ALPHA MAAMA (A.M.)

 Falaite ‘Akosi 13, 2021

lest his heart turn away

ke ‘oua na‘a afe hono loto

Teutalonome 17 (Deuteronomy 17)

(v. 16-17) Only he must not acquire many horses for himself or cause the people to return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses, since the Lord has said to you, ‘You shall never return that way again.’ And he shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold.

(v. 16-17) Ka ko ‘eni pē, ‘e ‘ikai te ne fakalahi ‘ene fanga hoosi, pea ‘e ‘ikai te ne fakafoki ‘a e kakai ki ‘Isipite koe‘uhi ke tokolahi ‘ene fanga hoosi: he kuo folofola ‘a e ‘Eiki kiate kimoutolu, ‘E ‘ikai te mou toe foki ‘i he hala ko ē. Pea ‘e ‘ikai te ne ma‘u ‘unoho tokolahi, ke ‘oua na‘a afe hono loto: pea ‘e ‘ikai te ne ha‘aki fakalahi ‘ene siliva mo koula.

G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

Continuing the discourse commenced in the previous chapter, we find insistence on the fact that no false sacrifices must be offered and no false worshipers permitted to approach. For dealing with such, a method was minutely laid down. First there must be careful inquiry and for condemnation there must be three, or at the least two, witnesses. Where cases of peculiar difficulty arose they must be remitted to the priests and to the supreme judge, that is, to the religious and civil court.

Then followed a revelation of the threefold medium through which the government of God must be interpreted- the king, the priest, and the prophet. In dealing with the king the words of Moses were those of prophetic foresight. He saw what would happen in the history of the people after they had come into the land. Therefore the principles of appointment were declared. The king must be chosen of God and be of the people's own nation. He was not to multiply horses, wives, silver, or gold. All these things were characteristic of the kings of the nations round about them, and it was provided that Israel's king must live a simpler life for the fulfillment of a higher ideal, Moreover, he must be a student and doer of the law.

This is a remarkable portrait of God's ideal of kingship. It would be an interesting exercise to measure the kings of men throughout history by this ideal. Such a procedure would inevitably issue in a twofold consciousness. First, we would find that the measure in which the kings of men have conformed to the ideal is the measure in which they have contributed to the strength of national life; and, on the contrary, the measure by which they have violated these principles has been the measure of the disaster resulting from their rule.

David Guzik :: Study Guide for Deuteronomy 17

a. He shall not multiply horses for himself: The future king of Israel must not put undue trust in military might.

b. Neither shall he multiply wives for himself: The future king of Israel must not put undue emphasis on physical indulgence and personal status.

c. Nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold for himself: The future king of Israel must not put undue emphasis on personal wealth.

d. Lest His heart turn away: Each of these issues is a matter of balance. The king had to have some military power, but not too much; one wife and certain comforts, but not too much; some personal wealth, but not too much. Such balances are often the hardest to keep.

i. Solomon was a notorious breaker of these commands. He had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots (1 Kings 4:26), and Solomon had horses imported from Egypt (1 Kings 10:28). He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart (1 Kings 11:3). He surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches (1 Kings 10:23).

ii. Yet, all along, we might see Solomon knowing the commands of Deuteronomy 17, yet deceiving himself by asking the self-justifying questions, "How much is 'multiply'? I can handle this. I haven't gone too far." It might seem self-evident that 700 wives and 300 concubines is multiplying wives to yourself, but one should never underestimate the ability of the human heart to deceive itself in such situations.

iii. Each of these three areas reflects the places where many modern Christian leaders fall: In regard to power, pleasure, or money. God's commands for leaders have not changed; and neither has the need to be on guard against the self-deception in these things which felled Solomon.