Mar 28

Deuteronomy 17:14-20
Memorise Deuteronomy 17:19
“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”

Today’s passage speaks about the duties of the king, of certain things that he must take note of in order to be a good king in the eyes of God. Amongst the various sins and temptations that he must be sure to avoid, one of the key things that he had to do was to write out a copy of the law. This would refer to the first five books of Moses that would have been available to Saul, David and the other kings that followed after them. He was not just to write it out once and then forget about it. He was to ensure that the Word would always be with him, and “he shall read therein all the days of his life”. This would ensure that “he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law, and these statutes, to do them.” (Deuteronomy 17:19). When that happens, then he would not be a proud or cruel king, but he would obey the commandments of God throughout his reign. He would certainly be a good king, and one whom God is pleased with. His reign would be long, and he would be able to positively influence his people to likewise walk with the Lord and obey His Word.

We may not be kings, but the same guideline would certainly be good for all of us to emulate. We know that as Christians, we must certainly read God’s Word all the days of our lives. The more we know God’s Word, then the more we would fear Him as well. With that godly fear in us, we would also naturally want to keep God’s Word, and actively do it. We would be seen and known as believers who are obedient to God’s Word, as faithful servants who bring pleasure to God.

Again, it all comes down to our relationship with God and His Word. A good king would have no qualms about following such a guideline, and would be greatly blessed for doing so. However a rebellious king would probably find it a chore to have to write out and learn God’s Word, and would not want to do so. Without God’s Word to guide him, he would make many bad decisions in his reign, and become an even worse king.

Which of the two are you? Are you one who will humbly abide by God’s Word? Or will you proudly reject God’s Word?

Thought: Can you remember when you deliberately disobeyed God’s Word? Why?
Prayer: Lord, may you help me to be a disciplined and faithful student and keeper of your Word all the days of my life.