A King, Three Warnings and One Answer
God gave Israel a kingly law before Israel ever had a king.
The problem was never kingship itself; the danger was what power could do to a man’s heart. In Deuteronomy 17, God set three specific boundaries to keep the man on the throne from losing his soul.
The Three Warnings God Gave Every King
Deuteronomy 17:16–17
God gave three limits. He wasn’t forbidding these things, a king needed an army, a family, and a treasury. The warning was against multiplication.
* Do not multiply horses (v.16): Military power and hardware.
* Do not multiply wives (v.17a): Political alliances and social connections.
* Do not multiply silver and gold (v.17b): Financial security and independent wealth.
The danger was the moment these things became the king’s source of confidence instead of the Lord. When “having” turns into “trusting,” the heart has already drifted.
Three Areas Where We Are Tempted to Trust Ourselves
- Horses: Trusting in Strength
Deuteronomy 17:16, “But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.”
Egypt was famous for its chariots. God specifically warned the king not to send people back to Egypt to get more horses. Victory was supposed to come from God, not from a superior cavalry.
Psalm 20:7, “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.”
- Wives: Trusting in Relationships
Deuteronomy 17:17a, “Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away.”
In the ancient world, marriage was diplomacy. You married the daughter of a neighboring king to buy peace. But God warned that these alliances would turn the heart away. Solomon is the tragic proof of this. 1 Kings 11:4 says his wives turned away his heart after other gods. When we lean on the influence of people over the power of God, the fall is coming.
- Silver and Gold: Trusting in Resources
Deuteronomy 17:17b, “Neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.”
A full bank account makes a man feel independent. It makes him feel secure even when he is miles away from the Lord.
Proverbs 11:28 warns: “He that trusteth in his riches shall fall.”
The Big Question: Where is the Line?
When does “enough” become “too much”? A king had to have some horses, a wife, and enough gold to run a nation. So where was the line? God didn’t give a numerical limit; He gave a spiritual safeguard.
The Safeguard God Put on the Throne
Deuteronomy 17:18–19, “The king was commanded to do something unusual and time-consuming. He was to make his own handwritten copy of the Bible.
* He wrote it himself: This forced the king to slow down and process every single word. Writing requires attention and personal ownership.
* He wrote it before the priests: The priests kept the official copy. The king didn’t get to “edit” God’s Word to fit his political agenda. Authority sat on the throne, but Truth sat above it.
* He read it every day: “And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life.” Daily exposure to Scripture was the only thing that could keep his heart calibrated.
The line between blessing and excess wasn’t measured by a bank balance or a headcount. It was measured by the heart. The Word of God kept that heart humble and fearful of the Lord.
What This Means for Us Today
The three dangers haven’t changed. We still struggle with the same temptations:
- Strength: Relying on our own talents, strength, or influence.
- Relationships: Relying on the right connections or people pleasing for security.
- Resources: Relying on our savings accounts or possessions for peace of mind.
None of these are evil in themselves, but they become idols the second they replace our dependence on God.
The Only Real Safeguard
The king stayed grounded one way: He lived in God’s Word.
He didn’t just read it occasionally; he read it daily!
From a position of absolute earthly power, he had to remind himself every morning that there was a higher Authority over him.
The same principle applies to you and me. If we are going to rely on God instead of ourselves, we must stay in His Word every single day. The Word keeps our strength humble, our relationships aligned, and our finances in their proper place.
Without Scripture, the heart drifts toward “multiplying.” With Scripture, the heart stays anchored to God.
