God foresaw the time when His people would demand a king, and He set out some parameters for those who would reign over His nation. Consider these two responsibilities. First, the king was to “write for himself a copy of this law in a book” (Deut. 17:18). Do you remember when you used to study for tests in school? Did it help you to get the information locked in your head better if you actually wrote it out with your own hand? What would happen with your Bible knowledge if you took sections of it and wrote it out in your own handwriting?
Second, the king was to keep his handwritten copy of the law “with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life” (17:19). God knew what He was requiring! What happens to your faith when you have read the Bible every day? It is not merely a rote exercise!
Why did God want the king to do this? For the same reason that we should! “That he may learn to fear the Lord…to observe all the words…that he may not turn aside…” (17:19-20).