Revcort's Ramblings

Scripture Focus

“You may indeed set a king over you whom the LORD your God will choose. One from among your brothers you shall set as king over you… Only he must not acquire many horses for himself… And he shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold.” — Deuteronomy 17:15–17 (ESV)

Devotional Thought

When I read the end of Deuteronomy 17, I can’t help but think about King Solomon. His accomplishments as king of Israel were remarkable. He oversaw the construction of the temple in Jerusalem. Israel enjoyed tremendous prosperity during his reign. Solomon established relationships with the nations surrounding Israel, and for much of his reign the nation experienced peace. God gave him extraordinary wisdom, wealth, influence, and opportunity.

Yet when you read God’s instructions for Israel’s future kings in Deuteronomy 17, Solomon’s story becomes a cautionary tale. Moses specifically warned that Israel’s king must not acquire many horses, many wives, or excessive silver and gold. Centuries later, Solomon did all three. First Kings tells us that Solomon accumulated enormous amounts of gold, thousands of horses and chariots, and hundreds of wives and concubines. Eventually, many of those wives turned his heart toward other gods.

What happened to Solomon should concern every believer, but perhaps especially those who have been following God for a long time or have been given positions of leadership and influence.

I see at least two dangers in Moses’ warning. The first is becoming distracted from what truly matters by the things we accumulate.

Horses, silver, and gold weren’t inherently evil. The problem was what they could do to the heart of the person collecting them. Human beings have an amazing ability to become fascinated with the next thing. We acquire something, enjoy it for a while, and then begin looking for something else. Enough is rarely enough.

The accumulation itself can eventually become the goal. That is dangerous because our hearts are easily distracted by shiny things. Money, possessions, accomplishments, influence, recognition, hobbies, experiences, and even perfectly good things can begin consuming more and more of our attention. Before long, something that began as a blessing can become an obsession.

But there is another danger here that may be even more subtle: believing that what has destroyed other people could never destroy us.

I wonder what Solomon would have said during the best years of his reign if someone had warned him that his heart would eventually turn away from God. Perhaps he would have thought, That might happen to someone else, but not me. After all, Solomon had encountered God. God had blessed him. He had asked God for wisdom rather than riches. He had built the temple. He had prayed publicly before the nation. He had written and spoken profound truths about God and life.

Surely someone like that wouldn’t fall away. But he did. That is what makes Solomon’s story so sobering. Spiritual maturity today does not make us immune to temptation tomorrow. Sometimes success itself can make us especially vulnerable. We begin thinking, God is blessing me. I’m walking with Him. I know what I’m doing. I can handle this.

Maybe we recognize that something has become a problem for other people, but we convince ourselves that we are different. They couldn’t handle it, but I can. They became obsessed with it, but I won’t. Their heart wandered, but mine won’t. That is a dangerous place to be.

Moses’ instructions were designed to protect the king before those desires ever took root. God essentially told him: Don’t start accumulating these things in the first place. There is tremendous wisdom in that. We need to establish boundaries while we are thinking clearly.

When we are walking closely with God and can recognize a potential temptation for what it is, that is the time to act. Once a desire becomes an infatuation, our judgment becomes clouded. Once something begins controlling our heart, we become remarkably skilled at finding reasons to justify keeping it.

Solomon didn’t wake up one morning with hundreds of wives, enormous wealth, and thousands of horses. It happened over time. One decision followed another until eventually the wisest man in the world was doing things that looked incredibly foolish.

That should remind us never to become overconfident about our own hearts. There are things in this world that glitter. They promise happiness, security, significance, pleasure, or success. Some of them may even be good things in their proper place. But nothing is worth allowing our hearts to be drawn away from God.

So pay attention while you’re thinking clearly. Establish the boundaries now. Listen to God’s warnings before you believe you no longer need them. And never look at someone else’s downfall and think, That could never happen to me. Instead, let it remind you to hold even more tightly to God.

Reflection Questions

1. Is there something good in my life that has begun taking more of my attention and affection than it should?
2. Are there areas where I have convinced myself that I can handle a temptation that has caused others to fall?
3. What boundaries do I need to establish now, while I am thinking clearly and seeking God?
4. Have success, blessings, or spiritual maturity ever caused me to become overconfident about the condition of my own heart?

Closing Prayer

Father, thank You for the warnings You give me in Your Word. Help me never to become so confident in myself that I believe I am beyond temptation or failure. Guard my heart from becoming distracted by possessions, success, recognition, or anything else that might slowly draw my attention away from You. Give me wisdom to establish boundaries while I am thinking clearly and courage to walk away from anything that threatens my relationship with You. Keep my heart humble, watchful, and completely devoted to You. In Jesus’ name, amen.