can still learn from today.

 

[Halbhh]

He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.

You know, it's often what we remember first that Israel was very specifically commanded not to intermarry into the surrounding idol worshipping peoples, lest they lead Israel into worshipping idols, and then of course Solomon had 700 wives and built altars for them to worship their favored idols...and that's the most prominent thing we remember first...

But it's interesting to notice this other rule -- He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.

And then later we read a lengthy description of the enormous wealth accumulated under Solomon, and how Solomon built himself a very luminous house for himself in addition to the Temple, having some of the same very special materials, and so on...

14 The weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents, 15not including the revenues from merchants and traders and from all the Arabian kings and the governors of the territories.

16King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels of gold went into each shield. 17He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold, with three minas of gold in each shield. The king put them in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.

18Then the king made a great throne covered with ivory and overlaid with fine gold. 19The throne had six steps, and its back had a rounded top. On both sides of the seat were armrests, with a lion standing beside each of them. 20Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like it had ever been made for any other kingdom. 21All King Solomon’s goblets were gold, and all the household articles in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Nothing was made of silver, because silver was considered of little value in Solomon’s days. 22The king had a fleet of trading ships h at sea along with the ships of Hiram. Once every three years it returned, carrying gold, silver and ivory, and apes and baboons.

23King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth.
(1rst Kings 10)

 

[Semper-Fi]

He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.

23King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom
than all the other kings of the earth. (1rst Kings 10)

2 Chronicles 1

11And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thine heart,
and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the
life of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long life;

but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou
mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king:

12wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give
thee riches, and wealth, and honour, such as none of the kings
have had that have been before thee, neither shall there any
after thee have the like.

God gave King Solomon the riches and glory as no other king.
King David supplied him much also for temple and furnishings.

 

[Semper-Fi]

The King had much influence over their subjects

33because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth
the goddessof the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and
Milcom the god of the childrenof Ammon, and have not walked in my
ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes,and to keep my statutes
and my judgments, as did David his father.

 

[Yekcidmij]

The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of
horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get
more of them, for the LORD has told you, “You are not to
go back that way again.”
He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray.
He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.
When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for
himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the
priests, who are Levites.
It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life
so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow
carefully all the words of this law and these decrees
and not consider himself better than his brothers and turn
from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his
descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.
--Deuteronomy 17:16-20 NIV

The King of Israel is instructed to personally copy a scroll of the law and read it frequently.

It looks like David, Solomon and other Kings of Israel should have paid attention to the warning against “many wives.”

The principle that no one is above the law is something that we can still learn from today.

Agree. Just as a note, the prohibition of the king having "many wives" is probably because taking on a wife was basically to enter into a political alliance or treaty of sorts. So the prohibition may not have been simply to keep the king from accumulating wives, but to keep him from entering into too many foreign entanglements.

And in any case, polygamy is almost always (actually always?) presented as bringing serious problems. It's not presented as bringing peace and harmony.

 

[Tolworth John]

The principle that no one is above the law is something that we can still learn from today

The principals found in the OT laws still apply today and are in fact what our view of the law and human rights are based upon.

 

[Dale]

The principals found in the OT laws still apply today and are in fact what our view of the law and human rights are based upon.

I can't entirely agree. No verse in the New Testament says that Christians are to obey the Ten Commandments. Instead, Christians are to follow the Sermon on the Mount.

 

[Tolworth John]

I can't entirely agree. No verse in the New Testament says that Christians are to obey the Ten Commandments. Instead, Christians are to follow the Sermon on the Mount.

Please re read what I wrote and point out to me where I said Christians are to obey the 10 commandments.

A question for you.

How do we know what is sinful?

As Paul says in Romans we know what is sinful because of the law.

We are not required to keep the law, but if we love Jesus we do.