June 12

Deuteronomy 17 What if my wife said to me, “John, you are so harsh. I wanted to spend some time with other men, and that upset you. What is so wrong with me having dinner with another man, or even having a sleep over with him. Some of the men I meet are so protective. I feel much more secure around them than I do with you. There isn’t anything wrong with me enjoying their riches and their company.” If my wife said that and meant it, I do not think there would be very good odds that our relationship would last long. Some would say that the God of the Old Testament is harsh. Certainly there are some pretty harsh consequences here. Can you imagine if today we stoned anyone who worshipped other gods? We would be killing a lot of people. What would happen if we followed the other guidelines revealed in this chapter? Why couldn’t a king multiply horses? Horses were strategic weapons of war. A horse and chariot were the tanks of their day. To multiply horses was tantamount to raising a mighty army. If the king multiplied horses, he would be tempted to put his trust in the army rather than the Lord. What would happen if we applied that concept to our republic? One of the driving forces of our economy is the trust we have placed in our military industrial complex. I still sometimes wonder about our entrance into the Iraq war. Was it really about weapons of mass destruction, or was it to protect western oil interests? If it were not for the far superior military technology of our military, would we still have entered into the war? In whom or what were we trusting when we entered the war? Had we not had a superior military, where would we have place our trust? Why couldn’t a king multiply wives? The first response to that question is that it is just wrong to have more than one wife, and the king should model a righteous family. While that is true, it does not include the fact that marriage alliances were used to provide national security. When Solomon had 700 wives, I find it difficult to believe that he had a sexual relationship with 700 women. If he visited one per day, it would take him 2 years to make the rounds. So why did He have so many wives? It was another way of providing national security. The marriage alliances provided peace for the country. Seven hundred allies is a very formidable support group. One of Solomon’s main marriage alliances was his marriage with Pharaoh’s daughter. That one alliance secured his southern border, but at what price? She turned his heart away from the Lord. Would God have given him peace without the multiple marriage alliances. Maybe, maybe not, but he would have been less likely to have turned his heart away from the Lord. He lost the privilege of feasting on the glory of the Lord. Why couldn’t a king multiply silver and gold? When we are rich, it takes great discipline to resist the corruption of trusting in wealth rather than the Lord. Solomon became so rich that silver became devalued. Can you imagine that? You might be saying, “No, I can’t, but I would like the opportunity to try.” Solomon’s riches also were instrumental in turning His heart from the Lord. The Lord wants my heart. He wants me to enjoy Him as my security. He wants me to rest in Him as my protector. He wants me to value Him as true riches. Why? Simply because He is. To settle for anything else is to settle for poverty. He wants to give me Himself—that is true riches. How can I but give Him myself? His glory is too awesome! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor john