DEUTERONOMY 17

I.   Verse 12 - Introduction to Part II.

A.     This verse is talking about the perfection of the sacrifice, a subject Israel has heard before.

B.     Israel should never believe their perfection ends with the selection of the perfect animal

1.       Moses inserts this verse here as an introduction to the personal holiness God expects. 

2.       God wants Israel to understand that there is more to spiritual worship than being physically pure.  There is a personal spiritual purity.

3.       We should also remember that our purity does not depend on outward physical purity, but on an inward spiritual purity.  This purity comes only from the Lord God.  Let us ever trust Him, never trusting ourselves for anything.

II.   Verse 2-13 - The practical application of holiness.

A.     Verse 2-6 - The practical application of holiness concerning worship.

1.       Verse 2 - God considers it wickedness to worship false gods, which break the covenant between God and Israel.

2.       Verse 3 - There is particular reference to worshipping the sun, moon, and stars.

a.      This is the form of worship of the Canaanites.

b.      People today would say they were too "modern" to worship the sun, moon, and stars, but they will check their horoscope for daily living and planting their crops.

3.       Verse 4 - The rumor of somebody worshipping a false god shall be investigated thoroughly.

a.      Verse 6 - The rumor must be proved by two or three witnesses.  This is how thoroughly it must be checked out.

b.      Verse 7 - Nobody shall be put to death for false worship at the mouth of only one witness.

c.      Personally, I would be inclined to investigate the "witnesses", for there are those people who would purposely lie against another person.

d.      Verse 7 - If a person would be willing to thoroughly investigate an accusation of false worship, they must be willing to cast the first stone at the offender.

1)      It is not right for an offence to be investigated, then nothing done about it.

2)      Verse 4 - It is really not right to tell of somebody false worship if you are not willing to do anything about it.

3)      The only real reason to tell on anybody is because you need another witness, either against or for the person.

4)      Verse 7 - This is how evil is put away from Israel.

5)      Note: It is not the responsibility nor does the church have the authority to kill anybody for anything.  This responsibility and authority is left in the hands of the government.  The very worse punishment a church can inflict on any church member is to exclude them from the fellowship of the church.

B.     Verse 7-13 - The practical application of holiness concerning "knowing what to do when you don't know what to do."

1.       Verse 8 - There are always those situations that are too hard for us to answer.

2.       Verse 9 - The solution is to go to the priest and the judge.  These two men will listen to the problem and give a solution.

3.       Verse 10,11 - The solution of the priest and judge will be obeyed.

a.      I never did like situations where I had to make a decision that made somebody mad.

b.      But sometimes, any decision that is made will make somebody mad.

c.      In cases like that, we must make the decision that won't make God mad.

4.       Verse 12 - The person that won't obey the priest and judge shall be put to death.

a.      One of the big problems in our nation is that authority is not respected.  Very few people respect God's authority, few children respect their parents, few parents respect the law, the public doesn't respect the government, the government doesn't respect the public, and on and on the lack of respect goes.  It all begins because there is a lack of respect for God.

b.      Verse 13 - This would teach Israel to always obey authority even if they didn't agree with the decisions being made.

5.       Note: The people involved in the controversy.

a.      The person the priest and judge ruled for.  This person must not gloat, but recognize they are right only because the grace of God has been with them.

b.      b.            The person the priest and judge ruled against.            This person must realize they were wrong, and turn from their false way and begin to serve correctly.            This must be done with a sweet spirit of love and fellowship, otherwise the obeying and turning is nothing before God.

c.      Both of these people will probably learn that they are not 100% right or wrong on any subject.  They will learn to listen to other people, realizing they probably have something to add to the conversation. 

III.   Verse 14-20 - The qualifications of a king.

A.     God established the qualifications of a king 330 years before Israel asked for one.  (I Sam.  8:1-5)

1.       It was no surprise to God when Israel requested a king.

2.       We worship a sovereign God who knows the end from the beginning, and plans for every situation.

B.     The qualifications.

1.       The king must be chosen by God.

2.       The king must be a brother to Israel, not a stranger.

a.      This person would love Israel and be faithful to her.

b.      A person from another country would be faithful to their mother country, and would lead Israel away from God toward their mother country.

C.     The duties of the king.

1.       Verse 14,15 - He shall rule according to the commandments of God.

2.       Verse 18 - He shall write a personal book of the law out of that which is before the priest.

3.       Verse 19 - This book shall be kept by the king, and he shall read and study out of that book all the days of his life.

4.       Verse 20 - This will instruct him in how he ought to rule Israel and will stop him from thinking he is more powerful than he is.  He will remember that God is over him and it is God that sets up kings and takes them down.

5.       I don't remember a single king that wrote a book of the law to read and study.  If there was a king that did this, it would be King David.

D.     The things the king shall not do.  (These were all broken.)

1.       Verse 16 - He shall not multiply horses (a sign of wealth and readiness for war).

a.      II Kings 23:11 - Josiah took away the horses that were dedicated to the sun.

b.      Almost every king of Israel and Judah accumulated horses, chariots, and servants to take care of them.

2.       Verse 16 - He shall not cause the people to return to Egypt.

a.      I Kings 3:1 - Almost the first thing Solomon did was make affinity (a governmental alliance) with Egypt.

b.      Jer.  43:2 - The people of Israel told Jeremiah he was speaking what God said, but rather was following Baruch.  Verse 5-7, Israel went on down into Egypt, just like they wanted to and just like God told them not to.  The majority of the people died in that land.

3.       Verse 17 - He shall not multiply wives.

a.      Every king of Israel had more than one wife.

b.      I Kings 11:1-8 - Probably the greatest example of many young wives turning the heart of an aged king from God toward their false gods is Solomon.

c.      God allowed many things He did not approve of.

4.       Verse 17 - He shall not greatly multiply gold.

a.      Note the word "greatly".

b.      God does not mind kings (or anybody else) being rich, but He knows that wealth has a way of turning people from God.

c.      If God wanted his kings to be poor, or not so rich, He wouldn't have given Solomon riches, I Kings 3:13, and told David he could have more, II Sam.  12:8.

d.      God wanted Israel to be rich, Deut.  15:4.  He was against a single person having all the wealth.