Jump Start # 3868
Deuteronomy 17:18-19 “Now it shall come about when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. 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, by carefully observing all the words of this law and these statutes.”
Our verse today introduces a couple of interesting ideas for us. First, here in Deuteronomy, God was looking ahead to the day in which Israel would have a king over them. It is commonly thought that the rejection of Eli’s sons and the desire to be like the kingdoms around them, was the first time anyone thought of Israel having a king. Not so. God knew. And, in the law He was giving early direction about who ought to rule them. A foreigner was not to be king. The king was not to multiply horses nor wives. God was guiding them.
Second, the king was write his own personal copy of the law. He was to do this in the presence of the priests. He was to read this and refer to this as long as he served. I tend to think that later kings of Israel didn’t do this. Bringing in idols and copying the law do not fit well together.
We understand why this was so important in those times. Copies of God’s word were rare. Having written it out would tend to help those words stick in your heart and mind. It has been said that a person remembers some of what they hear. They remember more if they hear and see. They remember even more if they hear, see and write. God wanted the king to make a copy of the law.
Here are some thoughts for us:
First, what a great exercise this would be for us. Get a journal and start copying pages of the Bible. Immediately, we might protest by saying, “Why?” I have a printed copy of the Bible. I have all kinds of Bibles. I have Bible apps on my phone and computer. I don’t need to write out what I already have. While this is true, there is something special about doing this, especially Paul’s letters. Try copying this without the chapter and verse numbers. Write it out as a letter.
Another great exercise you can try is to turn on the audible Bible and listen to the Bible being read. Again, this is especially good for the N.T. books. Many were letters that were read aloud to the church. Put yourself back in those times, and just listen. The letter would be read through completely. This is how we read letters. Then a person might go back and focus in detail upon key phrases and words. Give it a try.
Second, God understood how important it was for the king to stay close to the Word. The king would be busy. He would have to make decisions that impacted the lives of many people. Sending troops into battle was often sending people to their deaths. The king would make laws that could change the shape of generations. But, in a similar way, parents are shaping the lives of those little ones in their home. Shepherds in God’s church are leading lives toward the Lord today. We need to keep God’s word close to us so that the Word of God can shape the choices that we make.
Keeping God’s word close to us will remind us, shape us and lead us. Our passage says the king should read it all the days of his life. And, so should we. The word of God will humble us. It will lead to thankful hearts and develop a spirit of a servant. Reading it all the days of your life. Not just once. Not just in the dark days of trouble. All the time, makes the difference.
Third, copying the law in the presence of the priests would make sure for accuracy. I don’t know if the priests read the law and the king wrote down what they said or if the priests just looked over the shoulder of the king and witnessed what he was writing. It would take more than one setting to write the law. In those ancient days, writing with quill pens, dipped in ink, would be messy and tedious. Some of us do not have good penmanship. I’m one of those people. I write fast and often don’t finish words, just a line tailing off at the end. It works for the moment. But, there have been some notes I wrote months and years ago that I struggle wondering what certain words were. I don’t see the king doing that. I see meticulous and careful writing of each word. It does little good to write things out if you cannot read what you wrote.
Penmanship is a lost art. I love the beautiful, curvy writing of generations ago. Some today cannot write in cursive. That’s a shame.
The king copying the law for himself. He’d know the law by doing that. Great idea from Heaven.
Roger