Today’s Readings: Mar 31 Deut 16:1‐17:20, Luke 9:7‐27, Ps 72:1‐20, Prov 12:8‐9

Deuteronomy 17:16-17 Only he (The King) must not acquire many horses for himself or cause the people to return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses, since the Lord has said to you, ‘You shall never return that way again.’ 17 And he shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold.

Megiddo was one of Solomon’s chariot cities.  When we were in Megiddo, we saw stalls that Solomon built to house 450 of his horses.

Observation #1: The verses that immediately follow (v18-19) state that every king in Israel “shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law” and “he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them.”  Clearly Solomon was familiar with God’s Words and disobeyed them.

Observation #2:  The motive listed in verses 16-18 is “for himself.”

Apply: What are my horses?  Today I want to look for ways that I am disobeying the Word of God.  What am I accumulating for myself?

What does this passage mean to you?