(Deu) 17:17-20 CJB “Likewise, he is not to acquire many wives for himself, so that his heart will not turn away; and he is not to acquire excessive quantities of silver and gold. “When he has come to occupy the throne of his kingdom, he is to write a copy of this Torah for himself in a scroll, from the one the cohanim and L’vi’im use. It is to remain with him, and he is to read in it every day, as long as he lives; so that he will learn to fear Adonai his God and keep all the words of this Torah and these laws and obey them; so that he will not think he is better than his kinsmen; and so that he will not turn aside either to the right or to the left from the mitzvah. In this way he will prolong his own reign and that of his children in Isra’el.”
In many ways, men today often view themselves as “kings of their castles.” While we may not sit upon earthly thrones, God has entrusted men with leadership responsibilities within the home, the workplace, the church, and the broader culture. Because of this, the principles God gave to Israel’s kings provide timeless wisdom for men pursuing biblical manhood today.
Biblical Manhood Prioritizes Faithfulness Over Lust
The first instruction God gives concerns wives. The king was not to multiply wives for himself because divided affections would eventually pull his heart away from God.
While modern Western culture has largely outlawed polygamy legally, many Christian men still struggle with practical forms of unfaithfulness through pornography, lust, emotional compromise, and adultery. Yet God’s design for men has never changed.
A godly man focuses his love, affection, attention, and covenant commitment upon the wife of his youth. Strong marriages do not happen accidentally. They require intentional love, sacrificial leadership, purity, forgiveness, and daily investment.
The world trains men to pursue endless gratification. God calls men to covenant faithfulness.
Biblical Manhood Rejects Earthly Treasure as Ultimate
God also warned the king not to accumulate excessive silver and gold.
Why?
Because wealth has a way of capturing the heart and replacing dependence upon God. Jesus later echoed this same truth when He warned that we cannot serve both God and money.
Christian men must constantly remember that earthly treasure is temporary, but heavenly treasure is eternal. The faithful man uses earthly resources not for selfish indulgence, but for kingdom advancement.
Money becomes a tool for:
- supporting ministry,
- helping others,
- discipling people,
- strengthening families,
- proclaiming the gospel,
- and expanding God’s glory in the earth.
The true measure of success is not how much treasure we accumulate here, but how much treasure we invest into eternity.
Daily Scripture Is Essential for Biblical Manhood
Perhaps the most striking instruction is that the king was to personally write a copy of God’s Law and read it every single day.
The king could not delegate spiritual growth.
He had to personally engage with the Word of God himself.
God knew something every Christian man must learn: leadership without daily submission to Scripture eventually becomes prideful, worldly, and destructive.
The king was to remain humble by remaining near God’s Word.
Jesus later teaches this same principle when He says man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Scripture is not optional nourishment for the Christian man. It is daily bread.
Without daily intake of God’s Word:
- our minds drift,
- our priorities shift,
- our passions weaken,
- and our obedience deteriorates.
But when a man consistently feeds upon Scripture, he learns to fear God rightly, think clearly, lead humbly, and obey faithfully.
The Goal of Biblical Manhood Is Obedience to Jesus
Ultimately, all these commands point toward one greater purpose: obedience to God.
The king was to obey God so that he would not “turn aside either to the right or to the left.”
That same principle remains true today.
Christian men are not called merely to possess biblical knowledge. We are called to obey King Jesus.
This obedience is summarized by Jesus Himself:
- loving God with all our heart,
- loving our neighbor as ourselves,
- and participating in the Great Commission.
True biblical manhood is not passive Christianity. It is active obedience.
It means:
- leading our homes toward Christ,
- serving others sacrificially,
- fighting sin seriously,
- stewarding resources faithfully,
- loving our wives well,
- discipling our children intentionally,
- and helping others know and obey Jesus.
This is how men become faithful sons of God and fellow heirs with Christ in His eternal kingdom.
Run Today’s Play
Take inventory of your kingdom priorities.
Are your affections divided?
Are you accumulating earthly treasure while neglecting eternal treasure?
Has God’s Word become occasional rather than daily bread?
Godly men are not built accidentally.
Commit yourself today to:
- loving your wife faithfully,
- stewarding money eternally,
- reading Scripture daily,
- and obeying Jesus consistently.
The world needs more men who live under the authority of the true King.
