Day 9: Deuteronomy 17:14-20; 18:14-22
After Moses led the people of Israel out of slavery in Egypt in the Exodus, they came to the brink of the Promised Land of Canaan that God had spoken of to Abraham so long ago (see Day 3). But because of sinful unbelief, doubt, and fear, the people refused to go into the land (see Numbers 13-14). They rebelled against Moses, threatening to stone him, and against God, complaining that they wished they were back in Egypt. The Lord, understandably frustrated, said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the miraculous signs I have performed among them?” (Numbers 14:11). As a consequence of their rebellion, the people were sent away to wander in the wilderness for forty years. A new generation would be the one to inherit the Promised Land.
Here in our chapters in Deuteronomy, those forty years of wandering are almost finished. Moses is repeating the Law to the people before they enter Canaan, reminding them of the God who brought them out of slavery and into his glorious presence. He also offers up a few new specifics for their life under God’s rule in God’s land. The reading for today establishes guidelines for two new future offices: that of king and that of prophet.
Even as Moses gives instructions about the king, he notes that the people will initially do so to be like all of the other nations (17:14). Nevertheless, a few indicators will be necessary: he must be “the king the Lord your God chooses” and one “from among your own brothers,” not a foreigner (v. 15). He must not acquire great wealth for himself, take many wives, or return to Egypt for additional assets. Above all, he must write a copy of the entire Law for himself and “read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God” (v. 19). Likewise, the prophet needs to be one from among the people as well. The Lord explains, “I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him” (18:18).
Both offices of king and prophet were intended to mediate between God and the people in specific ways. They needed to be leaders among the people, pointing them continually back to their covenant Lord. As the people enter the land of Canaan and move into the time period of the judges, kings, and prophets, keep these offices in mind. Some people will fill them wholeheartedly, some will try but fall short, and some will openly abandon the requirements of office. Soon, the need will become evident for a true King and a true Prophet, one who will perfectly exemplify what it means to lead the people and follow God, speaking and ruling on his behalf for the good of the nation.
Questions for reflection and discussion: Why do you think the Israelites rebelled against God just before entering the Promised Land, despite everything they had seen and experienced? In what ways do you tend to do the same thing? How might the offices of king and prophet be significant in the Biblical storyline?
