Welcome to Delight in Grace. The Teaching Ministry of Rich Powell. pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. The Bible is God's self-disclosure to us. It's how we can know who God really is.
Deuteronomy 17 is really a window to four things that God cares about deeply when it comes to his people. Not surprisingly, these are four things that lead to human flourishing. Let's listen to this message titled You Shall Purge the Evil. This is Part three of a message first preached on august twenty fifth, twenty twenty four. To hear it in its entirety or to hear more messages in this series, you can visit www.delight ingrace dot com.
What things can distract A person in a position of leadership. Three things. Power. Women and wealth. If a decision is handed down, now remember, this is the people of Israel.
The law of Moses was a specific law for a specific people. for a specific time. But it shows the heart of God. what matters to him. And we're learning from this.
And he is not interested in people who act presumptuously. What does it mean that they would act presumptuously? It's pride manifested innocent. Insolence. Let me get that right there.
Pride manifested in innocence, that does j just doesn't compute, does it? Pride manifested in insolence. This was a capital offense. He says you need to purge the evil. What is this insolence?
It is the declaration that I am my own authority. You are not. But no one is. Every one of us is under authority, even the highest position in the land. is under authority.
Get a kick out of nations that still have kings and queens that are a little more than figureheads anymore. You know, they call them sovereigns. They're anything but sovereign. They're absolutely bound. to the laws of the land.
They're not sovereign. God cares about this deeply. You are not your own authority. We are in community accountable to a higher authority. As the people of Israel were, they needed to understand themselves as a people in a community accountable to a higher authority.
But it's also true for us as a church, we are a community. And we, all of us, are accountable to a higher authority, and that authority is the self-disclosure of God himself. And we must see ourselves that way. And the insolent person would be the person who'd say, you can't tell me what to do. It's very common, isn't it?
But it calls us to be humble. and it it produces peace and joy. This produces this humble disposition. Of humble obedience, humble accountability. Produces peace and joy.
2 Corinthians chapter 1, verse 24, Paul says, Not that we lord it over your faith. Paul is speaking as an apostle here. Commissioned with the authority of Jesus, not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith. Isn't that a beautiful thought? Work together with you for your joy.
As pastors of the church, we look at you and say, we work together with you for your joy. And sometimes that includes putting an arm around you like a hook and saying, come walk. Come back this way and walk with me in a Godward direction. For your joy. Peter says it.
The bishop is in 1 Peter 5:3, the bishop is not to be domineering. Not lording it over your faith, but as examples. And then Hebrews 13:17, we know this verse well: Be your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning. for that would be of no advantage to you.
So what is this? It's a disposition. Of the worshiper of God. The disposition of the worshipper of God is that of humble accountability. You are a person under authority.
We are all under authority. And that is the appropriate disposition of one who is a worshipper of God. And God cares about this very deeply. Lastly, God cares very deeply about godly leadership. And that would make sense, wouldn't it?
If he's calling us to humble accountability, but godly leadership. He begins in verse 14: when you go into the land, listen, the people are going to ask for a king. And you know what? You can have a king. But it needs to be one that I choose.
And sure enough, we go ahead to 1 Samuel chapter 8 after the period of the Judges. Right? Those of you watching online are figuring out what on earth did Rich just do? After the period of the judges, Samuel was the last judge. And he and the people says first People demanded, 1 Samuel chapter 8, we demand a king.
Why? Because we want to be like the other nations. And Samu says, you're rejecting the Lord. No, we want a king. And the Lord said to Samuel, let him have a king.
And they chose a popular choice, and it didn't work out so well. But that's, you know, that's. More on that in these coming Sunday nights. All right. And he says this.
Now, here's what he says about godly leadership. A king needs to be, it's two things. Two things very important. A king. A godly leader is one who is undistracted.
Undistracted. What things can distract. A person in a position of leadership. Three things. Power.
Women and wealth. I'm just going by the text here, okay? I'm not making this up. Don't amass all these horses and take them back to Egypt. The Lord says you can't go back to Egypt.
A king can be very easily distracted. by how much power he has. A king can also be very much distracted by. Getting many wives. And it was a perk of the day.
If you were a sovereign, you could have as many wives as you wanted. God says, not my people.
Now unfortunately not all of these are very well kept were they? The apex of Israel's history, 1 Kings 11. A godly king dedicating a temple and a godly people and the glory of God comes down. 1 Kings 8, I'm sorry. 1 Kings chapter 8.
And then, right after all that's described, you come to 1 Kings chapter 11, it says, But Solomon's heart was carried away. And he had many wives. That's what becomes important to him. He was distracted by it. It's a very, very, very sad chapter.
And then also wealth. Wealth can be a huge distraction. Amassing all the stuff. God says a king needs to be not distracted, but he needs to be for the good of the people, not for the perks and the power. Let's take Haiti for example.
You want to know what's wrong with Haiti? Whatever leader they get in there, it always ends up in there for the perks and the power. That's not Rich Powell talking. That's Anderson talking. That's Prediston talking.
Men down in Haiti. They don't care about the country. All they care about is the perks and the power. Corruption. Injustice.
So a King must be undistracted. Secondly, a king needs to be under authority. He needs to recognize that he is under authority. Look with me at verses 18 to 20. And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law approved by the Levitical priest, and it shall be with him, and he shall read it in 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, that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to right hand or to the left.
He is under authority. By the way, verse eighteen: a copy. In himself, a book, a copy of this law. That's where we get the name. Deuteronomy.
In the Latin Vulgate, Deuteros, Deuteros. Deuteros second law, nomos. That's where we get the name for this book from that verse right there. Why law? A copy of this law.
Why? To learn to fear God.
So the king must know that he serves for God's opinion alone, not the popularity of the people. He serves for God's opinion alone. He needs to learn to fear God. He needs to learn to keep humble. Because when you're in a position of great authority like a king, you can start thinking that you're a pretty special person.
God says no, you are my vessel. You are my servant. You are there for a reason and for a purpose.
So keep humble and to stay on track. with God's purpose. Listen, we need to be very careful how we choose our leadership. In this nation, Yes? Wisdom, righteousness.
We also need to be very careful how Churches choose leaders. I was watching I was watching a video of this last week. It was an interview of Paul Washer. And somebody was asking him. What do you think is the biggest threat to the church today?
And he says It's the pastors. Either they're not there. or they're unbiblical. or they're just unregenerate. And you got a bunch of people like that leading churches today, some of them big churches.
That's the biggest threat to the church today. That is so sad.
So sad. Be careful how you choose your leaders. The church needs to be very careful about this too. Because many pastors out there are very interested in building their own little kingdoms. And some of them are very, very dynamic speakers, very energetic, and people love to follow.
Energy. But what we're about is wisdom and righteousness. God has made himself known. We need to be about that too. Thanks for joining us here at Delight in Grace.
You've been listening to Rich Powell, the lead pastor at Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. The Delight in Grace mission. It is to help you know that God designed you to realize your highest good. and your deepest satisfaction in Him. the one who is infinitely good.
We hope you'll join us again on weekdays at 10 a.m.
