Deuteronomy 17 explained: Justice, Courts and a Humble King

No damaged offerings (v. 1)

Animals offered to God had to be healthy and whole, not sick or flawed ones nobody wanted. Offering God the leftovers was treated as an insult; Christians later read this in light of Jesus, whom the New Testament calls a lamb without flaw.

Death for worshiping other gods (vv. 2-7)

Worshiping other gods, including the sun, moon and stars, broke Israel's founding agreement with God (the covenant), and this law commands death by stoning at the town gate. The charge had to be carefully investigated and confirmed by at least two witnesses, who had to throw the first stones, a heavy check against false accusations.

Hard cases go higher (vv. 8-13)

When local judges could not settle a case involving killing, a dispute, or an injury, it went to priests and a judge at the central place of worship. Their ruling was final, and openly defying it carried the death penalty, so that the whole legal system would be respected.

Who may be king (vv. 14-15)

Israel had no king yet, so this looks ahead to a time when the people would want one like the nations around them. The king had to be someone God chose and a fellow Israelite, not a foreign ruler.

Limits on royal power (vv. 16-17)

He must not pile up war horses (the text mentions getting them from Egypt), many wives who could turn his heart away from God, or great wealth. Later, the account of King Solomon in the book of Kings describes him doing all three.

The king copies the law (vv. 18-20)

Each king had to write out his own copy of this law and read it all his life, so he would stay humble and not see himself as better than other Israelites. The king stood under the law, not above it.

Key verse: Deuteronomy 17:19

Where Christians differ

Interpreters differ on whether the passage about the king shows God approving of kingship or only reluctantly allowing it, since a later story in 1 Samuel 8 portrays the request for a king as a rejection of God.

Something to think about

What do you think keeps people with power from coming to believe they are above the rules everyone else lives by?