Bob, give it a rest! You misunderstand. I’m not telling you to read the Bible every day…I’m quoting Moses who told any future king to read the Bible every day. Really? Yep. It’s right after another command that was ignored:

When you come to the land that the LORD your God is giving you, and you possess it and dwell in it and then say, “I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me,” you may indeed set a king over you whom the LORD your God will choose…Only he must not acquire many horses for himself or cause the people to return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses, …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 17.14 – 17, ESV)

Let’s see, no horses from Egypt, not many wives, no excessive silver or gold. I guess Solomon, the third king, missed all that. (See 1 Kings 10.23 – 11.8, for example.)

And here’s the next command for kings, and there’s no record that any of them did it:

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 priests. And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it 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 the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel. (Deuteronomy 17.18 – 20, ESV)

1. “Write for himself a copy of this law…” I wonder how long that would take. That would be an act of humility, to copy the law by hand. It would take away from other duties he felt might be more important.
2. “It shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life”
   • That he may learn to fear the Lord
   • That he might carefully observe all the words of this law
   • That his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers
   • That he may not turn aside from the commandment

“So he may prolong his days…”

Another plug for the written word. And we don’t have to copy it by hand! But we would do well to read it “all the days of our lives” so we would learn to fear the Lord, obey the Lord, and be humble.

As an aside, I wonder if we’ve had any presidents who read the Constitution even once. It might remind them that they are not the ultimate authority.

Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. (Revelation 1.3, ESV)

Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors. For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the LORD. (Proverbs 8.34, 35, ESV)