Day 67: Power, Priests, Kings, and The Things That Turn Hearts

Today we read Numbers 17, Deuteronomy 17, and Psalm 99. It starts with a story in Numbers of God showing signs of wonder in response to the jealousy of the tribal chiefs. God makes it clear that Aaron and his sons from the tribe of Levi are the priests. This is not a shared role with other forms of leadership. In Deuteronomy, a politically charged scroll, we read about Yahweh claiming the highest role of leadership, with the law acting as a constitution in the sense that every other leader is accountable to it and Him. Divisions of power and warnings against kings and if kings then God will choose, they will be Israelite, and they must not accumulate wives, horses, or gold and silver, for these will turn the head and steal the heart.

Resources:

Dr. Zehnder, Markus (2019) Violence against the Canaanites in Deuteronomy and Joshua Reconsidered. Biola University Good Book Blog. Retrieved from: https://www.biola.edu/blogs/good-book-blog/2019/violence-against-the-canaanites-in-deuteronomy-and-joshua-reconsidered

Wazana, Nili (2016). The Law of the King (Deuteronomy 17:14–20)
in the Light of Empire and Destruction (A Chapter In Another Book)

Dr. Millar, Gary (2023) A Deuteronomy Commentary, The Gospel Coalition: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/commentary/deuteronomy/

Adrian Reynolds (2023) A Numbers Commentary, The Gospel Coalition: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/commentary/numbers/#section-14 

Credits:

Podcast music by Stockaudios from Pixabay. Speaker, Dr. Rachel Bodell. Podcast Sound Engineer, Alan Darling. Podcast Artwork, Will Gerard.