As we continue reading through the Book of Deuteronomy, I would like to remind us that this is a repetition of God’s laws. Moses was preparing the people for their journey into a new land. He was emphasizing laws that were needed at that time. The heart of the matter is that this book is about the love relationship of the Lord to his people and the people to the Lord as their Sovereign God.
The first thing that stood out to me in this week’s reading was related to the process of choosing a king. In Deuteronomy 17:14-20, the process is described. I love that when the king was selected, he was “to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law…” (verse 17:18). The king had homework!! The purpose of that homework is found in verse 17:19: “It is to be with him, and he is to read it all days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God…” In order for the king to lead the people, it started with reverence for the Lord his God. Reverence is defined as having and showing honor and respect. The king was to carefully follow God’s law, not consider himself better than others and to not turn from the law. The heart of reverence for God was at the heart of leadership.
In chapter 18, we read that the tribe of Levi, who were set apart by God as priests, were not to have a portion of the inheritance with Israel. Rather, they were to live on a portion of the offerings made to the Lord. The people were to give offerings to the Lord, which in turn also provided for the priests. The Lord chose the priests to stand and minister in His name, and he also provided for them.
In chapter 18, the people were also reminded that even though God was giving them a new land, they were not to imitate the practices of that land. There were things being practiced by the current inhabitants that were detestable to the Lord. God’s people were to remain set apart for the Lord their God. The current inhabitants of the land engaged in sorcery and divination but God would raise up a prophet to be his voice to his people. If people did not listen to the words God gave to his prophet, they would be accountable to God. Likewise, if a prophet spoke words that were not given by the Lord, that prophet was accountable to the Lord as well. God reassured the people that only words given by God would actually come to pass.
Tucked into the directions for setting up boundaries for protecting people and providing guidelines for justice, we have a reminder of the heart of all of this information. We see that the laws and directions are tied to walking closely with God. Verse 19:9 includes “because you carefully follow all these laws I command you today – to love the Lord your God and to walk always in his ways – then you are to…” The directions came with the purpose of relationship between the Lord and his people.
We also read that God reminds his people that he would also be with them in the battles. In verse 20:1b we read “do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt will be with you.” The priest was to remind the people before the battle not to be fainthearted of afraid, not to be terrified or give in to panic. A strong word of encouragement is found in verse 20:4 “For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.” The battles were determined by the Lord as he guided the people on their journey. I think it’s important to reflect on this for our current situations. We also need to walk closely devoted to God and his ways. I don’t think we should choose our battles in our own strength and presume God will lead us to victory. We are to walk in his ways and not twist things to meet our own agenda. Let’s prayerfully consider our responses and let the Lord lead the way. If the Lord leads us into battle, He will be with us.
As I reflect on these chapters, I once again consider that God wants us to be all in with him. He has always made a way for his people. The heart of the matter is that the Lord of All calls out to us and promises to always be with us. Let’s remember --
Deuteronomy 6:5: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”
