Our Sermons

Bible Passage: Deuteronomy 17:18-20
Pastor: Pastor Berg
Sermon Date:  February 24, 2021

I think that I’d always gotten the impression that it was sinful for the Israelites to ask for a king. We certainly get that impression from 1 Samuel chapter 8. And it’s true that when Israel asked for a king in 1 Samuel chapter 8, the spirit in which they asked for it, where their hearts were at the time, made it a sinful request. But the asking in and of itself wasn’t sinful. How do we know that? From these words before us today on the Road to Redemption. Here in Deuteronomy 17, we find God giving instructions for an earthly king for his chosen people. The verses just before our lesson lay out the qualifications. First of all, this was an optional thing. God says, “You may set a king over yourself.” They didn’t have to be ruled by an earthly king. But, if they were to choose to have a king over them, this king had to meet certain requirements. “You may set a king over yourself, one whom the LORD your God will choose. You may set over yourself a king who is from among your brother Israelites. You must not set a foreigner over you, one who is not your brother. But the king must not accumulate more and more horses for himself, and he must not send people back to Egypt in order to accumulate more horses, because the LORD has said to you, “You must not go that way again.” He must not accumulate more and more wives for himself, or his heart may go astray. He must not accumulate excessive silver and gold for himself.” 

Just look at all the restrictions placed on this office of king! Of all the anointed offices, prophet, priest, and king, the king is by far the most restrictive. Just look at how different this picture was from that of any other king! Anything that would divert him from a proper rule of God’s people, Israel’s king was to avoid. And we can’t emphasize enough that these restrictions came from God himself. 

But as restrictive as the office of king was for Israel, what’s more important and our focus today is not what the king couldn’t do, but rather what he needed to do. “When he sits on his royal throne, he is to have a copy of this law written for him on a scroll in the presence of the priests, who are from the tribe of Levi. It is to remain with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he learns to fear the LORD his God by being careful to carry out all the words of this law and these statutes, so that his heart does not grow haughty toward his brother and turn away from this set of commands, either to the right or to the left, so that the days of his royal reign in Israel, as well as that of his sons, may be many.”

If Israel was to have an earthly king, first and foremost, that king was to be a man of God’s Word. He was to have his own personal copy of the Word–a monumental undertaking in those days. His top leadership priority was to be in the Word daily. How else could he know God’s will, how else could he properly lead and rule unless he was ruled and led by the Word himself? Not only was this for the king’s personal benefit, but for the benefit of the people. In the office of the king, the people were to see a living example of how to walk before the LORD. And like every other law that and ceremony God gave, the office of the king ultimately foreshadowed the Messiah. 

So how did this work out for Israel? Well, when the king was “a man after God’s own heart,” such as David, Israel was blessed. In fact, all of the “good kings” are said to have “walked in the footsteps of their father David.” However, when these directives were ignored, the results were disastrous. A quick glance through Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles puts that on full display. And even though David was a man after God’s own heart, he failed miserably to live up to the kingly ideal set forth in these verses. Solomon, the wisest man to ever live, who made God happy with his desire for divine wisdom to rule God’s people, failed even more miserably. In fact, every single king failed in regards to the marriage requirements, the amassing of horses, and the amassing of wealth. 

We might look at these restrictions set up for Israel’s king and think that they’re unrealistic. The temptation is just too great to think that someone in that position would be able to keep himself from the wealth and power and the pride that seems to naturally come with it. Do you see how easy it is to take that same logic and apply it to our lives? God’s demand of perfection? Unrealistic. God’s demand of putting him first above everything else? Impossible. God’s expectation of prioritizing his Word? With everything else out their pulling at us, begging for our attention, how can we? God’s expectation that we avoid those activities that he calls sin but that the world enjoys, that the world props up as good? Can you see how easy it is to justify our sinful choices? 

But not Jesus. Jesus is truly our king. In every sense of the word, Jesus fulfilled the office of king just as God laid it out. He completely submitted to the one who crowned him. Jesus submitted to God’s Word alone as he fulfilled God’s Law in our place. Jesus only ever went as far as the Scriptures allowed, and no further. This was no cakewalk. This wasn’t easy for him. The Bible is clear that Jesus was tempted in every way that we are. We can see his struggle with God’s will in the Garden of Gethsemane. However, Jesus was the perfect model of a king. He was that living example of how to walk before the Lord. His entire heart, mind, and soul were consumed with doing God’s will, even in the most difficult of situations. And he did this all for you. Jesus actively obeyed God’s will for you, because you couldn’t, so that he could carry out God’s plan to save you. 

Look one more time at God’s directive for his kings. [God’s Word] is to remain with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he learns to fear the LORD his God by being careful to carry out all the words of this law and these statutes, so that his heart does not grow haughty toward his brother and turn away from this set of commands, either to the right or to the left, so that the days of his royal reign in Israel, as well as that of his sons, may be many.” From the moment of his conception, Jesus was always after God’s own heart. From the very beginning, Jesus reigned as our king. Even as a child, he was very careful to keep the laws and statues. Circumcised, named, dedicated according to the law. We see him as a boy in the temple, about his Father’s business. Never did he veer to the left or right of the Law of Moses. He came to fulfill the Law, not abolish it.

Yes, Jesus our king submitted to God completely for the sake of his subjects, for you! Think of how different that is from earthly kings. Just look at Jesus’ interaction with a couple of earthly kings. Herod is the epitome of earthly kingship. Corrupt to the nth degree in his desire for pleasure, for human lust. Herod was an adulterer, a drunk, a schemer, a murderer of God’s own prophet. The only reason he wanted to see Jesus was for sport and entertainment. And when Jesus doesn’t play along he’s mocked and returned to Pilate. 

Pilate was a king in his own right. But as a Roman, as an unbeliever, he was incapable of seeing kingship in any other way than that of the world. His only concern is if Jesus is a threat to the government of Caesar. Jesus tries to show him what a king is supposed to look like, through the eyes of faith, but Pilate refuses. He too mocks Jesus with the crown of thorns and the purple robe and the placard above his head on the cross. But what he doesn’t realize is that he’s actually uttering the truth he failed to grasp. 

Worldly kings do all things for their own personal gain and glory. Just think about the monuments and legacies that kings want to be left behind. A worldly king wants to be praised and feared by men long after they are gone. But a true king knows that lasting blessing must be according to God’s will. A true leader will suffer so that his people will survive and thrive. And that’s what we see in Jesus. Jesus actively obeyed God’s Law to accomplish our salvation. And for the joy set before him, Jesus embraced the cross, scorning its shame. Jesus always had his eye on the prize, even before earthly kings like Herod and Pilate. Jesus is our true King in every aspect. He fought the battle for us and won the victory by laying down his life only to take it up again. 

Israel may not have needed a king, and the kings they had more often than not failed. But God’s directives for those kings pointed ahead to Christ, our King. How thankful are we that Jesus walked the Road to Redemption as our king, completely submitting to God’s Will for our sake that we would be part of his kingdom, now and forever. May we continue to follow our king as he continues on the Road to our Redemption. Amen.