The Book of Deuteronomy records the limits God set on the power of royal authority.
Even so, he must not acquire many horses for himself or return the people to Egypt in order to acquire more horses, since the Lord has said to you, ‘You must never return that way again.’
And he must not acquire many wives for himself or else his heart will turn away; also silver and gold he must not acquire in great quantity for himself.
When he has taken the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests (Deuteronomy 17:16-18).
There were three prohibitions and one admonition the king was required to follow.
Prohibitions
- Do not acquire many horses and do not go to Egypt to find more horses.
- Do not acquire many wives.
- Do not possess a great quantity of wealth.
Admonition
- Write the law of the Lord on a scroll, becoming familiar with God’s design for his rule.
Solomon’s Failure
Solomon and many heads of state that followed him have failed to follow God’s directions. The results were dismal for Solomon and many who have been corrupted by wealth and power.
(1) Solomon’s Wealth: The king’s trade with other kings allowed him to acquire 25 tons of gold annually. He had so much gold that his artisans constructed 200 large gold-plated shields (1 Kings 10:14-17).
Solomon sat on an ivory inlaid throne with 12 carved lions placed at each of the six steps to where he sat (1 Kings 10:18-20).
He drank from gold vessels (1 Kings 10:21).
(2) Horses and Chariots: Horses and chariots were the most advanced weapons of war in Solomon’s day.
He had 1400 chariots and 12,000 horses (1 Kings 10:26). He acquired both horses and chariots from Egypt (1 Kings 10:26, 29).
(3) Many Wives: Solomon failed all three of God’s prohibitions in Deuteronomy 17. His greatest error was to acquire many wives who he loved more than the Lord. Tomorrow’s blog article and video will feature this aspect of Solomon’s actions.
A Kingdom in Trouble
Why does God prohibit the acquisition of wealth by a king? What does the Bible say about the desire to acquire massive amounts of wealth?
If we ascribe Proverbs and Ecclesiastes to Solomon, he should have taken his own advice.
Those who trust in their riches will wither, but the righteous will flourish like green leaves (Proverbs 11:28).
The lover of money will not be satisfied with money; nor the lover of wealth, with gain. This also is vanity (Ecclesiastes 5:10).
Jesus and Paul had messages for modern-day politicians and ordinary citizens that should be observed.
Jesus said, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” (Luke 12:15).
Paul wrote, “But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.” (1 Timothy 6:9-10).
While Solomon acquired many wives, horses, and chariots, there is no record of the king making a record of God’s law.
Had the king taken time to regularly review God’s directions for life, he may have avoided the disaster that came on his kingdom. We will see in tomorrow’s article that his excesses not only affected his life but also that of his children.
The Kingdom of God
Jesus proclaimed the arrival of God’s kingdom on earth (Mark 1:17). Jesus didn’t pray for the world’s system, because He knew that system was under the control of Satan.
Hannah Arendt was correct when she described a nation as “a business with a gun.” Regardless of a person’s political preferences, the fact is that the world’s system is not the kingdom of God.
I wrestle with how best to respond to national and world events as a member of God’s kingdom. Here are two thoughts that have helped me:
(1) I can bring my burdens to the Lord and then pray the Lord’s Prayer. This prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 is the most complete prayer in the Bible. I can pray it and leave it to God to determine how best to respond.
(2) How do we join God in His activity in the world? We do so by conforming to His revealed will.
Jesus demonstrated His attitudes and actions in the Gospels. As we read the Gospels, we learn what is most important to the King of the kingdom. When we align our lives with His revealed will, we join Him in His purposes and activity.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross and I discussed this passage on YouTube today.
Real Voices 