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Scripture: “that (the king) may learn to fear the LORD his God and be careful to observe all the words of this law and these statutes . . .” (from Deuteronomy 17:19, NKJV)

    Many students from the electronics school that I attended in Detroit, Michigan, ate at a small restaurant across the street. We depended on the clock on the wall behind the check-out counter to get us back to class on time. One day, however, there was a light colored blank spot where the clock had been. When we mentioned the missing clock, the waitress whispered, “Don’t ask,” and moved on.
    Later, when the owner was back in the kitchen, she returned and explained that he had rented that clock as a service from a company that maintained the correct time on it. Deciding to save a few bucks, he went out and bought his own electric clock. He plugged it in, stood back to admire it, and saw it spew out a burst of smelly smoke!
    It turns out that parts of downtown Detroit were still using direct current (the DC  of AC/DC power you may have heard of). While some devices would work on either standard,  the new clock was AC only, with ruinous results.
    Just across the river, in Canada, the electrical system had a different twist. The voltage was correct, and it was alternating current (AC ) but like many other countries in the British empire, they used a different rate of alternation, 50  cycles rather than the USA frequency of 60 cycles (hertz). One of our classmates proudly bought a new piece of test equipment, took it home to Canada, and plugged it in only to experience much the same result as happened to the clock - smoke!
    It is obviously vitally important that electrical devices and electronic gadgets be plugged into the appropriate power source.  
    I have come to the conclusion that the same malady brought about the downfall of Israel and Judah. Not an electrical problem, of course, but  the same concept - they “plugged into” the wrong power source.
    The Law of  The Administration of the King is covered in Deuteronomy 17:14-20. David counseled his son, Solomon, “And keep the charge of the LORD  your God: to walk in his ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His Judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn. (1 Kings 2:3)
    The LORD God was to be the “Power” source for Israel. Unfortunately, like the examples above, the kings and the people suffered the consequences when they ceased to  “observe all the words of this law and these statutes . . .” and saw their nation go up in the smoke of conquest as a result.
    One of the most common uses of electrical power is for illumination - to produce light. To produce Spiritual light, the “Light of the World,” or, as Peter phrased it, “ . . . His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light,” we must plug our lives into God’s power source. (1 Peter 2:9)

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