When Israel asked for a king, God had already given a charter that would govern the throne. Unlike the nations, Israel’s king was to sit under the Word, not above it. The centerpiece of that charter is startling and beautiful: the king must write his own copy of the Law, keep it with him, and read it all his days. This study will walk through the Scriptures that command and illustrate this, showing how God used His Word to humble kings, restrain excess, foster justice, and keep leadership reliant on the LORD rather than on themselves.
The Royal Charter
“When you come to the land which the LORD your God is giving you, and possess it and dwell in it, and say, ‘I will set a king over me like all the nations that are around me,’ you shall surely set a king over you whom the LORD your God chooses; one from among your brethren you shall set as king over you; you may not set a foreigner over you, who is not your brother.
But he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, for the LORD has said to you, ‘You shall not return that way again.’ Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away; nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold for himself.
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 up 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.” (Deuteronomy 17:14–20)
This is the pattern for every king in Israel: God chooses the king, the king will be a brother among brothers, and his royal power is restrained (no horse-multiplying, no dependence on Egypt, no harem politics, no hoarding wealth); And finally, the king must personally copy, keep, and constantly read the Law “from the one before the priests”. Which is the authorized Torah held by the Levitical custodians. The reason is explicit: so he will fear the LORD, obey, stay humble, and lead justly.
Why This Command Matters
The king is under covenant, not above it
“He who rules over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.” (2 Samuel 23:3)
Deuteronomy 17 treats the king as a covenant servant. He is to be just and God-fearing, not self-exalting. Writing and reading the Law cultivates that posture.
The king must lead by the Word
“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night…” (Joshua 1:8)
Though addressed to Joshua, the principle carries into the monarchy: leadership in Israel is Word-saturated leadership, with meditation leading to obedience and prosperity in God’s terms.
The king must guard against the classic royal temptations
“Woe to those who… justify the wicked for a bribe, and take away justice from the righteous man!” (Isaiah 5:22–23)
Horses (military power), wives (political alliances and lust), and wealth (extraction and pride) are the fault lines of royal corruption. The Law anticipated these downfalls and limited them.
Examples of Kings Who Kept (or Ignored) the Book
Samuel’s Warning Before the Crown
“This will be the behavior of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons… He will take your fields… He will take a tenth…” (1 Samuel 8:11–18)
Samuel describes a king “like the nations” who takes. Deuteronomy 17 is God’s antidote: a king who reads, fears, and serves.
Saul: Partial Obedience and a Heart Lifted Up
“You have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God… the LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart.” (1 Samuel 13:13–14)
“Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice… Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from being king.” (1 Samuel 15:22–23)
There is no record of Saul writing the Law; what we do see is a pattern of rejecting God’s word. The very outcomes Deuteronomy 17 seeks to prevent unfold in Saul’s reign.
David: A King Shaped by the Word
“The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul… the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.” (Psalm 19:7–9)
“I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart.” (Psalm 40:8)
David sins grievously, but he is also a king whose songs exalt the Law and whose repentance returns to the Word. When he first attempted to bring the ark, he ignored the prescriptions; after judgment, he searched the Law and corrected the process with Levitical oversight (1 Chronicles 13:7–14; 15:2, 13–15). That is Deuteronomy 17 in motion… leadership corrected by Scripture.
Solomon: The Tragic Violation of Deuteronomy 17
“Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen.” (1 Kings 4:26)
“And Solomon had horses imported from Egypt…” (1 Kings 10:28)
“The weight of gold that came to Solomon yearly was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold.” (1 Kings 10:14)
“But King Solomon loved many foreign women… from the nations of whom the LORD had said… ‘You shall not intermarry…’ For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods.” (1 Kings 11:1–4)
Point by point Solomon transgresses the royal charter: multiplying horses (even from Egypt!), multiplying silver and gold, and multiplying wives who turned his heart. And just as Deuteronomy 17:17 warns: “lest his heart turn away”; Solomon turned his heart from the Lord. The absence of a heart that is humbled daily by the Book always breeds disaster.
Jehoshaphat: Teaching the Law Throughout the Land
“Also in the third year of his reign he sent his leaders… to teach in the cities of Judah. And with them he sent Levites… So they taught in Judah, and had the Book of the Law of the LORD with them; they went throughout all the cities of Judah and taught the people.” (2 Chronicles 17:7–9)
While Scripture does not narrate him personally penning a copy, Jehoshaphat embodies the spirit of Deuteronomy 17 by disseminating the Law. A king under the Book wants the people under the Book.
Uzziah: Pride After Strength
“But when he was strong his heart was lifted up, to his destruction…” (2 Chronicles 26:16)
Deuteronomy 17:20 warns, “that his heart may not be lifted up above his brethren.” Uzziah’s pride led him to usurp priestly roles; The result… God struck him with leprosy. The Law keeps kings small before our great God.
Hezekiah: Returning to the Word
“He removed the high places… He trusted in the LORD God of Israel… He held fast to the LORD; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments…” (2 Kings 18:4–6)
The reform in Hezekiah’s day was Word-driven. He trusted, held fast, and kept His commandments… We see Deuteronomy 17 come to life in the posture of Hezekiah’s actions.
Josiah: The Book Found, the Covenant Renewed
“Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the LORD given by Moses.” (2 Chronicles 34:14)
“Thus it happened, when the king heard the words of the Law, that he tore his clothes.” (2 Kings 22:11)
“The king went up to the house of the LORD… and he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant which had been found in the house of the LORD.” (2 Kings 23:2)
Finally, Josiah also embodied a Deuteronomy 17 king: Hezekiah heard the words of the law, he was moved with mourning, he read the words, and he took action for covenant renewal (2 Kings 23:3–25). Whether or not his personal copying is recorded, the spirit of the command… “it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life” is on full display.
The Public Reading and Priestly Custody Commands
“So Moses wrote this law and delivered it to the priests… And Moses commanded them, saying: ‘At the end of every seven years… you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing… that they may hear and that they may learn to fear the LORD your God…’” (Deuteronomy 31:9–13)
“So it was, when Moses had completed writing the words of this law in a book… that Moses commanded the Levites… ‘Take this Book of the Law, and put it beside the ark of the covenant… that it may be there for a witness against you.’” (Deuteronomy 31:24–26)
The king’s copy must be made “from the one before the priests” (Deut 17:18). The public reading every seven years and the priestly custody ensured an authoritative text, accountability for rulers and people, and a rhythm of remembering and fearing the LORD.
Kingship is to be Measured by the Book
When the Book is near, kings humble themselves, idolatry falls, justice rises, and the people are taught. When the Book is lost, kings exalt themselves, idolatry spreads, injustice multiplies, and judgment comes. The chronicler summarizes godly rule this way:
“He commanded Judah to seek the LORD God of their fathers, and to observe the law and the commandment.” (2 Chronicles 14:4)
And he summarizes the result of their apostasy this way:
“In those days there was no peace… for God troubled them with every adversity… But you, be strong… for your work shall be rewarded!” (2 Chronicles 15:5–7)
The hinge is always the same: the Word must come before the king.
Christ the King: The Law in His Heart
“I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart.” (Psalm 40:8)
“Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey…” (Zechariah 9:9)
“It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’” (Luke 4:4)
Every king in Israel is measured and falls short. until the Son of David comes. Jesus is the King Deuteronomy 17 anticipated… lowly, just, not lifted up, delighting in the Law, ruling in the fear of God, resisting the temptations of power, wealth, and self-reliance by the written Word. He is the Shepherd-King whose scepter is righteousness (Psalm 45:6–7; Hebrews 1:8–9), and in His reign the Word goes forth to the nations (Isaiah 2:2–4).
The Pattern Continues in the New Covenant
“Give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.” (1 Timothy 4:13)
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete…” (2 Timothy 3:16–17)
While we are not under a theocratic monarchy, the principle endures: God’s leaders keep the Book near, read it daily, and lead by it. Churches and homes flourish when shepherds live under Scripture.
Why God Required the King’s Personal Copy
“…that he may learn to fear the LORD his God… that his heart may not be lifted up above his brethren… and that he may prolong his days…” (Deuteronomy 17:19–20)
Three goals shine through:
Fear (reverence): Daily reading drives the king to worshipful awe. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.” (Proverbs 9:10)
Humility: The Book keeps the heart low. “To this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word.” (Isaiah 66:2)
Perseverance: Obedience aligned with the Word brings stability to the throne and blessing to the people. “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD.” (Psalm 33:12)
Answering Two Practical Questions
Did any king actually write his own copy?
Scripture commands it (Deuteronomy 17), and we see kings reading, hearing, and enforcing the Book (Joshua 8:34–35; 2 Kings 23:2; 2 Chronicles 34:29–33). We are not given a specific time when a king physically penned his personal scroll, but the command stands, and the reforms under Hezekiah and Josiah demons/”>demonstrate hearts acting as if Deuteronomy 17 were in hand.
How does this apply to leaders today?
Keep a personal, ever-open Bible; read it daily; make decisions by it; be corrected by it; and lead others into it. The principle is unchanged: leaders fall when they trust in horses, alliances, and wealth; they stand when they tremble at the Word.
My Final Thoughts
God wrote a king’s job description long before Israel wore a crown. Their central role was not in building a palace, an army, or a treasury… it was to read and lead with a Book. “It shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life.” A king with the Book is a servant; a king without it becomes a tyrant. Saul spurned the Word and fell. Solomon ignored the charter and drifted into idolatry. Jehoshaphat taught the Book; Hezekiah clung to it; Josiah wept over it and led a nation back to God. Above them all stands Christ, the King with the Law in His heart, the Word made flesh, ruling in righteousness.
In our day, every shepherd, parent, and servant-leader needs the same posture: keep the Scriptures near; read them daily; let them humble you, restrain you, and lead you. Leadership that lives under God’s Word becomes a blessing, not a burden, to God’s people.
