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We're actually looking at Deuteronomy 
17 verses 8 to 20 tonight, but last week we started the section 
in chapter 16 at verse 18. We remember that Moses is preparing 
the people for entrance into the land of Canaan. They're poised 
on the plains of Moab, getting ready to go in and conquer the 
promised land. And so there is a series of statutes, 
ordinances, and laws given on how they were to conduct themselves 
once they got into the land. And specifically here, what we're 
looking at is civil government, the structures in society put 
in place to deal with criminal offenses, civil offenses, things 
that needed judgment and leadership. And so what God, through Moses, 
is doing is specifying those particular structures. So I'll 
just pick up reading in chapter 16 at verse 18, read to the end 
of chapter 17, and then tonight we're going to consider the higher 
court and the monarchy or rules or principles governing the monarchy 
or the kings in Israel. So Deuteronomy 16, 18, 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 bride, for a bride 
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. You shall 
not plant for yourself any tree as a wooden image near the altar 
which you build for yourself to the Lord your God. You shall 
not set up a sacred pillar which the Lord your God hates. You 
shall not sacrifice to the Lord your God a bull or sheep which 
has any blemish or defect, for that is an abomination to the 
Lord your God. If there is found among you, 
within any of your gates, which the Lord your God gives you, 
a man or woman who has been wicked in the sight of the Lord your 
God, in transgressing his covenant, who has gone and served other 
gods and worshipped them, either the sun or moon or any of the 
hosts of heaven, which I have not commanded, and it is told 
you, and you hear of it, then you shall inquire diligently. 
And if it is indeed true and certain that such an abomination 
has been committed in Israel, then you shall bring out to your 
gates that man or woman who has committed that wicked thing, 
and shall stone to death that man or woman with stones. Whoever 
is deserving of death shall be put to death on the testimony 
of two or three witnesses. He shall not be put to death 
on the testimony of one witness. The hands of the witnesses shall 
be the first against him to put him to death, and afterward the 
hands of all the people. So you shall put away the evil 
from among you. If a matter arises which is too 
hard for you to judge, between degrees of guilt for bloodshed, 
between one judgment or another, or between one punishment or 
another, matters of controversy within your gates, then you shall 
arise and go up to the place which the Lord your God chooses. 
And you shall come to the priests, the Levites, and to the judge 
there in those days, and inquire of them. They shall pronounce 
upon you the sentence of judgment. You shall do according to the 
sentence which they pronounce upon you in that place which 
the Lord chooses. And you shall be careful to do 
according to all that they order you, according to the sentence 
of the law in which they instruct you, according to the judgment 
which they tell you you shall do. You shall not turn aside 
to the right hand or to the left from the sentence which they 
pronounce upon you. Now the man who acts presumptuously 
and will not heed the priest who stands to minister there 
before the Lord your God or the judge, that man shall die. So you shall put away the evil 
from Israel and all the people shall hear in fear and no longer 
act presumptuously. When you come to the land which 
the Lord your God is giving you and possess it and dwell in it 
and say, I 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. One from among your brethren 
you shall set as king over you. You may not set a foreigner over 
you who is not your brother. But he shall not multiply horses 
for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply 
horses. For the Lord has said to you, 
you shall not return that way again. Neither shall he multiply 
wives for himself, lest his heart turn away. Nor shall he greatly 
multiply silver and gold for himself. Also it shall be, when 
he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write 
for himself a copy of this law in a book, from the one before 
the priests, the Levites. And it shall be with him, and 
he shall 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 in 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. Amen." 
As I introduced last week a quote from Meredith Klein, he says, 
this section contains a series of stipulations concerning theocratic 
government. Theocratic is God ruling directly 
over the people. We often think of democratic 
rule by the people. Well, Israel in the Old Covenant 
was a theocracy. God ruled directly through his 
appointed messengers to be sure, but nevertheless, the final and 
sole authority was him. And so he says this section contains 
a series of stipulations concerning theocratic government with primary 
emphasis on the judiciary. So specifically given here are 
rules concerning judges at the local level or we might call 
it a lower court. Notice then we looked at the 
prohibition of certain cultic offenses in chapter 16 verse 
21 to chapter 17 verse 1 and then a judicial procedure 
for judging offenses. In chapter 17, verses 2 to 7, 
there was a crime, there was an investigation, there was a 
punishment, there was a specific requirement of two to three witnesses 
in a capital offense, and then there was a prescribed manner. 
The witnesses must first be the ones to cast the stones and then 
all of the assembly would join in with that so if there were 
difficulties in the lower court there was then provided a higher 
court and that's what's taken up in chapter 17 verses 8 to 
13 the function of the higher court we might call it the supreme 
court we might call it the central tribunal whatever the case may 
be There were certain situations, certain circumstances that were 
difficult to judge at the local level, and so God the Lord instituted 
this central tribunal, or this higher court, to deal with and 
adjudicate these particular matters. So that's chapter 17, verses 
8 to 13. and then there are principles governing kings. Remember, he's 
preparing the people for entrance into the promised land. Eventually, 
they would have a monarchy. As we'll see tonight, it's not 
necessarily a bad thing. When the people cried out for 
a king at the time of Samuel, it wasn't bad necessarily to 
want a king. It wasn't bad necessarily to 
want a king to be like the other nations. What was bad is trusting 
in the king rather than in the king of kings. So in other words, 
they trusted in the monarchy in and of itself to provide victory 
and to provide protection and all those sorts of things. So 
kingship or kingdom or monarchy is not a bad thing. What is bad 
is when the people trust in it more than they trust in the living 
God. When we trust the structure over 
God, then we are in error and in rebellion. So that's what 
we'll look at tonight, these two broad categories. Notice 
first the function of the higher court. was similar or this is 
the natural outflow of what already transpired during the wilderness 
years. Remember Jethro counseled Moses 
and said, if you listen to all of these cases, you're going 
to drop dead. There's no possible way. I don't 
know if he said it just like that, but that's the vernacular. 
I mean, it was too much for Moses, lone man, to be able to hear 
all of the sort of infighting, all of the sort of issues going 
on among Israel. So Jethro gave him that sound 
counsel to appoint men to delegate authority. Now, out of those 
delegates, there would be difficult situations, there would be more 
grave situations, and certainly Moses would hear those as well. So what we have here is nothing 
new in the development of the judiciary, but rather again it 
is with reference to their place in the land of Canaan. So the difficult cases were to 
be brought. Notice in verse 8, "...if a matter 
arises which is too hard for you to judge," this referring 
to the lower courts, those cities, those places that had their own 
gates, their own extent or their own existing judges or elders 
within the city. If a matter arises which is too 
hard for you to judge and then he gives certain examples between 
degrees of guilt for bloodshed. This is a real live issue. This 
is something the Old Testament law speaks to. There is a difference 
between premeditated murder and manslaughter. The scripture gives 
the very specific instance of a man chopping wood. If while 
he's chopping wood the axe head flies off accidentally and strikes 
his neighbor, well then he's guilty of manslaughter. But if 
he lies in wait for his neighbor, you know, sits behind his cedar 
hedge when he comes home at night and purposefully buries his axe 
in the man's head, Well, he's crossed over from manslaughter, 
involuntary manslaughter, into the realm of murder. Now, if 
it's an involuntary manslaughter, there are cities of refuge prescribed 
where he may go, where he may sit out the time, and then eventually 
return. If, however, it is murder, It 
is a capital offense and he is to be executed. So there are 
rules, there are differences, there are degrees of guilt for 
bloodshed. Now to be sure, if that was a 
difficult thing to ascertain or determine on the local level, 
well, we'll take it to the higher court. Also, notice between one 
judgment or another, there might be an issue, a dispute. Well, 
this should be my payback, or this should be my remuneration, 
or this should be the retribution. If there was a dispute concerning 
the punishment, the degrees of punishment, well, then you would 
go to the central tribunal. Or between one punishment or 
another, matters of controversy within your gates, then you shall 
arise and go up to the place which the Lord your God chooses. 
Harmon says the general principle is that if problem cases could 
not be solved satisfactorily at the local level, then they 
could be referred to a central tribunal which met at the central 
sanctuary. The types of cases which required 
referral to this tribunal were complex cases in which it was 
hard to determine whether an accident had taken place or whether 
there was deliberate intent to cause harm or even death. So 
you see the situation. This is God's wisdom. You're 
going into the land of Canaan. God knows there's going to be 
disputes. God knows there's going to be 
criminal activity. What do we do? We put structures 
in place in order to deal with that criminal activity. Some 
people don't like those structures whatsoever. Those structures 
are helpful. Those structures are good. They 
serve as parameters to keep the people hedged in, but as well 
to be able to speak to controversies that people have in a sinful 
world. If there were no sin, we wouldn't 
need a central tribunal. If there were no sin, we wouldn't 
need lower courts. If there were no sin, we wouldn't 
need judges. We wouldn't need panic bars. 
We wouldn't need locks. We wouldn't need those things. 
But because of sin, God puts into place legislation to regulate 
how sinners function together within a civil polity. It's a 
good thing. It's a wise thing. And remember, 
in light of Deuteronomy 4, They were to function in such a way 
that the nations around them would look at them and would 
see a testimony of a nation governed according to the wisdom and the 
glory of God Most High. So it's really a wonderful thing. There is a difficult case. If 
you have a difficult case, you're not left without redress. You 
have this tribunal to whom you are to go. Notice it is located 
at the central sanctuary. This is, again, the emphasis 
in chapter 12. Remember, when you go into the 
land, you're not free to worship wherever you want. If you think 
that you're okay to worship over here with the Baal worshippers, 
but you're actually going to worship Yahweh, it won't be long 
before you're bowing to Baal. So God would establish a centralized 
sanctuary. Eventually, we know, of course, 
it would be in Jerusalem. And so He's speaking to those 
situations that would occur. So that is where the place would 
be. Then you shall arise and go up 
to the place which the Lord your God chooses. And it's interesting. It's going to be at the place 
where they worship the Lord their God. So what is implicit in this 
structure or in this statement is that God the Lord is the supreme 
judge. We can rest assured that when 
the priests and the Levites and And the lower judges, in terms 
of men, hear these cases. They are being governed ultimately 
by the supremacy of God the Lord. So priests, Levites, and judges 
functioned in this capacity in this central tribunal. Now, the 
priest would occupy this position of preeminence, if you will, 
until the monarchy. You'll see the priest function 
in a very powerful way. Now, they still did at the time 
of the monarchy, but perhaps not as much in terms of civil 
dispute and criminal justice as we find here. Notice the verdict 
rendered. Verse 9, and you shall come to 
the priests, the Levites, and to the judge there in those days 
and inquire of them. they shall pronounce upon you 
the sentence of judgment." Now, again, this isn't an appeals 
court. This is the law of the land. This is the Supreme Court. When 
they make this determination, you don't say, well, wait a minute, 
I don't like this. You don't say, well, can't we 
rethink this through? No, this is the final verdict 
in the land. It says, they shall pronounce 
upon you the sentence of judgment. Here's your responsibility. Interestingly 
enough, our dear brother prayed this way tonight. We just need 
to do what God says. The sooner we get that in our 
minds, the better off we're going to be. The same was the case 
in Old Covenant Israel. if you got to the point where 
you're at the central court and central tribunal and there's 
this higher court situation you presented your case the witnesses 
testified the judges heard and they made their pronouncement 
all that was left for you was to do what you were told, verse 
10 you shall do according to the sentence which they pronounce 
upon you in that place which the Lord chooses, and you shall 
be careful to do according to all that they order you." So 
not only do it, but it needs to be careful obedience to the 
law of the land. You see, God takes seriously 
civil authority. That's something we need to take 
away from a study of this particular passage. We find ourselves in 
a different situation. We don't have a monarchy, and 
there's not a central sanctuary, and we're not a theocracy. But 
nevertheless, the principle holds true. We are to respect the governing 
authorities. Paul tells us this in Romans 
chapter 13 verses 1 to 4. We are to submit to the governing 
authorities. Why, Paul? For there is no authority 
except from God, and those which exist are established by God. So when we look at even a wicked 
magistrate, according to Romans chapter 13, we have to conclude 
that that wicked magistrate is ruling by the command and decree 
of God Most High. It's a difficult pill to swallow 
sometimes, especially when they're godless men. But it was a difficult 
pill back then as well. You had certain monarchs that 
were not godly. You had certain kings that were 
very wretched in Israel and in Judah. In fact, the two kingdoms, 
you had the northern tribes, you had the southern tribes. 
There wasn't one king in the north who ever did good. Not 
one of them. There were a few within the southern 
kingdom. There were a few within the southern 
tribes of Judah that did good. You'll read those summary statements. 
But none in the north. If you lived in the northern 
kingdom, you never had a time when there was a righteous and 
godly man on the throne executing the judgments of the Lord. But 
nevertheless, you were called to submit. Same thing when Paul 
wrote Romans chapter 13. Who do you think was in charge 
when Paul wrote Romans 13? Nero, that's right, Nero was 
not a godly man. Nero was not a bulwark of righteousness 
and morality. Now, arguably, Nero was a lot 
better at the time Paul wrote Romans than he would become. But nevertheless, Paul wasn't 
saying, this man who sits upon the throne in the Roman Empire 
is such a wonderful sterling specimen of a human being. we 
ought to just willingly and lovingly submit. No, we willingly and 
lovingly submit for the Lord's sake. Remember, built into the 
structure, at least for the Christian, well, not at least, for the Christian 
of both Testaments, is that we are free to disobey when they 
command us to dishonor God. That's why you see Daniel, when 
the decree was made that he could not worship Yahweh, Daniel worshiped 
Yahweh anyway. When the apostles were forbidden 
in Jerusalem to preach the name of Jesus Christ, they said, we 
must obey God rather than men. So built into the structure for 
the Christian, for the God-fearer, is that when the government tells 
us to dishonor or disobey the Lord God Most High, we must obey 
God rather than men. But in those instances where 
they're not commanding us to sin against God, those instances 
where they're not commanding us to do things contrary to the 
law of God, we need to submit ourselves to the governing authority. 
Again, this isn't always the easiest thing, but nevertheless, 
there are certain persons who have outlined this section of 
the book of Deuteronomy according to the Ten Commandments. And 
they see in this particular section an explanation of the Fifth Commandment. Remember, the Fifth Commandment 
deals with authority. Honor your father and your mother. 
Now remember, that commandment was given to adults. So it's 
not just about parental authority. It's about authority in all spheres 
of society. So just the way a child is submit 
to his ungodly parents, nevertheless, an adult needs to submit to an 
ungodly magistrate, even a Nero, a Manasseh, an Ahab, or whatever 
the case may be. And Obama had to be said. I'm 
just, that's. There's bad things. I mean, no 
civil government, no magistrate operates accordingly, perfectly 
according to the law of God. So this is the emphasis in the 
situation. We need to obey. God takes these 
things seriously. So it is to be obedience. It 
is to be careful obedience. Notice the contempt of court. 
What happens to the man who says, well, you know, I'm not happy 
with the ruling of that court. I'm not happy with what the Supreme 
Court has spoken. I'm not happy with, and I see 
things differently. You see this in the church. The 
church, you know, might rule on a particular issue. Well, 
I'm not happy with that. Well, I'm not happy with the decisions 
that my father makes. I'm not happy with the decisions 
that my husband makes. I'm not happy with the decision 
that the civil government makes. Well, if a man's not happy with 
it and he fails to obey, verses 12 to 13 specify what is going 
to happen. Well, let's go back to verse 
11 for a moment. According to the sentence of the law in which 
they instruct you, according to the judgment which they tell 
you, you shall do. You shall not turn aside to the 
right hand or to the left from the sentence which they pronounce 
upon you. It's the same principle governing the king when he reads 
the law of God. He's not supposed to turn to 
the right or to the left. What's that mean? Don't deviate. 
You're not supposed to improvise when it comes to the law of God. 
That's another very important principle we ought to take away 
from our study in the book of Deuteronomy. We are not free 
to be creative with the law. Well, you know, I like it to 
apply this way. No. You are to apply it the way 
the Lord himself has spoken it. Do not turn aside to the right 
hand or to the left from the sentence which they pronounce 
upon you. Verse 12, now the man who acts 
presumptuously and will not heed the priest who stands to minister 
there before the Lord your God or the judge, that man shall 
die. So contempt for the Supreme Court 
in Israel meant the death penalty. And again, the fact that this 
is being published on the plains of Moab before they get into 
the land of Canaan is an act of kindness. They're not going 
into a land where they're scratching their heads wondering, how do 
we function? How do we operate? The rules are being set forth 
plainly here, so that when we do get into the land a month, 
two months, three months, five months later, we're not saying, 
well, why, I just said no. Well, then you should have paid 
attention. It's upon you to listen, to understand, and to know the 
laws that are operative in the land in which you're going. So 
this man could not say, well, I didn't know I couldn't appeal 
the Supreme Court. Well, listen, pal, you should 
have listened better on the plains of Moab. Everybody, follow along 
here. This is what you need to understand. 
The man who acts presumptuously and will not heed the priest 
who stands to minister there before the Lord your God or the 
judge, that man shall die. Now notice, so you shall put 
away the evil from Israel and all the people shall hear and 
fear and no longer act presumptuously. There's a remedial effect in 
this ruling by the Supreme Court. If the man acts presumptuously, 
if the man rejects that good instruction, if the man is disobedient 
to the law of the land via God Most High, then he is put to 
death. And what is to happen? The rest 
of Israel shall hear this, they shall fear, and they will certainly 
think twice about acting presumptuously themselves. So you see within 
the law code, within the structure, is built in this deterrent effect. I mentioned this last week in 
the book of Romans. Sometimes you'll meet with people 
that are opponents to capital punishment, and they'll say something 
like, well, the death penalty doesn't deter anyone. It most 
certainly does deter people. It deters the criminal who is 
guilty, and it deters people like you and I who hear and fear 
and will refuse to act presumptuously. If you know that you will die 
if you engage in a certain act, Hopefully, you're wise enough 
not to do it. I like to think that most of 
you here would say, well, not most of you, all of you. If I 
know that me doing this is going to result in this, then I'm not 
going to do that. I think you already operate that 
way, don't you? You know that if you run a red 
light, you'll get a ticket. So doesn't that help keep you 
from running red lights? I mean, yes, love to God, duty 
to the Father, love to our fellow man. Yeah, those are good motives 
as well. But knowing that if you blow 
through that red light, you're going to get a nice hefty fine, 
there's enough in there to make you fear that so that you will 
not undertake. There is a deterrent effect when 
the law is effectively put into practice. Romans 13 verse 1, 
let every soul be subject to the governing authorities for 
there is no authority except from God and the authorities 
that exist are appointed by God. Therefore, whoever resists the 
authority, resists the ordinance of God. And those who resist 
will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to 
good works, but to evil works. Do you want to be unafraid of 
the authority? Do what is good, and you will 
have praise from the saints. In other words, when that policeman's 
behind you, just obey the rules of the road. You shouldn't have 
to be panicking. You shouldn't have to be fretful 
and fearful. You shouldn't have to be biting 
your fingernails to the nubs. if you're doing what you're supposed 
to be doing. You don't have to be afraid of 
that, right? Isn't that the logic here? Do what is good and you 
will have praise from the same. Praise here doesn't mean that 
if you don't run red lights, you go down to city square and 
they throw money at you. No, the idea is they leave you 
alone. Just do what you're supposed to do, for the most part, and 
they will leave you alone. That's praise. When the government 
doesn't mess with you, I count that a great deal of praise. 
I'd love to be praised by the government in that particular 
way. Verse 4, for he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, here it is, 
be afraid. If you're going to engage in 
evil works, you ought to be afraid. So when people say this does 
not deter, I would argue a failure to execute punishment doesn't 
deter. But when you're executing punishments, 
it does deter. This is Paul's point. He is God's 
minister to you for good. If you do evil, be afraid. Why? For he does not bear the sword 
in vain, for he is God's minister and avenger to execute wrath 
on him who practices evil. So God, through the Apostle Paul, 
says, do what is good and you don't have to be afraid. If you 
do what is evil, then be afraid, because the magistrate is going 
to visit you with punishment. The book of Ecclesiastes indicates 
something about this as well. In Ecclesiastes chapter 8, We'll 
jump right into the midst of the context and just read verse 
11. I think the idea here is that 
justice and judgment properly executed will have a positive 
effect upon society. Notice what happens when we do 
not carry out justice and we do not carry out judgment. We 
saw it in Romans 13, if we do what is evil, be afraid. Why? Because the magistrate has the 
sword and he is God's avenger to execute wrath. Notice in verse 
11 of Ecclesiastes 8, because the sentence against an evil 
work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons 
of men is fully set in them to do evil. This is what I would 
argue is what we see. We don't see punishment being 
inflected. There are people that break and 
enter into houses and steal things and they get caught many, many, 
many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many 
times. Why is that? Because nothing's 
happening to them, right? They might go into jail overnight 
and they're out, you know, not long after that. If they were 
punished, if there was a fear of punishment, according to the 
biblical author, because the sentence against an evil work 
is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men 
is fully set in them to do evil. So in all of these benevolent 
practices where we don't want to punish evildoers, where we 
want to help them or rehabilitate them, we're actually adding fuel 
to their fire to be that much more wicked. We're really not 
doing them any favors. You see, justice, biblically 
and properly implemented, is the best thing for the criminal. 
If he's afraid to go out and engage in criminal activity, 
that's helpful for him. He should be afraid to go out 
into society and continue to perpetrate sin against God. and 
hatred toward his fellow man. So there is a remedial effect 
upon all the people in Israel when the Supreme Court issues 
their verdict and then the man acts presumptuously, does not 
do what he's told, he shall die. And all the people shall hear 
and fear and no longer act presumptuously. Did you hear about brother so-and-so? 
He challenged the Supreme Court, he was executed. Children, what 
do you learn from that? Don't challenge the Supreme Court. 
Bingo. That's the rule. That's the take 
home lesson. So you see, the structures were 
put into place to hear these cases. If there was something 
too difficult at the lower level, it came to this higher court. 
Once the higher court had heard, and again, all those rules of 
evidence, the two or three witnesses, the procedure, the investigation, 
the diligent search, the inquiry, all of those things were in place. 
The judges, the Levites, the priests heard the case, heard 
the testimony, and then they gave verdict, and they pronounced 
sentence. Once that was done, the people 
were to take it seriously. and to obey, and to obey carefully. So that is the function of the 
higher court, and then the chapter ends on principles governing 
kings, verses 14 to 20. steps are within the church as 
well. Absolutely. Right. It's very clear, obey 
your leaders. If I disagree with you, we cannot 
work it out. Our confession says what we call 
a council. That's right. And we've got to 
obey that council. That's right. Yeah, I agree. 
So it's not just in our civil, it's in our church. And the church 
has said it in a similar manner. Absolutely. Absolutely. And you'll 
notice that specifically in the New Testament documents, when 
it comes to the issue of church discipline in Matthew chapter 
18. It sounds very similar to what 
we find here in Deuteronomy 17. Now, dealing in the church discipline, 
we're not engaged in capital punishment. The church has never 
been given the sword to execute that judgment. You notice in 
Romans 13, it's the civil authority that bears the sword of God. 
He is God's deacon, God's servant, God's civil authority to execute 
wrath. He has the monopoly on God's 
vengeance in history. Within the church, however, the 
same sort of structure is in place in terms of two or three 
witnesses, in terms of inquiring diligently, in terms of hearing 
both sides. You know, when your brother sins 
against you, go to him. If he hears you, he repents you've 
won your brother. If he doesn't, then what do you 
do? You take two or three witnesses. Again, the principle is the same 
for the way the civil court functions. If he doesn't listen to the two 
or three witnesses, then what happens? Then you tell it to 
the church. If he still will not hear the 
church, well, then the church issues this authoritative declaration. He is now to be treated like 
a heathen and a tax collector. There is in that statement the 
execution of ecclesiastical wrath. The church has spoken on behalf 
of the living God and said, this man is a heathen and a tax collector. Now, of course, if he repents, 
you receive him back. You forgive him, you love him, 
you hug him, and you rejoice that your brother who was lost 
is found. You don't ostracize him. I mean, people sin. And 
under the good effect of church discipline, they repent. It's 
a beautiful thing. God's plan actually works. Well, the same principle is seen 
later in 1 Timothy chapter 5. Do not receive an accusation 
against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses. Again, it ought not to be the 
case where one individual can harass an elder. If it is the 
case that there is a legitimate problem, then go through the 
process accordingly, prosecute the case the way God says, and 
if the elder is in sin, then he will be dealt with. But what 
can happen is that there is a lack of protection for the eldership. It becomes a harassment situation, 
which is not good for anybody. So if you have an accusation 
against the elder, bring the two or three witnesses and deal 
with it like men. Don't be little babies or little 
girls that harass the elder, but rather take your concern 
to him in the biblical manner. Again, this reflects God's wisdom 
in providing not only justice for the bad guy, but protection 
for the good guy. It might be the case that somebody 
has an axe to grind against somebody else in the church. It might 
be the case that somebody has an axe to grind against an elder. And if the guilty elder ought 
to be prosecuted, the innocent elder ought to be protected. 
And God's law functions in such a capacity so that we can make 
calculated decisions under God, hopefully to regulate affairs, 
without everybody getting bent out of shape, taking their marbles, 
and going home. We ought to be able, under God, 
by the Spirit, to deal with our situations in a biblical manner. So yes, excellent point, Steve. 
The Church is founded upon the same sort of structure, the same 
sort of idea, though a bit of a different application. If a 
man is guilty in the church, we don't kill him, so that all 
the church hears and fears. But if he is guilty, and he is 
excommunicated, and the church has identified him as a tax collector 
and a heathen, certainly the church ought to hear, and the 
church ought to fear, and the church ought to realize, hey, 
If I continue on in sin, and I am unrepentant, and I don't 
listen to the church, then they're going to treat me like a tax 
collector and a heathen as well. Those things ought to be in the 
heart, in the soul, to hopefully hedge us in. So yes, good observation, 
Steve. Okay, the principles governing 
kings. A couple of things. Notice first, 
the request for a king. it's not again a bad thing when 
you come to the land which the Lord your God is giving you and 
possess it and dwell in it and say I will set a king over me 
like all the nations that are around me if you go back to Genesis 
chapter 17 Genesis chapter 17 again I wanna clarify this because 
the first Samuel 8 instance is in our minds I have no doubt 
when we read Deuteronomy 17 we read it through first Samuel 
chapter 8 And then we say, well, wait a minute, I don't know what's 
going on here. Well, in Genesis chapter 17, 
the promise made to Abraham, notice in verse 6, I will make 
you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and 
kings shall come from you. Now, again, that's a neutral 
statement. It doesn't say evil kings. It 
doesn't say a wicked monarchy. It just says kings will come 
from Abraham. This is repeated again in verse 
16 in the chapter. And I will bless her and also 
give you a son by her. Then I will bless her and she 
shall be a mother of nations. Kings of peoples shall be from 
her. A similar instance in Genesis 
35 11. Genesis chapter 35 verse 11 with reference to Jacob. I am God Almighty, be fruitful 
and multiply a nation and a company of nations shall come from you 
and kings shall come from your body. So you see there, it's 
not treated as a bad thing. It's not treated as a wicked 
thing. It's not treated as an evil thing. Neither is it here 
in Deuteronomy chapter 17. When you come to the land which 
the Lord your God is giving you and possess and dwell in it and 
say, I will set a king over me like all the nations that are 
around me. he then gives prescriptions on how the king is to function. He doesn't say, if you go into 
the land and you ask for a king, I'm going to reject your request, 
because it's evil and wicked, and that's just not the way we're 
going to roll. No. Why would he say, here's how 
the king is to function, if the king in and of itself is a bad 
thing? When we get to 1 Samuel chapter 
8, there is commentary or explanation given in 1 Samuel 12. And essentially, 
the argument goes like this. When you were oppressed in Egypt, 
God delivered you. When you were oppressed in the 
wilderness, God delivered you. When you came into the land, 
God delivered you until you saw this particular threat, until 
you saw this particular enemy, until you saw this particular 
danger. It was at that point you wanted 
a king. That betrayed their hand. They 
were looking to the earthly king to protect them from the earthly 
oppressor. They were not looking to Yahweh 
to do that particular function. 1 Samuel 12 develops this. In fact, Dale Ralph Davis says 
their help now was not in the straight strong name of Yahweh, 
but in a new form of government. It is not monarchy, but trust 
in monarchy that is the villain. That's the issue in 1 Samuel. 
They trusted in the monarch to protect them from the bad guys. The role of the kingdom, or the 
role of the king in Israel, you were to trust in Yahweh to function 
through the monarch. It was still God's ultimate authority. The king functioned subordinate 
to him. It's when we put all of our eggs 
in the basket of the king that we find problems. So that's the 
issue. So in Samuel's day, when Samuel 
bemoans this fact and God the Lord says, it's not you they've 
rejected, it's me. It wasn't in the monarchy itself, 
it was in their trust of the monarchy rather than in their 
trust of the living and true God. So that's the specific issue 
facing the people in Samuel's day. So the principles governing 
kings are now outlined in Deuteronomy chapter 17. Notice the people 
request, verse 14, the Lord God appoints, verse 15, you shall 
surely set a king over you whom the Lord your God chooses. Now you'll say, Saul was a bad 
guy. Absolutely. God the Lord is sovereign, 
even in the appointment of non-righteous kings. You might look at certain 
monarchies today, or you look at certain administrations today, 
and you might ask the question, why do we have a less than godly 
man running the show? Because at times God uses such 
means to chasten, to judge, to bring a scourge upon a people. 
And when Israel would trust in the monarchy rather than in the 
living God, they would get a monarch that would function in such a 
way that they would see the error of their ways and bemoan the 
fact that they ever put their eggs. in the basket of the monarchy. So you see, God is sovereign. 
Same principle we see in Romans 13. There is no authority except 
from God, and those which exist are established by God. So the 
people make the request, God the Lord makes the choice. Verse 
15, you shall surely set a king over you whom the Lord your God 
chooses. Notice, one from among your brethren 
you shall set as king over you. You may not set a foreigner over 
you who is not your brother. He has to be born in Israel. 
That's a good thing. He's got to have a birth certificate 
that actually manifests the reality that he was born in Israel. He 
couldn't have been born in Philistia. He couldn't have been born over 
in one of the surrounding pagan nations. He had to be a citizen 
of the Commonwealth. That's the stipulation. That 
is the prescription in this particular situation. Now, notice specific 
instruction for the king. verses 16 and 17. He shall not 
multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return 
to Egypt to multiply horses. For the Lord has said to you, 
you shall not return that way again. Neither shall he multiply 
wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he greatly 
multiply silver and gold for himself. You say, what good is 
being the king? If I don't get horses, wives, 
and money, what good is it? This cuts the legs right out 
of a lot of people seeking political office today. They like big paychecks, 
and they like nice houses, and they like nice prestige, and 
all that sort of thing. Notice what God says. No weapons, 
no wives, and no wealth. Not no. I mean, every king would 
have certain wealth. I mean, you know, the Book of 
Ecclesiastes gets into that. It's folly when you see a fool 
sitting on the throne or, you know, there's a certain dignity 
involved in the office. I mean, when you get to Solomon 
and you get to David and you get to these men living in their 
palaces, it wasn't the wealth necessarily. What is in view 
here is the weapons instead of God. The wives instead of God. The wealth instead of God. Weapons, 
military, horses. That's what's in view. It doesn't 
mean, you know, he can't have a stable of horses because his 
kids like to ride horses. Or he happens to like horses 
as pets. I don't know. I guess people 
like horses as pets. Big pet. Yeah, the issue is military 
emphasis. He is not to multiply horses 
for himself. Again, not that he can't have 
a standing army, but what is he trusting in? Is he trusting 
in the living and true God, or is he trusting in his military 
might? Is he multiplying horses so that 
he can be the biggest contender on the block, or is he trusting 
in the living God who is going to protect his people? You see, 
you see parallels to this in 1st Samuel. 1st Samuel chapter 
8, they cry out for a king. They're trusting in the monarch 
rather than in God. If you go back a few chapters 
in 1st Samuel chapter 4, they trusted in something else rather 
than the living God. Does anybody remember what that 
was? The Ark of the Covenant. Remember, 
they go out to battle, they lose, so they say, let's bring the 
Ark of the Covenant out and we'll certainly win. God sends defeat 
in that instance. What's the take-home message? 
The Ark of the Covenant isn't your holy horseshoe. The Ark 
of the Covenant isn't your four-leaf clover. You don't trot it out 
and put it down in the midst of the enemies and say, now we'll 
have victory. The Ark of the Covenant serves 
a particular function. The Ark of the Covenant has dignity. 
The Ark of the Covenant is God's footstool. The Ark of the Covenant 
reveals certain truths about God. But when you treat it as 
a lucky charm and you bring it out to the battleground and you 
station that there and say, well, now certainly we will defeat 
our enemies. You see, it was a misplaced trust. If the reigning 
king seeks horses so that he may have the best military instead 
of trusting in the living God, that's a problem. if he multiplies 
wives. Remember, we already saw this, 
a reference to this in Deuteronomy 7.3. The people were supposed 
to go into the land and not marry the Canaanites. More than likely, 
what was in view in marrying Canaanite women was political 
alliance. So if a king is reigning and 
he marries the daughter of a king so that he can build an alliance 
with that competitor king, that's wrong. And then wealth. Again, a king is going to have 
wealth. That's just part and parcel of 
being a king. David lamented. Remember that 
instance where he comes to himself and he says, I'm sitting in a 
house with cedar and the Lord is dwelling in a tent. Remember 
when David wanted to build the temple? Remember when David bemoans 
the fact, I'm dwelling in cedar and God lives in a tent. He says, 
let's build the temple. And that's when God says, no, 
David, we're not going to build the temple. You're a man of war. 
You're a man of bloodshed. We're going to build the temple 
under Solomon, whose reign will be one of peace. But nevertheless, 
the contrast is stark. David is dwelling in a place 
of cedar. It's not wealth in and of itself. It's a trust in 
wealth. Because I have the most gold, 
Israel will be the most successful. You see, the weapons, the wives, 
and the money would ultimately translate into apostasy. That's the prohibition. That's 
the fault. That's the issue that God is 
cautioning against. He shall not multiply horses 
for Himself. He shall not cause the people 
to return to Egypt to multiply horses. Some of the commentators 
suggest He's sending them back to Egypt to trade for the horses. 
You stay there. You serve in Egypt. We want their 
horses. That might be how the text actually 
falls out, trading human beings for the horses so that we can 
build our military. That's not a good thing. So that's 
the prohibition. That's why they are being told 
not to do this. We see an example of this under 
Solomon. Solomon does just what is prohibited 
here. He multiplies wives. What happens? His heart is divided. He multiplies 
horses, what happens? These are not good things in 
the reign and the rule of Solomon. Christopher Wright says, clearly 
the issue is not merely if Israel should have a king or not. But 
what kind of king that should be? What matters fundamentally 
for Deuteronomy is whether or not the whole covenant people 
of Israel will remain wholly loyal to their God. The value 
of a king is assessed solely by the extent to which he will 
help or hinder that loyalty. You'll see that. Jeroboam, the 
son of Nebat, what did he do? He caused Israel to sin. You see, when the king relies 
on weapons, wives, or wealth, then the whole nation follows 
suit. And that is detrimental to the 
people. He says, a king who will trust 
not in God, but in his own defenses, a king whose heart turns away 
because of many wives, a king whose great wealth leads to the 
snares of pride, Such a king will quickly lead the people 
in the same disastrous directions. So when you come into the land 
and you want a king like the nations, that king must resist 
the tendency, the temptation, the present danger to multiply 
horses, to multiply wives, and to multiply wealth, because he 
will put his trust in those things and take it from the living God. 
And the people will follow suit and look more to money, look 
more to horses, and look more to political alliances than they 
will trust in the living and true God who has said, I will 
protect you in the land. And then finally, notice the 
primary orientation of the king, verses 18 to 20. First things 
first, also it shall be when he sits on the throne of his 
kingdom that he shall write. What's the first order of business 
for the king of Israel? Appoint his cabinet? Cut the 
heads off his enemies? Those are all legit. They'll 
follow soon. Yeah, you do that. Remember when 
David took the throne, Benaiah? What does he do? He goes out 
and headhunts, and not to get good talent for that regime. 
Headhunt meant he really cut people's heads off. So yeah, 
you appoint a cabinet. You deal with your enemies. You 
put down rebellion. You do all that. You clean up 
what the former king left in terms of the mess. But the first 
priority, the first order of business is specified in verse 
18. When he sits on the throne of 
his kingdom, he shall write for himself a copy of this law in 
a book from the one before the priests, the Levites. Why would 
he write his own copy? Because it will put it into his 
heart. It'll put it into his head. It 
will be something that he has with him. It'll be something 
that he treasures. It'll be his wide margin Bible 
that he takes notes in, whatever the case may be. Is this the 
whole Pentateuch? Is it the Book of Deuteronomy? 
The commentators are divided, whatever. It is certainly the 
Book of Deuteronomy, at least. He is to write this. He is to 
inscribe it. He shall write a copy of the 
law. He shall carry the law with him. What's the point? He is God's servant. He is God's 
minister. See, we look at a monarch as 
being the king, or he is the king, but the absolute authority. 
Not in Israel. God is the absolute authority. 
The monarch or the king functions ministerially. He is to serve 
the interests of the living and true God by executing his law. So when he writes that law and 
he carries it with him, he is then to read the law all the 
days of his life. It's very interesting. Again, 
Wright says, as is so often the case, Deuteronomy mentions only 
what matters. In this case, it avoids the small 
print of an exhaustive job description for royalty. Notice, what's the 
king supposed to do? Yeah, appoint a cabinet, deal 
with his enemies, go to tea, have coffee with dignitaries, 
have a foreign policy development plan. All that stuff is reality. All that stuff is true. But what 
Wright says is it avoids the small print of an exhaustive 
job description for royalty and concentrates on the fundamental 
priority. The law is to permeate the king's 
behavior in every sphere. whether political, administrative, 
judicial, or military. Whatever decision he makes, it 
will be in close scrutiny of and consultation with that written 
law that he keeps in his pocket. He pulls it out, he studies it, 
he scrutinizes it, he knows it, and he rules according to that 
law. and then he shall prosper as 
a result of his obedience to the law. Notice verse 19, it 
shall be with him, he shall read it all the days of his life. 
Notice that he may learn to fear the Lord as God and be careful 
to observe all the words of this law and these statutes. Why should 
you read your Bible every day? Why should you carry a copy of 
the law with you? Well, this is a blessed effect, 
so that you may learn to fear the Lord your God and be careful 
to observe all His words, all the words of this law and these 
statutes. And then notice verse 20, that 
his heart may not be lifted up, lifted above his brethren. Can 
you imagine having a humble political leader? What's that look like? That's just like foreign. The 
concept is contrary. We've got megalomaniacs. We've 
got men so full of themselves that there's no time for anybody 
else. Not so when you're carrying the 
law of God. Not so when you're scrutinizing 
it. Not so when you're studying it. Not so when you're humble 
before the Lord God Most High. You will be humble among your 
brethren as well. You're not their God, you're 
their servant. The monarch is to serve. You 
know, we often hear Jesus characterized as servant leadership. He's a 
king of kings. He is the Lord of lords, and 
he serves his people as king. And that is how he was to function 
in old covenant Israel, that his heart may not be lifted above 
his brethren. Isn't that a great and choice 
statement? 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." Remember, that was 
to be an effect of God upon the people. When you go into the 
land and you obey the word of the Lord, you will prolong your 
days in the land. The king who ruled accordingly 
would prolong his days upon the throne. and not only that, he 
would secure succession. There would be blessing for his 
children. He and his children in the midst 
of Israel. That doesn't just mean that his 
daughters and his sons would have happy lives. It means that 
the throne would continue to his son in successive generations. So that if David rules in a godly 
manner, his son will sit on the throne. And if he rules in a 
godly manner, his son It will be a succession of kings. This 
is the way to ensure godly leadership in Israel. When the man takes 
the law seriously and he puts it into practice, he ensures 
succession to the law or to the throne of God. So that is the 
instruction or principles governing kings. If you remember in the 
book of Joshua, Joshua is not a king. He's a military commander. He's a general, basically. But 
that instruction is given to him. He's supposed to meditate 
upon the law. He meditates upon the law day 
and night, and what happens? His way will be prosperous, and 
then you will have success. David exemplifies this particular 
passage. David had his issues, didn't 
he? I mean, David had his issues, to be sure. But he was a man 
after God's own heart. When he starts to consolidate 
power, Jerusalem is the place of political power. Jerusalem 
is the place of religious centrality. David wants the Ark of the Covenant. David wants his rule and his 
reign to be according to the law of God. Who wrote Psalm 1? 
David. Who wrote Psalm 19? David. Who wrote Psalm 119? David, more 
than likely. So you see, what we have in David 
is an exemplification or an example of this particular role. We see 
this passage ignored by other kings. I mean, we're just talking 
about Josiah. Josiah reigned in 640 to 609. They went to rebuild, or they 
went to renovate the temple, and Hilkiah finds the book of 
the law. Now, I don't want to say unbelieving. An unbelieving mindset says, 
well then, what they found is what we call, that's when they 
wrote Deuteronomy. See, some people say Deuteronomy 
was written later in Israel's history. that what Elkiah found, 
that was basically the writing of Deuteronomy. No, they found 
it, which indicates that for several generations the people 
rejected the law of the Lord. Not that that's when the law 
was given, it's that's when Josiah rediscovers it and he humbles 
himself under God. How would the history of Israel 
look if the kings actually obeyed this particular section of scripture? 
I mean, think about it. They actually wrote the law, 
they carried the law, they checked the law, they scrutinized the 
law, and they ruled according to the law. That's not what happened. 
That's why Israel was a mess, because they didn't do what God 
said to them on the plains of Moab. And then we see the primacy 
of God's law. Christopher Wright will end with 
this quote. He says, it is a model, this monarchy in Israel, it is 
a model that limits military power, prestige, and private 
gain, and puts all political and executive authority firmly 
under the authority of the law itself. He says, the failure 
of so many of Israel's kings to abide by its standards does 
not invalidate its moral force. We know how much they failed 
only and precisely because of the presence of a law like this. It was that Israel, when they 
went into the land, rejected God's instruction given here 
on the plains of Moab. Kings did this to the detriment 
of the people. Kings did this and led the people 
astray, and it caused untold harm and tragedy. So that is 
the principles, or those are the principles governing the 
kingdom, or the kingship, or monarchy within Israel. God willing, 
next time we'll see the priests and Levites and other things 
going on in Deuteronomy 18. Priests, Levites, and prophets. 
More function, more roles in society in Old Covenant Israel. 
Well, let's pray. Our Father, we thank you for 
your word. We thank you for its clarity. We thank you for the 
wisdom that we find herein. We pray, God, that you would 
just help us to take from these things the principles that are 
so clear, that there is an emphasis upon authority, there is an emphasis 
upon our obedience to those structures, and we just thank you, Lord God, 
that you speak to those issues which are most necessary for 
your creatures. We just pray now that you would 
go with us, that you would watch over us, that you would grant 
us grace to glorify you in the remainder of this week. And we 
pray in Jesus' name. Amen.