Deuteronomy 17:14-20 speaks regarding the setting of a king over the people. Actually, God does not like to see that there is a king among His people. He Himself is the King; therefore, for His people to want a king means that they want someone to replace God. But God as our King should not be replaced and cannot be replaced. Yet, according to our fallen human nature, we like to have a king. This was the situation during the time of Samuel. The people wanted a king, even though this was offensive to God (1 Sam. 8:4-22). Because of their insistence, God gave them a king—Saul. Saul was not a good king, for he was not a king who was according to God's heart. Later God exercised His own choice and raised up David to replace Saul. David was a king not according to God's preference but according to God's heart (1 Sam. 13:14). In the sight of God David was the most pleasant king.
The king had to be a brother chosen by God (Deut. 17:14-15). An unbeliever should not be a king among God's people.
"He shall not amass horses to himself, and he shall not turn the people back to Egypt so that he may amass horses, since Jehovah has said to you, You shall never again return that way" (v. 16). For the king to amass horses to himself would have caused the people to fall back to Egypt. Egypt signifies the world, and horses signify the worldly means. If we use the worldly means or the worldly way, we will surely become fallen and turn back to the world.
The king was not to amass wives to himself, so that his heart would not turn aside (v. 17a).
The king was not to amass silver and gold to himself in great amounts (v. 17b).
The king was to write out for himself a copy of the law in a book, out of that which was before the Levitical priests (v. 18). The law here refers to the Pentateuch. The king was then to read in this copy of the law all the days of his life in order that he might learn to fear Jehovah his God by keeping all the words of the law (v. 19). This indicates that in ruling over the people, he first had to be ruled himself by the word of God. A proper king among the children of Israel was one who was instructed, governed, ruled, and controlled by the word of God.
The principle should be the same with the elders in the churches today. If the elders do not read the Bible and are not controlled by the word of God, they cannot administrate the church. In order to administrate, to manage, the church, the elders must be reconstituted with the holy word of God. As a result, they will be under God's government, under God's rule and control. Then spontaneously God will be in their decisions, and the elders will represent God to manage the affairs of the church. This kind of management is theocracy.
The king was to learn to fear God by keeping the commandments of the law so that his heart would not be lifted up above his brothers and that he might not turn aside from the commandment to the right or to the left (v. 20a). The result of the king's not doing these things would be that he and his sons would extend their days in their kingdom in the midst of Israel (v. 20b).