Week 10 Deuteronomy 17
Moses knew that Israel would eventually have a monarchial government. And so he gave the (future) king Two Recommendations. Plus Four Outcomes.
Recommendation #1 the king must copy for himself this body of instruction (so he needed his own bible)
Recommendation #2 he must always keep that copy with him and read it daily as long as he lives (so he had to read it).
If the king did those two things then there’d be four results:
1. He’ll learn to fear the Lord his God by obeying all the terms of these instructions
2. Reading will prevent him from becoming proud and acting as if he is above his fellow citizens
3. It will prevent him from turning away from the Lord’s commands
4. It will ensure that he and his descendants will reign for many generations.
Moses doesn’t say definitely that the Recommendations & Outcomes applied only to the king. So even though it’s a pretty safe bet to say that I’ll never be king of Israel (Outcome #4) I think it’s reasonable to figure the other outcomes are (theoretically) transferable. Meaning that when I read the bible I can hope that
1. I’ll gradually learn to revere the Lord
2. I’ll eventually become more genuinely humble
And 3. I’ll follow the Lord more consistently.
Which aren’t bad aspirations for a bible reader.
Note: quotes from Deuteronomy 17:18-20 (NLT). Personally I think it would have helped if Moses said how many chapters the king should read per day.