It's difficult to discuss masterful fantasy author Brandon Sanderson's works without venturing into spoiler territory--and his twists, unlike those in M. Night Shyamalan's later films and 90% of modern young adult literature, arise organically from the characters' decisions. (Sanderson also creates complex, consistent, almost scientific magic systems and pens intriguing, believable characters who are flawed yet not annoying--call him the anti-J. K. Rowling, if you will.) Anyway, in one of his books, The Way of Kings, King Elhokar Kholin, just a young man, rules the kingdom after his father is assassinated. (Not really a spoiler; that happens in the prologue.) While Elhokar has good intentions (and just what is the road to hell paved with again?), he's somewhat crippled by paranoia, fearing that he'll be assassinated like his father. He also proves very susceptible to the wiles of the older "Highprinces" ostensibly under his authority--and as you might guess, one of the book's conflicts involves a noble Highprince and a more nefarious Highprince trying to vie for the favor of King Elhokar. (How this conflict plays out, though, is anything but expected.)
Basically, it might not be so good to be the king after all, especially if your name isn't Mel Brooks. The Israelite king rules the whole nation, sure, but he also has enormous responsibilities--not just to his country, but also to God. God forbids the king from acquiring too many horses (verse 16), which seems a rather odd stipulation. Yes, I get that the king isn't supposed to amass too much wealth, but why specify horses? Why single out a creature beloved by rough-and-tumble cowboys and little girls alike? In verse 17, God does say not to hoard up too much silver and gold or take "many wives" (how many is "many"?), but if you've read ahead, you know all too well that the Israelite kings quickly stray from God's path.
God also says that when a king ascends to the throne, "he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests" (verse 18). If I'm interpreting this verse correctly, it's saying that the king basically has to copy by hand the whole book of Leviticus. OK, ancient Hebrew had no vowels, but that's still a relatively hefty amount of words to copy out--on top of the king's other responsibilities to boot. However, copying a document word for word does help one remember and think about its contents. I remember that, as a kid, I developed my typing skills by typing out J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit. I didn't get very far, but I did get to know the first few chapters of that book intimately.
This chapter's Moses nugget isn't a personal commentary, but rather a repetition of language. Moses uses the phrase "purge the evil" in verses 7 and 12. "Purge" has a harsh, even violent connotation, and indeed Moses uses the word to refer to some pretty stringent regulations. Anyone who thumbs his or her nose at a judge or priest must die. Anyone who worships other gods must die. Anyone who kills Inigo Montoya's father must prepare to die. Anyway, there's no two ways about it--Moses and God are dead serious about keeping Israel a virtuous society. Wonder how long that will last?
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