The Lord is fair and just and desires for His people to be fair and just, putting away all evil. So Moses tells the people, once they settle in the promised land, “You shall appoint judges and officers in all your gates, which the Lord your God gives you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with just judgment. You shall not pervert justice; you shall not show partiality, nor take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous. You shall follow what is altogether just, that you may live and inherit the land which the Lord your God is giving you.”
The Lord says when the Israelites come into the land and say, “‘l will set a king over me like all the nations that are around me,’ you shall surely set a king over you whom the Lord your God chooses.” Nothing surprises God. He already knows that the day is coming when the Israelites are going to reject Him and desire to be ruled by man. Therefore the Lord gives the Israelites five rules for a king:
1) Can’t be a foreigner
2) Can’t multiply horses for himself or cause the people to return to Egypt for horses
3) Can’t have multiple wives
4) Can’t multiply silver and gold for himself
5) Must write a copy of the book of the law for himself and read it all the days of his life
Why does the Lord require the king to write his own copy of the book of the law and read it all the days of his life? “That he may learn to fear the Lord his God and be careful to observe all the words of this law and these statutes, that his heart may not be lifted above his brethren, that he may not turn aside from the commandment to the right hand or to the left, and that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children in the midst of Israel.”
When we get to the Kingdom Era we will discover that none of the kings will obey all five of these rules. However, the perfect King is coming; “King of kings and Lord of lords” (Revelation 19:16). The Lord spoke to Moses of this coming King, the Messiah, in today’s reading – “I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.”
But first in this story, the Israelites have to conquer the promised land, which is going to involve many battles. Therefore, Moses says, “Today you are on the verge of battle with your enemies. Do not let your heart faint, do not be afraid, and do not tremble or be terrified because of them; for the Lord your God is He who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.”
We have several more days reading instructions from Moses, and then the conquest begins! Keep reading. (Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9)
Chronological Bible in Layman's Terms 