Read: Deut. 16:18-
God’s plan A was that He would be their king but he knew they would want a physical king so he gave them some guidelines for this king. (There was not one king who abided by these guidelines.) They were not to build up a large stable of horses yet David reserved one hundred chariot horses and chariots from the spoil (2 Sam. 8:4) and Solomon had 40,000 stalls of horses for his chariots (1 Kings 4). He was not to take many wives for himself because they would turn his heart from the Lord. 1 Kings 11:3 says of Solomon, “And he had 700 wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart.”
The king was to copy the Word of God on a scroll in the presence of the priests so he would have the law at his convenience and he could use it to govern his people. I don’t remember a single king that did this.
God warned the people not to practice fortune-telling, sorcery, or interpret omens, or engage in witchcraft or cast spells or function as mediums or psychics, or call forth the sprits of the dead. These are all things we see in cartoons, teen-age films and adult films. The devil is trying to steal our hearts away as soon as we are born. If we are not discerning, we will be deceived into thinking this is all innocent, but it is not. It is definitely alluring and entertaining because the devil is all about deception.
God gave them instructions about war. If they were fighting enemies in their promised land they were to kill every living thing in the city. This would prevent the foreign people from teaching the children of Israel their detestable customs of how to worship their gods. If they attacked a city outside their land they were to first offer them peace. If they accepted, they were to make them slaves and let them live. To me, this means that all the enemies in our household we are to totally cast out and defeat. Demons that attack from outside our authority we are to have serve us. We are never to be oppressed by the devil.
Lord, help us to choose you as our king. As we decide on who to vote for president, let us remember your guidelines and listen to the Holy Spirit. We pray for a man who will lead our nation to follow you. May we walk in victory over the devil.
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