When you have come into the land that the LORD your God is giving you, and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say: I will set a king over me like all the nations that are around me, you may indeed set such a king over you; only 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.
Even the king is under the law. That's revolutionary. The king has to write out a copy of the law and read it daily. The king can't multiply horses, wives, or wealth.
I'm fascinated by this because it suggests that even the highest authority is answerable to law, to principle, to something beyond themselves. The king is not above the law. The king is under it.
We live in a time when leaders often seem to put themselves above the law. They bend the rules, make exceptions for themselves, accumulate power and wealth without restraint. And we've accepted that as inevitable.
But Moses suggests it doesn't have to be that way. A leader can be constrained by principle. A leader can be required to honor the law that binds everyone else.
What's interesting is why the restrictions exist. Many horses - that's military power. Many wives - that's political alliances and foreign entanglements. Much silver and gold - that's wealth and independence from the people. The restrictions protect the king from corrupting himself.
It's almost an act of wisdom on the part of the king to accept these limits. They protect his heart. They keep him from becoming a tyrant. They keep him connected to the people and to God.
I think about limits in my own leadership. What boundaries would keep my heart healthy? What restrictions would protect me from corruption? Accepting limits is actually a strength, not a weakness.
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