Deuteronomy 17:1-20

The King under the Law

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1You shall not sacrifice to the LORD your God an ox or a sheep with any defect or serious flaw, for that is detestable to the LORD your God.

2If a man or woman among you in one of the towns that the LORD your God gives you is found doing evil in the sight of the LORD your God by transgressing His covenant

3and going to worship other gods, bowing down to them or to the sun or moon or any of the host of heaven—which I have forbidden—

4and if it is reported and you hear about it, you must investigate it thoroughly. If the report is true and such an abomination has happened in Israel,

5you must bring out to your gates the man or woman who has done this evil thing, and you must stone that person to death.

6On the testimony of two or three witnesses a man shall be put to death, but he shall not be executed on the testimony of a lone witness.

7The hands of the witnesses shall be the first in putting him to death, and after that, the hands of all the people. So you must purge the evil from among you.

8If a case is too difficult for you to judge, whether the controversy within your gates is regarding bloodshed, lawsuits, or assaults, you must go up to the place the LORD your God will choose.

9You are to go to the Levitical priests and to the judge who presides at that time. Inquire of them, and they will give you a verdict in the case.

10You must abide by the verdict they give you at the place the LORD will choose. Be careful to do everything they instruct you,

11according to the terms of law they give and the verdict they proclaim. Do not turn aside to the right or to the left from the decision they declare to you.

12But the man who acts presumptuously, refusing to listen either to the priest who stands there to serve the LORD your God, or to the judge, must be put to death. You must purge the evil from Israel.

13Then all the people will hear and be afraid, and will no longer behave arrogantly.

14When you enter the land that the LORD your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, “Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,”

15you are to appoint over yourselves the king whom the LORD your God shall choose. Appoint a king from among your brothers; you are not to set over yourselves a foreigner who is not one of your brothers.

16But the king must not acquire many horses for himself or send the people back to Egypt to acquire more horses, for the LORD has said, ‘You are never to go back that way again.’

17He must not take many wives for himself, lest his heart go astray. He must not accumulate for himself large amounts of silver and gold.

18When he is seated on his royal throne, he must write for himself a copy of this instruction on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests.

19It is to remain with him, and he is to read from it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to fear the LORD his God by carefully observing all the words of this instruction and these statutes.

20Then his heart will not be exalted above his countrymen, and he will not turn aside from the commandment, to the right or to the left, in order that he and his sons may reign many years over his kingdom in Israel.

Berean Standard Bible

Read aloud

Moses forbids sacrificing an ox or sheep with a defect or serious flaw. Israel must bring the offering God requires, rather than treating His altar as a place to dispose of what it does not want.

A report that someone worships other gods must be thoroughly investigated. If it is true, the penalty is stoning. No one may be executed on a lone witness's testimony: two or three witnesses are required, and those witnesses must take the first part in carrying out the sentence. Accusing someone makes the witnesses responsible for what they say.

Difficult cases involving bloodshed, lawsuits, or assaults are to go to the priests and judge at the LORD's chosen place. Israel must obey their verdict; the law prescribes death for presumptuously refusing it. These are the grave responsibilities of Israel's covenant courts, not a grant of unchecked power to anyone claiming spiritual authority.

If Israel appoints a king, he must be an Israelite chosen by the LORD. He must not multiply horses, wives, or wealth, or send the people back to Egypt to acquire horses. He must write a copy of the law in the priests' presence and read it throughout his life. The king needs to learn reverence and obedience like everyone else, so that his heart does not rise above his countrymen.

Questions

1 What had to happen before a serious accusation was judged?

AnswerThe report had to be thoroughly investigated, and an execution required two or three witnesses rather than one person's accusation.

2 Where were difficult cases taken?

AnswerThey were brought to the place the LORD chose, where priests and the appointed judge would give a decision.

3 Why was the king required to write the law?

AnswerReading it throughout life would teach him to fear God, obey the commands, and remain humble among his brothers.

4 What could make the king's heart rise?

AnswerExcessive horses, wives, silver, and gold could turn him toward self-exaltation and dependence on power rather than the LORD.

What This Means for Us

A leader needs correction from God's word as surely as anyone else. Israel's king was required to keep the law with him and continue reading it; status did not make him wiser than the instruction he had received.

Build habits that allow correction before a mistake becomes a pattern. In family leadership, strength is not proved by never listening. Admit when a decision was wrong, return to what God has made clear, and show those you lead that accountability includes you.

Prayer

God of truth, protect our judgments from haste and our leaders from pride. Give us honest witnesses, wise decisions, and the humility to remain under Your word. Amen.

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