*FOUR* BLESSINGS for READING God’s WORD *DAILY*!
February 26
Bible Reading: Deuteronomy Chapters 16-18
*FOUR* BLESSINGS for READING God’s WORD *DAILY*!
"Also it shall be, when he sits on the
throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a
book, from the one before the priests, the Levites. And it shall be with him,
and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the
Lord his God and be careful to observe all the words of this law and these
statutes, that his heart may not be lifted above his brethren, that he may not
turn aside from the commandment to the right hand or to the left, and that he may
prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children in the midst of
Israel." (Deut 17:18-20)
The above
passage is part of God’s instructions through Moses concerning the principles
governing the future kings of Israel.
Given the fact that the Israelites had not entered the Promised Land (Canaan) yet and had not established a kingdom yet, it refers to a time in the future
that God knew and Moses prophesied about kings ruling over Israel.
One of the first acts of the newly formed king of
Israel was that he (himself) would write down for himself (in his own words) a copy of the Old Testament Laws
(Torah). This is obviously a difficult task for the king to undertake. To do
so, he may have to sit for days together and copy each and every law that God
gave to Israel through Moses. What God knew before time existed, which we are
still learning, is that we tend to remember what we read/hear and write them
down ourselves separately. Journaling is
an integral spiritual discipline for any serious believer who wants to grow
daily in spiritual maturity!
Obviously,
the requirement of the king was not only
to copy the Torah by his own hand, but to read the laws of God on a daily basis and then “carefully observe all the words of this law
and statutes”. By continually spending time with the law, the king was to
become a model for his people. By reading and obeying God’s law, the king would
be reminded that he was to be a man of
the people. He was no different than anyone else—except that God had chosen Him
to guide the nation in righteousness.
*Four* key blessings are further promised to the King who would daily reads God’s Word and observes
God’s law diligently in his personal life:
- He would learn to fear God
- He would remain humble
- He would follow God’s ways
- He would prolong his kingdom through his children
This word is
applicable to our lives today since we are God’s ‘royal priesthood’ (1 Peter 2:9). The same blessings that God
promised the kings of Israel would be available for us as well, as His word
transcends time and generations (Psalms 119:89; Matt 24:35).
