Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9
Jesus, Our Rightful King.
It has been a significantly long time since my last instalment. Four months in fact. For the most part, I haven't had as much time as I did in the past to properly read, study and then write and edit before publishing. I have also been a bit preoccupied by the book I am currently working on, Forgotten Covenant, which has been really interesting and exciting to see how much theological depth there is even in the early chapters of Genesis. But today I wanted to share my gleanings from this week's reading from Deuteronomy, in a small portion in chapter 17.
In the book of Deuteronomy, (also known as D'varim, or words), Moses is preparing the next generation that survived the divine purge of the unbelieving generation to enter the land by preaching on the Law as a covenant confirmation with the people. This week's section deals mostly with 'judicial matters' such as the appointing of judges, the appropriate punishment for idolatry and the significance and abhorrence of spiritual adultery. But the part I want to focus on is about six verses that have prescriptions for their King. For most people, this seems like a very irrelevant passage for followers of Christ today. Not only is Christianity not a theocratic political system, but also for much of the western world, being ruled by a monarchy in a direct way is not much of a reality.
Nevertheless, it does contain good principles for leaders to follow and believers to imitate. But more than that, as with all of the Tanakh, it points us to Jesus and helps us to understand His ministry, in particular by identifying His qualifications as King.
Beginning in 17:14-15 we read:
When you come to the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you possess it and dwell in it and then say, ‘I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me,’ you may indeed set a king over you whom the Lord your God will choose.Here we see that in preparation for entering the Land, they are told that when they want a King, they are to choose one approved by God. When I read this at first, I felt a bit confused because I recall from 1 Samuel that when the people asked for a King, the prophet Samuel was indignant, and the Lord declared that the people had rejected Him. So how are we to make sense of this? Are the people allowed to ask for a King or not?
When we look closer at 1 Samuel 8, we find that the people had said to Samuel, "appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations." Based on the permission given in Deuteronomy 17, it seems quite evident that they weren't wanting a king just like all the other nations have kings. They weren't spoiled teenagers complaining that all their friends have iPhones. Rather, they want a King who rules with the nature and character of the Kings of the nations. As we see in the life of Saul, whom the Lord gave them according to their wishes, we see that they did not want the kind of King that God would choose.
As we read on, we find a description of the kind of King that God would have rule them as His representative over the people.
The first is that they were to be an Israelite, as a descendant of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and thus preserve the promise to give the Land to Abraham's descendants who were inheritors of his covenant, and not under the control of someone outside the Promise. What is interesting, as Tim Hegg points out, is that the word used for foreigner is not the common word ger (meaning resident alien), but rather the word nochri, which is often used to describe "someone from a pagan nation who was still identified with paganism." Thus, they were to be a 'brother' in the sense of covenant membership, as a true worshipper of Yahweh.
The second is that the King was told to "not acquire many horses for himself or cause the people to return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses" (17:16). Nor was he to acquire a lot of wives and wealth (17:17). These instructions were about humility, and demonstrating a dependence on the Lord, as a great army and riches would result in pride and arrogance in the King. Thus, the King was instructed to 'walk humbly with His God' (Mic. 6:8). Unfortunately, King Solomon who did amass great wealth and sourced horses from Egypt, was led astray to idolatry and his son would be the catalyst for the division of the nation of Israel.
The third is that they were to be committed to the Law, or Torah, of God. This is because not only was it their obligation as covenant members, but also to ensure they ruled as a representative of God's Holiness, as an example to the people, and as a representative of the people before the Lord. God wanted to ensure that His vassal King did not 'think he was better than his brothers' believing as many terrible rulers do that they are above the Law (v20). To ensure they fulfilled the requirements of the Law, they were instructed to write out their own copy of the Law from the Priests, and to read and study it daily. King David was an example of this kind of King. In Psalm 19 he wrote:
As a descendant of Abraham and David (Matt 1:1), Jesus was an Israelite. And as one sent by and devoted to the Father, and covenant member (Lk 2:21, Gal 4:4), He was not a pagan ruler.
Nor did Jesus acquire for Himself much wealth, since in His incarnation he took "the form of a servant" (Phil 2) and "though he was rich... for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich" (2Cor 8:9). Also, Jesus' declaration to the potential disciple, "the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head", suggests his low wealth, although we know He wasn't homeless since he had a place in Capernaum (Matt 4:13, Mk 9:28, John 1:38-39).
During His incarnation, he never relied upon His own military strength or power. When being arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, He rebukes Peter for using his sword saying: "Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” (Matt 26:53-54). Also in the wilderness, He didn't even use His own powers to create bread to feed himself. This is contrary to the teachings of the Gnostic Gospels like that of 'Thomas' that supposes that as a child he used his powers to bring toys to life and kill a child that bullied him. Jesus used his power and authority to glorify the Father, and for our benefit, as the King was supposed to. As Jesus told his disciples:
Thus, in fulfilling these, Jesus was qualified to become King. This is why Paul in Philippians 2, in what is sometimes called the Carmen Cristi, could say that because of His humility in the incarnation and submission to the Father's will even unto death, that
1. As our representative head, like the King of Israel was to the people (as seen in the way the prosperity and disasters, and waywardness of the people were often reflective of the extent of the faithfulness of the King), we share in His inheritance and blessings.
2. As our King, He deserves our allegiance and worship. As the perfect King, who rules in righteousness and as one approved by the Father, He is worthy of our devotion. Unfortunately, many focus only on Jesus as the High Priest and spotless Lamb who takes away the sin of the world, and ignore the Kingship of Jesus. We come to Him in faith by faith alone for our forgiveness, and in response as a declaration of gratitude and loyalty, we follow His teachings and example.
3. Knowing we have a good King who will reign with righteousness, means we can be assured He is worthy of our trust. When the bottom of life falls out, we can know that Jesus reigns and that He is worthy of the throne, and therefore we can be confident that He will make all things right. This is what helps our faith persevere.
And as followers and imitators of Christ, we should ensure we are in covenant with our creator through faith in Jesus, that we are reliant on His ability to redeem us from sin and provide for our needs more than our own efforts and abilities, and that we should be committed to and devoted to His Word. As the Psalmist wrote in Psalm 1:
References
Hegg, Tim. Studies in the Torah: Deuteronomy. "Parashah Forty-Eight." Torah Resource (2016). 111-138.
As we read on, we find a description of the kind of King that God would have rule them as His representative over the people.
The first is that they were to be an Israelite, as a descendant of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and thus preserve the promise to give the Land to Abraham's descendants who were inheritors of his covenant, and not under the control of someone outside the Promise. What is interesting, as Tim Hegg points out, is that the word used for foreigner is not the common word ger (meaning resident alien), but rather the word nochri, which is often used to describe "someone from a pagan nation who was still identified with paganism." Thus, they were to be a 'brother' in the sense of covenant membership, as a true worshipper of Yahweh.
The second is that the King was told to "not acquire many horses for himself or cause the people to return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses" (17:16). Nor was he to acquire a lot of wives and wealth (17:17). These instructions were about humility, and demonstrating a dependence on the Lord, as a great army and riches would result in pride and arrogance in the King. Thus, the King was instructed to 'walk humbly with His God' (Mic. 6:8). Unfortunately, King Solomon who did amass great wealth and sourced horses from Egypt, was led astray to idolatry and his son would be the catalyst for the division of the nation of Israel.
The third is that they were to be committed to the Law, or Torah, of God. This is because not only was it their obligation as covenant members, but also to ensure they ruled as a representative of God's Holiness, as an example to the people, and as a representative of the people before the Lord. God wanted to ensure that His vassal King did not 'think he was better than his brothers' believing as many terrible rulers do that they are above the Law (v20). To ensure they fulfilled the requirements of the Law, they were instructed to write out their own copy of the Law from the Priests, and to read and study it daily. King David was an example of this kind of King. In Psalm 19 he wrote:
The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul... More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold... Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight.Thus, they were to be a vassal representative of God, devoted and faithful to God, who would point the people to their creator and redeemer. This was pointing us to the coming of Christ, as when we look at the life of Jesus in the Gospels and read about His identity and ministry in the Epistles, we find that Jesus fulfilled these requirements perfectly.
As a descendant of Abraham and David (Matt 1:1), Jesus was an Israelite. And as one sent by and devoted to the Father, and covenant member (Lk 2:21, Gal 4:4), He was not a pagan ruler.
Nor did Jesus acquire for Himself much wealth, since in His incarnation he took "the form of a servant" (Phil 2) and "though he was rich... for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich" (2Cor 8:9). Also, Jesus' declaration to the potential disciple, "the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head", suggests his low wealth, although we know He wasn't homeless since he had a place in Capernaum (Matt 4:13, Mk 9:28, John 1:38-39).
During His incarnation, he never relied upon His own military strength or power. When being arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, He rebukes Peter for using his sword saying: "Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” (Matt 26:53-54). Also in the wilderness, He didn't even use His own powers to create bread to feed himself. This is contrary to the teachings of the Gnostic Gospels like that of 'Thomas' that supposes that as a child he used his powers to bring toys to life and kill a child that bullied him. Jesus used his power and authority to glorify the Father, and for our benefit, as the King was supposed to. As Jesus told his disciples:
You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Matt 20:25-28)And finally, He fully kept the Law. As the author of Hebrews explains, Jesus was without sin (Heb 4:15), which is defined as violation of the Law. More than that, He was committed to it. In the Sermon on the Mount, He declared that He came not to abolish but to fulfil the law, which that time and society referred to the faithful and complete teaching of the Law. More than that, was His commitment to even the minutia of the Law. He said that "not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law", and told the Pharisees that they should not neglect "the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others" (Matt 23:23). This is reflective of the way they King was to copy out the Law, as Tim Hegg suggests, as an acknowledgement of each and every letter of God's revelation.
Thus, in fulfilling these, Jesus was qualified to become King. This is why Paul in Philippians 2, in what is sometimes called the Carmen Cristi, could say that because of His humility in the incarnation and submission to the Father's will even unto death, that
God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.That Jesus is the true and worthy King is significant for a number of reasons:
1. As our representative head, like the King of Israel was to the people (as seen in the way the prosperity and disasters, and waywardness of the people were often reflective of the extent of the faithfulness of the King), we share in His inheritance and blessings.
2. As our King, He deserves our allegiance and worship. As the perfect King, who rules in righteousness and as one approved by the Father, He is worthy of our devotion. Unfortunately, many focus only on Jesus as the High Priest and spotless Lamb who takes away the sin of the world, and ignore the Kingship of Jesus. We come to Him in faith by faith alone for our forgiveness, and in response as a declaration of gratitude and loyalty, we follow His teachings and example.
3. Knowing we have a good King who will reign with righteousness, means we can be assured He is worthy of our trust. When the bottom of life falls out, we can know that Jesus reigns and that He is worthy of the throne, and therefore we can be confident that He will make all things right. This is what helps our faith persevere.
And as followers and imitators of Christ, we should ensure we are in covenant with our creator through faith in Jesus, that we are reliant on His ability to redeem us from sin and provide for our needs more than our own efforts and abilities, and that we should be committed to and devoted to His Word. As the Psalmist wrote in Psalm 1:
Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
References
Hegg, Tim. Studies in the Torah: Deuteronomy. "Parashah Forty-Eight." Torah Resource (2016). 111-138.
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