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CHAPTER 33:
The song of Moses is followed by the blessing of Moses. The style of this chapter is reminiscent of Genesis 49 where Jacob blesses each of his sons before his death. The only notable difference between this passage and that one is that there is no mention of Simeon here. The reason for this is unclear, though the Moody Bible Commentary suggests that this possibly foreshadows the later absorption of the tribe of Simeon into that of Judah after the conquest and settling of the promised land. (Joshua 19:1, 9) Verses 1-5: The phrase in verse 1, “…before his death…”, as well as the third person perspective of verses 4-5, strongly suggest that this chapter and the next are the two passages of Deuteronomy that were added after Moses’ death. Verses 2-5 form a type of introduction, portraying God as a savior and gatherer of the descendants of Jacob. He first appeared to the nation of Israel at Mount Sinai (v.2), giving His law to Moses. (v.3-4) (Exodus 19:18-20, Psalm 68:8, 17, Habakkuk 3:3) There is an interesting phrase in verse 2, “…He came with ten thousands of saints…”, which seems to indicate that God was not alone with Moses on Mount Sinai during the giving of the law. This fits with other references in scripture where angelic hosts are seen alongside the presence of God in earthly visitations with men. (Daniel 7:10, Acts 7:53, Revelation 5:11) God, first and foremost, loves His chosen people. (v.3) (Psalm 47:4, Hosea 11:1) The children of Israel are also His saints. (1 Samuel 2:9) It was Moses that gave them the law of God. (v.4) (Deuteronomy 4:2, John 1:17, 7:19) Verse 1 states that he “…blessed the children of Israel…”, something that a priest would normally do. Verse 5 refers to Moses as “…king in Jeshurun…”, and indeed the authority and leadership that he exercised over the nation since the exodus from Egypt was similar to that of a monarch. In the final chapter of Deuteronomy, the author states “…there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses…”. (Deuteronomy 34:10) Because of the prophetic nature of chapter 28, as well as other warnings by Moses scattered throughout this book, the title of prophet makes sense also. These final two chapters of Deuteronomy portray Moses as prophet, priest, and king, three titles that are also given to Jesus Christ. What we see here, therefore, is yet another foreshadowing of the Messiah in the form of Moses, the first – and probably greatest – leader of Israel. It's also interesting to note that the proper name, “Jeshurun”, which means “upright one” and is a symbolic name for the nation of Israel, appears only four times in the entire Bible. Three references are here in Deuteronomy, first in chapter 32 and twice here in chapter 33, and the fourth is in Isaiah 44:2. All four references indicate Israel’s chosen and elect status in the eyes of God, regardless of how badly the nation falls away from God into apostasy, idolatry, rebellion, and disobedience. Verses 6-25: Moses now blesses each tribe in a manner similar to that of Jacob just before his death. Moses desires that Reuben’s descendants not die out. (v.6) This would seem to echo Jacob’s view as well, since he described his firstborn as “…unstable as water…” and condemned him because of his act of incest with Jacob’s handmaid, Bilhah. (Genesis 35:22, 49:3-4) Judah was the first tribe to set out whenever the nation resumed their desert trek, and Jacob described Judah as a powerful military force. (Genesis 49:8) Moses asks God to help them in the coming battles with their enemies in the promised land. (v.7) Of the tribe of Levi, Moses reaffirms the role of the priests as the spiritual leaders and defenders of the nation. (v.8-11) Once again, the Urim and the Thummim are mentioned, but no specific description is given of these mysterious objects which the high priest used to determine God’s will in a specific matter for the leaders of Israel. (v.8) Moses also references the Levites’ loyalty to God and their willingness to slay their own families who had disobeyed the LORD in the incident with golden calf. (v.9) (Exodus 32:26, Matthew 10:37, 19:29) It’s the responsibility of the Levite priests to teach the law of God to each generation and ensure that all the sacrifices and offerings are done according to that law. (v.10) (Leviticus 1:9, 10:11, Deuteronomy 31:9, Psalm 51:19, Malachi 2:7) They are also to ensure that the temple itself and everything in it is treated with the utmost reverence, and that every daily ritual – such as burning incense – is completed according to God’s instructions in the law. Moses also asks of God to not only bless every work of the Levite’s hands, but also to utterly destroy anyone that rises up in rebellion against the priests in defiance of God and His law. (v.11) The tribe of Benjamin will be a refuge and a place of safety for “…the beloved of the LORD…”. (v.12) God Himself “…shall dwell between his shoulders.” This most likely refers to the future site of Jerusalem, in which King Solomon built the temple, which will be in the land allotted to the tribe of Benjamin, among the hills, a.k.a. “shoulders”. (Joshua 15:8, 18:28) The tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh receive the longest blessing via the name of Joseph. (v.13-17) Moses asks God to bless their tribes with the fruit of the land, giving them much material wealth. Once again, this echoes Jacob’s blessing of his favorite son. (Genesis 49:22) But Moses also adds a request for strength and power, as indicated by the phrases “…the firstling of his bullock…” and “…the horns of unicorns…” in verse 17. (Numbers 23:22) Not only are those references of might and victory, but the description of “firstling” indicates “firstborn”, another reference to Reuben losing his birthright to Joseph because of his act of incest with Bilhah. (1 Chronicles 5:1) Zebulun and Issachar are also given a joint blessing here, same as in Genesis 49:13-15. (v.18-19) Jacob mentions the sea and ships, and Moses echoes this in verse 19, talking about both the mountains as well as the seas and the coastlines. (Exodus 15:17, Psalm 2:6, Isaiah 2:3) The phrase “…sacrifices of righteousness…” is also interesting here, suggesting that one or both of these tribes will be an example to the nation of how best to offer the burnt offerings and sacrifices to the Lord. (Psalm 4:5, 51:19) Gad was one of the tribes given a large portion of the territory in the Transjordan, and Moses describes them here as a ferocious lion, executing “…the justice of the LORD…”. (v.21) (Numbers 32:16-17, 1 Chronicles 12:8) They, along with Judah, will be a powerful military force in the coming conquest of the promised land. Moses refers to Dan as a “…lion’s whelp…”, which is how Jacob referred to Judah. (Genesis 49:9) The description of Dan as leaping from Bashan also reinforces Jacob’s view of them. (Genesis 49:16-17, Joshua 19:47) Naphtali is “…full with the blessing of the Lord…” and has favor in His sight. (v.23) (Genesis 49:21) Their portion of the land is west of Galilee and south of the Danites. Of Asher Moses asks God to bless with many offspring and material wealth, as indicated by the phrase “…dip his foot in oil…” (v.24) and the iron and brass. (v.25) (Genesis 49:20) He also asks God to give them long life and great might, by which they will be revered among all the other tribes. (v.24-25) Verses 26-29: Moses closes his blessing by praising “…the God of Jeshurun…” by describing His many wonderful attributes: His power and glory (v.26), a refuge for His chosen people (v.27), their defender and strength (v.27), and the source of all life and blessings (v.28). Israel is to take joy in the fact that she is favored above all other nations of the earth, for there is no other God like theirs who is their shield and their strength. (v.29) Israel’s enemies will be utterly destroyed, and she will “…dwell in safety alone…”. (v.28) (Genesis 27:28, Exodus 15:11, Numbers 23:9, 33:52, Deuteronomy 4:32, 35, 8:7-8, 9:3, 10:14, 2 Samuel 7:23, Psalm 18:44, 66:3, 68:3, 33-34, 86:8, 90:1-2, 9, 104:3, 144:15, Jeremiah 10:6, 23:6, 33:16) CHAPTER 34: With all of his final acts and duties concluded, Moses now ascends Mount Nebo as previously instructed by God. (v.1) (Deuteronomy 32:48-50) The LORD then supernaturally shows him all of the promised land, from the east at the river Jordan to the western coastline of the Mediterranean Sea, and from the far north at the land that would later be settled by the tribe of Dan to the southern plains of the valley of Jericho and Zoar. (v.2-3) Moses is reminded one last time by God of His promise to Abraham and of His decree to Moses that he is not allowed to cross over into Canaan. (v.4) (Genesis 12:7) As I’ve mentioned before, this might seem cruel on the part of God to constantly be reminding Moses of his punishment, especially by giving him an opportunity to view the entire land just before his death. But that is a human reaction, and it ignores the very special and very intimate relationship between God and Moses. (v.10) For obvious reasons, we know that this final act of God in the life of His chosen and treasured servant was an act of grace, not cruelty. God does not behave as we do, for He is holy and perfect. Allowing Moses to see all of the promised land was an act of love and kindness, for it reassured Moses of God’s faithfulness, mercy, and lovingkindness. Moses would pass into eternity knowing that God would keep His promises to His chosen people. Following this viewing, Moses dies and is buried by God in a secret location somewhere in or near Moab that has never been revealed to mankind since.(v.5-6) (Jude 9) We know that Moses’ death was not due to any physical ailment or weakness. (v.7) Quite the opposite, in fact. At 120 years old Moses still possessed clear eyesight and excellent physical health. Similar to Enoch, God chose to remove His servant from this world at an appointed time, though not by supernatural translation. Moses did pass away by natural death that was executed by the hand of God, as this passage confirms. The Israelites mourn for Moses far longer than the customary seven days, indicating the people’s great love for him. (v.8) They also accept Joshua as Moses’ replacement, listening to and obeying him just as they did Moses. (v.9) Verses 1, 5-6, and 10-12, give clues that this chapter was not written by Moses but added much later, most likely in the postexilic period following the Jews’ return to the homeland after their captivity in Babylon. One of the reasons given for support of this view is the comment in verse 1 about the tribe of Dan occupying the far north of the promised land. This did not occur until well after the settling and conquering of Canaan, long after Joshua had died. (Judges 18). Secondly, Moses is referred to in Deuteronomy 33:1 as “…the man of God…” which is found nowhere else in the Pentateuch. Until that point, he has been referred to as “the servant of the LORD”. “Man of God” is a common phrase and title that is used much in the exilic and postexilic Hebrew texts to refer to a prophet of God. Thirdly, the fact that no one remembers where Moses is buried (v.6) indicates that a great deal of time has passed since Moses’ death. It’s very possible that the Israelites knew at the time of his passing where Moses was actually buried, but then as they conquered and settled the promised land the knowledge was subsequently lost in the generations since, especially after the people’s capture and enslavement in Babylon. Lastly, the most convincing reason for the argument that this last chapter was a much later addition is verse 10. In order for the statement, “And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses…”, to be true, the author has to be able to look back over all the prophets of God over a span of many years and generations. This includes the times of Elijah and Elisha, of Isaiah and Jeremiah, and all the other major and minor prophets. At the time of Moses’ passing, there was no other prophet with whom to compare him, not even during the period of the judges when Israel was constantly falling into disobedience and apostasy. Samuel was the first great man of God and prophet to arise after the period of the judges, and therefore it stands to reason that these final two chapters of Deuteronomy were added to the Hebrew canon following Israel’s return from the Babylonian captivity. Deuteronomy, and the Pentateuch, ends on a very hopeful note, both for the Israelites about to enter the promised land, as well as the Israelites who heard the words of this final chapter in the years immediately following the Babylonian captivity. Many scholars and commentators have pointed to verses 10-12 as yet another sign in the Old Testament of the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ. By stating that no other prophet had arisen in Israel like unto Moses, “…whom the Lord knew face to face…”, the author of this final chapter is referencing Moses’ own words (Deuteronomy 18:15, 18-19), and the New Testament writers rightfully saw Jesus as the fulfillment of this prophecy and prediction. (Acts 3:22, 7:37) No other prophet in Israel had the same close, personal relationship with God as Moses was privileged to have. (Exodus 33:11, Numbers 12:8, Deuteronomy 5:4) That’s what made him stand out from all the others that came after, up to the time of Christ.
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CHAPTER 31:
The final four chapters of Deuteronomy contain one last exhortation from Moses to the people, the official appointment of Joshua as the next leader of Israel, Moses’ commandment to the priests to guard the law of God within the ark of the covenant, Moses’ final song and final blessing, and then the recorded death of Moses and his secret burial by God Himself. Verses 1-6: Moses has continually exhorted the nation throughout his sermons in Deuteronomy to not only honor and obey the LORD their God, but also to remember that it is He that goes before them to conquer the heathen nations of the promised land. God will do to them what He had already done for Israel when they fought Sihon and Og, and Joshua, whom God has appointed to take Moses’ place, will lead them forth in battle. In spite of the vast numbers of the armies of the foreign nations, as well as the fortification of their walled cities, the Israelites are not to be afraid of them. God will go before them, and He will deliver them into the hands of His chosen people. Moses’ humility and meekness are on full display in these final chapters. Even though he is a hundred and twenty years old (v.2), he still possesses the mental and physical capacity to continue leading the people. (Deuteronomy 34:7) But he accepts God’s judgment against him for his earlier unbelief and the punishment that was given to him. (Numbers 20:12[ii]) He willingly and humbly accepts that it is Joshua who will lead Israel into the promised land, and that his – Moses’ – end is near. There’s a powerful lesson here for us today. Just as King David accepted God’s will that it would be his son, Solomon, and not him that would build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, so should we – like Moses and David – learn to willingly and humbly submit to God’s timing and His will for our lives. Moses longed to see the promised land for himself, and he desired to be the one to lead the nation into it, but that was not God’s will for him, and so he surrendered his will to the Lord. Meekness and humility are among the chief hallmarks of a true man of God, and Moses possessed both in spades. There is a remarkable and stark difference from the man here in Deuteronomy and the man who was tending sheep on the backside of the desert when God first spoke to him out of the burning bush. Verses 7-8, 23: Moses now summons Joshua to stand with him before the congregation, and he publicly gives Joshua the same charge that he just gave to the people. “Be strong and of a good courage…” because the LORD “…will not fail thee, neither forsake thee…”. God himself later repeats this exhortation to Joshua after the death of Moses. (Joshua 1:6) Verses 9-13, 24-29: Next, Moses gives the book of the law to the priests for safekeeping and charges them to read it aloud to the whole nation every seven years during the Feast of Booths. (v.10) (Deuteronomy 15:1-2) All the people of Israel – men, women, and children – are to gather at the tabernacle every seven years, including even the foreigners that are among them at that time, in order to hear the law of God. (v.11-12) In this manner will they learn to properly “…fear the Lord your God, and observe to do all the words of this law.” (v.12) (Deuteronomy 4:10) This ritual will also ensure that the children of each generation who have not personally witnessed all the miracles, signs, and wonders that God performed for the first and second generations that came out of Egypt will learn of them and come to fear the Lord as well. (v.13) (Deuteronomy 11:2) The book of the law refers to either the entire book of Deuteronomy, or perhaps just the body of laws contained in chapters 6-28. Moses commands the priests to put it in the ark of the covenant next to the stone tablets that bear the ten commandments. (v.26) It will be a reminder to them of both their propensity for rebellion against God as well as the ever present need to uphold and honor Israel’s part of the covenant after Moses is gone. (v.27) (Deuteronomy 9:7, 24) He even states plainly that future generations will disobey the law and the covenant and turn away from God, utterly corrupting themselves, and thus provoking his wrath and judgment. (v.29) (Deuteronomy 32:5, Judges 2:19, Acts 20:29-30) Verses 14-22: God summons Moses and Joshua to the tabernacle for the official commissioning and transference of leadership to Joshua. (v.14) (Numbers 27:18-19, Deuteronomy 3:28) As before, the Lord appears in the form of a cloud that rests upon the tabernacle. (v.15) (Exodus 33:9) He confirms what Moses had earlier anticipated in the blessings and curses address to the people in chapters 28-29. Israel would, indeed, disobey and turn to false gods and break their covenant with the LORD. They will suffer His divine wrath and punishment and be scattered among the heathen nations, and God’s face will be hidden from them. (Isaiah 1:15) They will know that they are suffering because the Lord is no longer in their midst. (v.16-18) (2 Chronicles 15:2) Because of this, God commands Moses to write a song that he will teach to the children of Israel as a constant reminder to them of the consequences of disobedience. (v.19) When the time comes for the nation to be delivered unto judgment for their sin, they will remember the song and know why they are being punished. (v.20-21) This is an act by a loving and caring father for His children whom he knows will betray His covenant. He knows the imagination of their sinful, wicked hearts (Genesis 6:5, Jeremiah 17:9, Hosea 5:3), and He is instituting new rituals like this one and the reading of the law by the priests to the people every seven years (v.10-11) in order to help them remain committed to His covenant. And in those times when they will fail and disobey, they will remember the law and the covenant and will turn back to the Lord. Verse 30: Moses now gathers the whole congregation before him in order to teach them the new song. CHAPTER 32: Another song of Moses. Verses 1-3: As he’s done before, Moses calls on heaven and earth to hear and to testify as witnesses to what he’s about to say to the people. (Deuteronomy 4:26, Psalm 50:4, Isaiah 1:2) These first three verses of the song strongly echo the same style and substance as the many psalms of David. Moses’ desire is that these words will fall upon the hearts and minds of the people as rain on the grass and herbs of the field. (Isaiah 55:10-11) Rain is refreshing. It nourishes and gives life to all living things. (Psalm 72:6) Without rain, nothing would grow. The grass of the fields would quickly wither and die in the heat of the sun, and that’s a fitting metaphor for what Moses warns will happen to the people in later verses of this song if they ignore the word of the LORD. Verses 4-14: For the first time in scripture God is referred to as a Rock, indicating His unchanging permanence and consistency. (Psalm 18:2) God is a God of truth, justice and righteousness. He is perfect, and there is no sin in Him. (Deuteronomy 7:9, 2 Samuel 22:31, Job 34:10, Isaiah 65:16, Jeremiah 10:10) It is we, the fallen and broken creation, that have erred. In sharp contrast to holy and perfect God, we are corrupt, sinful, and anything but permanent. We are full of pride and rebellion, and we have gone astray. Moses calls Israel “…a perverse and crooked generation.” (v.5) (Deuteronomy 4:25, 31:29, Philippians 2:15) They have repaid God’s goodness, kindness, and mercy with rebellion, grumbling, lack of faith, and disobedience to His law and covenant. (v.6) (Psalm 116:12[xv]) God is their father, and they have spurned Him. (Exodus 4:22, Deuteronomy 1:31, Isaiah 63:16) Once again, Moses reminds the people of God’s promise to Abraham, how the Lord separated Abraham’s seed unto Himself. (v.7-9) Long before Abraham was born, God had “…separated the sons of Adam…” (v.8) at the tower of Babel, knowing whom of their descendants would be His portion and inheritance. (v.9) (Genesis 11:8, Exodus 19:5) The previous generations, going all the way back to Jacob, had testified to their sons and daughters of God’s promise to the seed of Jacob. (Exodus 12:26-27, 13:14, Psalm 44:1, 78:5) Joseph’s last words to his family also testified of this and of God’s future deliverance of His people. (Genesis 50:24-25) Moses describes God as a mighty eagle, sheltering Israel under His wings during their long sojourn in the desert after coming out of Egypt. (v.10-11) (Isaiah 31:5) He even uses the phrase “…the apple of His eye…” in verse 10 to emphasize to the people just how special and sacred their status was – and still is – to God. (Psalm 17:8, Proverbs 7:2, Zechariah 2:8) It was God alone who did all of this, and there is none other like Him. (v.12) It was God who preserved the nation during their time in the wilderness and gave them victory over their enemies. Bashan (v.14) is the region east of the Jordan where Israel enjoyed the spoils of their conquest of Sihon and Og. (v.13-14) Verses 15-18: But despite God’s blessings and providence, Israel forsook the Rock of their salvation. (v.15, 18) (Isaiah 17:10, Jeremiah 2:32) The name “Jeshurun” is an ironic one, for it means “upright”, and the nation was anything but upright and obedient when they turned to false gods. Israel provoked God with their disobedience and their detestable acts (v.16), choosing to worship demons and other false gods of their own imagination. (v.17) (Psalm 78:58, 1 Corinthians 10:22, Revelation 9:20) That is, incidentally, the essence of false gods and idols that are made by the hands of men. They are demons given physical form and likeness by the wicked imagination of men’s hearts. Verses 19-27: In response to Israel’s gross apostasy, God “…abhorred them…” (v.19) and hid His face from them (v.20), meaning that He withdrew His presence from among them. Their sin incurred His righteous jealousy and wrath, and He, in turn, provoked Israel to anger by using the foreign nations around them to inflict His judgment upon them. (v.21) (Romans 10:19) God’s righteous anger has no limits, extending even to the depths of hell (v.22), and capable of consuming the whole world in an instant. Verses 23-26 echo all of the curses from chapter 28. There is a shift in the verb tense of this section, starting with verse 20, indicating the purposes of this whole song. Much of what Moses speaks of in these verses has not actually happened yet to the current generation about to enter the promised land. But that’s the point of the song, to remind those future generations of why the Lord is angry with them and why they’re under judgment. Verses 28-33: Here Moses points out the ignorance of both the first generation that came out of Egypt as well as those future generations in the promised land. In both cases Israel is willfully ignorant of their own situation and the reasons for both their previous victories over their enemies as well as their present judgment and punishment for their disobedience. Verses 28-29 are a rebuke of the nation’s shortsightedness and ignorance. (Psalm 81:13, Luke 19:42) The previous generation that was denied entry to the promised land had quickly forgotten God’s miraculous delivery of them from their bondage in Egypt as well as His promise to Abraham. The future generations in the promised land would be guilty of the same thing, hence the divine judgment against them. (Deuteronomy 31:29) How could such a small nation have defeated so great an enemy as the Amalekites and the Moabites without the clear intervention on Israel’s behalf by God? (v.30-31) The gods of the heathen peoples are false. Only the one true God, the Rock of Israel, has the power to bring up nations or cast them down. (v.31) (1 Samuel 4:7-8, Jeremiah 40:2-3) The enemies of Israel are full of wickedness, perversion, and rebellion, as were Sodom and Gomorrah. (v.32) The fruit of their sin is death by way of God’s wrath and righteous judgment. (v.33) Verses 34-43: The whole purpose of God’s judgment against Israel is to make them see the error of their ways and bring them back to Him through genuine repentance. As before in Genesis, the word “repent” used in here in verse 36 to describe God’s action towards Israel does not mean that He regrets punishing them. Rather, it refers to His compassion and love for His chosen people, no matter how badly they have gone astray. (Psalm 135:14, Hebrews 10:30) (v.36) Once again, the LORD compares Himself to the false gods which the Israelites had been worshiping. (v.37-40) Their idols of wood and stone are utterly lifeless and incapable of the awesome, supernatural power which God displays on behalf of His chosen people. (Isaiah 1:24, 66:16, Jeremiah 50:28) God’s judgment against Israel is designed specifically to make them see how impotent their false gods really are, and that Jehovah – the one, true God – stands alone. There is none other like Him. (v.39-40) (Isaiah 41:4, 43:10) God promises that all those who hate Him and His chosen people will suffer His righteous and mighty wrath. (v.41-43) Vengeance upon the wicked belongs to God alone, and He will repay His enemies. (v.35, 43) Paul quotes verse 35 in Romans 12:19. (2 Kings 9:7, Revelation 6:10, 19:2) Verse 43 calls for the nations to rejoice with Israel, further indication that God has always included the gentiles in His plan of salvation. Through Israel all nations of the world are to be blessed. But those that rise up against Israel will be destroyed. This is one of God’s enduring promises throughout scripture. Verses 44-47: Moses ends the song with one final admonition to the people to take this song to heart, as well as all the words of the law of God. (v.46) (Ezekiel 40:4, 44:5) To do so is not futile, but is, in fact, the key to victory, long life, and happiness in the promised land. (v.47) (Deuteronomy 8:3, 30:15) Verses 48-52: The same day in which Moses finishes the song and delivers it to the people, God calls him to go up to Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, east of the Jordan river, and where Israel is currently camped. (v.49) (Numbers 33:47-49) The whole of Deuteronomy, which is all of Moses’ final words to the children of Israel, have been delivered here in the plains of Moab, east of the Jordan river, in the shadow of the mountains to which God now calls Moses to ascend one final time. On Mount Nebo God will supernaturally allow Moses to view the whole of the promised land after which Moses will “…be gathered unto thy people…” in the same manner as Aaron. (v.50) (Numbers 20:28, 33:38) It was because Moses had failed to honor God in the presence of all the nation that God denied him entrance to the promised land. (v.51) (Leviticus 10:3, Numbers 20:12) But God also graciously allows Moses to view that land before his death. (v.52) CHAPTER 29:
Moses’ fourth and final address to the people is short and to the point. As with the previous two, this one begins by stating that the LORD has commanded Moses to speak all “…the words of the covenant…” (v.1) to the people. This includes not just the initial ten commandments that were given at Mount Sinai in Horeb, but also everything since then here in the land of Moab, which is the first two sermons of Moses that are recorded here in Deuteronomy. (Leviticus 26:46, Deuteronomy 5:2-3) Verses 2-3: As with his first address, Moses begins this final one with a brief history of Israel’s exodus from Egypt, reminding them of God’s miraculous signs and wonders that He performed for not only the Egyptians but for the benefit of Israel also. (Exodus 19:4, Deuteronomy 4:34, 7:19, 11:7) Verse 4: Yet, despite all those signs and wonders, there were many in Israel who did not believe. They are the ones that grumbled and rebelled against God and Moses during the trek to Mount Sinai. They were also the ones who worshiped the golden calf, who followed Korah in his rebellion against Moses and Aaron, and who were also among the first generation that hearkened unto the ten spies whose lack of faith in God caused them to disobey God’s commands and promises regarding the conquering of the promised land. Yet Moses also seems to be referring to the current generation of Israelites that are standing before him now when he says that God has not opened their hearts, eyes, and ears to perceive His ways. (Isaiah 6:9-10, Ezekiel 12:2, Matthew 13:14, Acts 28:26-27, Romans 11:8, Ephesians 4:18) There is some debate among Biblical scholars and commentators about the true meaning of this verse. The Calvinists point to this as proof of God’s predestination and sovereign election, that He has deliberately blinded the hearts of some so that they will not be saved. They point to the other verses throughout scripture which I listed above as further corroboration of this doctrine. Another interpretation is that God has blinded the hearts of the Israelites in response to their disobedience and lack of faith, and that this verse is Moses’ warning to the current generation of their future apostasy and judgment which he detailed in the previous chapter. I have already discussed the false doctrine of Calvinism in my commentary of Exodus, so I will not go into that again here. Suffice it to say, the best interpretation of this verse is the latter one, especially in light of the curses and judgment by God in the previous chapter. Moses is warning the people that not only has God withheld from all of them some spiritual knowledge and insight, but that there will also be many among them whose lack of faith after conquering and settling the promised land will cause the nation to turn from God. This is why Moses reminds them of the signs and wonders that God did in Egypt. Even after all that God has shown His people then and up to this point, there are some whose hearts are – or will be – hardened because of their own persistent unbelief. Verses 5-8: Moses then reminds the people of God’s providence and provision for them during the forty years of wandering in the desert. The purpose of that was not only punishment for the first generation because of their unbelief, but also that the people would come to know the Lord their God more closely and personally. (v.6) (Exodus 16:12, Deuteronomy 8:2-4) This is one of the fundamental truths of the life of the believer today. God sometimes keeps us in the wilderness of trial and temptation so that we might draw closer to Him as we wait for whatever plan He has for our lives to be brought to fruition. Verses 9-13: Moses is addressing the entire nation of Israel: every man, woman, and child, from the tribal leaders all the way down to the lowliest servant. His message is clear and to the point. The only way that Israel will prosper is by obeying all of God’s law. (Deuteronomy 4:6, 1 Kings 2:3) God, through Moses, is both reminding and renewing His covenant with this generation of Israel that is about to enter the promised land. (v.12-13) (Nehemiah 10:29) Moses emphasizes once more that Israel is a holy nation, separated and consecrated unto God, which was first promised to Abraham and then passed down to Isaac and Jacob. (v.13) (Genesis 17:7-8, Exodus 6:7, Deuteronomy 28:9) Verses 14-20: Four times in this chapter does Moses use the words “today” or “this day”. (v.10, 12, 13, 15) Moses stresses to the people that God is renewing His covenant not only with everyone present on this day, but also their descendants who are yet to be born. (v.15) (Acts 2:39) This is an everlasting and eternal covenant, a promise made to Abraham that can never be broken. It is a covenant that has yet to be completely fulfilled, even in our present day. But there is coming a time when God will gather from the ends of the earth His chosen people, and He will have a final reckoning with them. And then they shall rule the whole earth with King Jesus Himself sitting on the throne for a thousand years. Israel will no longer be the tail but the head as Moses first mentioned in the previous chapter. Moses now circles back to the topic of idolatry, reminding the nation of the wickedness and abominations that they witnessed both before and after leaving Egypt. (v.16-17) He stresses yet again the importance of Israel remaining faithful to the LORD their God, the one and only true God. Moses warns them of the deceitfulness of their hearts, and that anyone among them – whether present on this day or any future generations – who chooses to turn away from God to worship idols and ignore the curses that Moses warned of in the previous chapter will face God’s wrath and judgment. (v.18-19) (Deuteronomy 11:16) He compares such individuals to a corrupt root whose vine produces the bitter fruit of gall and wormwood. (v.18) (Deuteronomy 32:32, Acts 8:23, Hebrews 12:15) God will not spare that man who disobeys but will instead “…blot out his name from under heaven.” (v.20) (Exodus 14:7, 32:33, Deuteronomy 9:14, 2 Kings 14:27, Psalm 74:1, 79:5, Ezekiel 23:25) Verses 21-28: God’s wrath and judgment against the Israelites, should they forsake the covenant by turning away from Him to idolatry and other wickedness, will be so great as to not only destroy the evildoers but will also scorch the land itself. The promised land will appear as the plains where Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim once stood: barren, blackened, unable to grow anything because of the salt and brimstone. (v.23) (Genesis 19:24-25, Isaiah 1:9, Jeremiah 17:6, 20:16, Hosea 11:8, Zephaniah 2:9) The people of the surrounding nations will look at it and marvel amongst themselves, wondering why God has done this. But they will also know the answer: the Israelites did not honor and obey the covenant they made with the LORD their God. (v.24-26) (1 Kings 9:8, Jeremiah 22:8) Moses closes this section by reminding the people of “…all the curses that are written in this book…” which God promised to send upon Israel if she fails to uphold all the commandments and statutes of His law and covenant. (v.27-28) (Daniel 9:11) Verse 29: Biblical scholars and commentators have interpreted this statement in a number of ways. Given the context of the preceding verses, some scholars say that Moses is referring to God’s ability to see the sins committed in secret by individuals, and that He will punish them accordingly. And if the nation as a whole does not deal with those individuals whose sins are committed in public or are known to others (i.e. idolatry), then God will judge the whole nation accordingly. This would certainly fit with earlier statements by Moses in his second address to the people. However, in the larger context of not only this book, but the Bible as whole, a more appropriate reading of this verse is that God is not revealing, even to His chosen people, everything about Him and His ways. (Isaiah 55:8-9) More specifically, the “secret things” that Moses is referring to are most likely God’s knowledge of the future and His overall plan for Israel. Moses is exhorting the people not to worry about the future, but to focus on what God has already revealed to them, i.e. His law and covenant. The same holds true for us today. God has only revealed so much in His word, and we should not be concerned with trying to read between every line in order to decipher or speculate about the mysteries in scripture. This is, most often, what leads to false doctrine and what has already caused many false religions. Instead, we are to be diligent in what God has clearly revealed to us in the Bible by honoring and obeying the commandments and statutes that He has laid out for us. Only in the next life, when we are in heaven for eternity with our Lord and savior, will we fully see and comprehend all that God is and all His ways. CHAPTER 30: Chapters 28 and 29 were filled with both warning and prophecy about the future generations of Israel in the promised land. Much of it was very bleak, for Moses predicted a time when the whole nation will turn away from God and fall into apostasy, idolatry, and immorality. As a result, God will pour out His wrath and judgment upon them, and both chapters ended on a dark note of despair, fear, and hopelessness. Verses 1-10: But now Moses reminds the people of God’s love and mercy. If that future generation, while scattered amongst the heathen nations in captivity, remembers the LORD their God and returns to Him in genuine repentance, then God will have compassion on them and deliver them from their bondage. (v.1-3) (Leviticus 26:40, Deuteronomy 4:29-30, 28:2, Nehemiah 1:9, Psalm 106:45, Isaiah 55:7, Jeremiah 29:14, Lamentations 3:22-23, 32, 40, Joel 2:12) It doesn’t matter how far from the promised land they have been taken (v.4), God will gather them back home. (Deuteronomy 28:64, Isaiah 62:11) They will repossess that land, and God will once again bless them as He did this generation that is about to conquer and settle that promised land. (v.5) God will renew His covenant with that generation, circumcising their hearts and thus enabling them “…to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart…”. (v.6) (Deuteronomy 10:16, Jeremiah 31:31-33, 32:39, Ezekiel 11:19, 36:26-27) As you can see from the cross references, Jeremiah and Ezekiel go into more detail about this new covenant in their prophecies. This is one of the many promises of God found in scripture, that He is always willing to help the truly repentant by sending His spirit to give them power to break away from sin. That is what “circumcising the heart” means. Circumcising all the males, remember, was a sign of God’s covenant with Abraham and all his descendants. In like manner, circumcising the heart is a metaphor for the act of one consciously turning away from sin and seeking the LORD’s face, throwing oneself upon His mercy and vowing to honor and obey Him alone. As part of that covenant renewal God will honor the promise He made to Abraham, that all of Israel’s enemies will receive the curses of the law. (v.7) (Isaiah 54:15, Jeremiah 30:16, 20) Anyone that curses her or comes against her will receive God’s wrath and judgment. But the same conditions for God’s blessings, protection, and providence will also apply to that future generation just as it does to the one listening to Moses now. As long as the nation cleaves to God alone, honoring and keeping all the statutes and judgments of His law, then God will uphold all the promises that Moses described in the previous two chapters. (v.8-10) (Deuteronomy 28:11, Jeremiah 32:41, Zephaniah 3:20) Verses 11-14: Moses points out that God’s law is not a mystery that is hidden from the people. It’s not out of reach in heaven or buried in the depths of the sea where no man can access it. (v.11-13) (Proverbs 30:4, Romans 10:6) God has made His law and His will plain to all of Israel via Moses. He’s also revealed it to them in their hearts, so that there is no excuse for the nation to not obey and honor God. (v.14) (Isaiah 45:19, Romans 10:8) Verses 15-20: Moses lays before the people a single, clear choice. They can choose to love the LORD their God by keeping all the statutes and commandments of His law and worship Him alone, or they can turn away from God and do as they please, worshiping false gods and following the wicked practices and abominations of the heathen nations of the promised land. The former will bring God’s blessings, providence, and protection while the latter will incur His wrath and judgment which will result in the loss of the promised land and Israel’s death. The choice is “…life and good…” or “…death and evil…” (v.15), “…blessing and cursing…”. (v.19) Moses pleads for the people to choose life and blessing, for that is the only way they will prosper in the promised land. (v.19-20) The LORD their God “…is thy life, and the length of thy days…”, (v.20) and without Him there is no other way for this generation to inherit the promise made to their fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (Psalm 27:1, John 11:25, 14:6, Colossians 3:4) CHAPTER 27:
Moses, now joined by the elders of Israel, begins his third address to the nation. (v.1) The presence of the elders is significant because they are the ones who will assist Joshua in carrying out the ceremony described in this chapter. Their standing with Moses also affirms his leadership and faithfulness as mediator and messenger between God and the people. Moses is demonstrating to the people that his authority and leadership is being transferred to them as well as Joshua. (Numbers 27:22-23) Verses 2-8: Moses commands the people to do two things immediately after passing over the river Jordan into the promised land: 1) construct a pillar of stones upon which they will write the words of the law of God; and 2) build an altar upon which to make burnt offerings and peace offerings to God in thankfulness and rejoicing for all that He’s done thus far and all that He will do for them as they conquer the land. The word “plaister” in verse 2 refers to a type of lime or whitewash that would make it possible to write on the stones. (Joshua 8:32) While verse 3 states that “…all the words of this law…” are to be written on the pillar, it’s unclear from the text if that refers to just the ten commandments or that plus everything Moses has expounded upon to the people since Mount Sinai. Whatever the case, this directive seems to be primarily a ceremonial function since the lime and the words would eventually be washed away by rain and other natural elements as time goes on. The altar that’s to be built next to that pillar is to be made of stones that are uncut or shaped by the hands of man. This hearkens back to God’s command to Moses at Mount Sinai in Exodus 20:25. God considered any attempt by the men to cut or shape the stones so that they fit together more perfectly to be a pollution or a profanity upon His holy altar. Both the pillar and the altar are to be constructed at Mount Ebal. (v.4) Verses 9-13: Moses now stands with the Levitical priests, again to show to the people that his authority, given by God, is being transferred to them as well as the elders and Joshua. Once again, Moses implores the people to listen and to remember that they are a chosen people, and that because of this they are to obey all the commandments and statutes of the LORD their God. (v.9-10) (Deuteronomy 26:18) Next, he commences with the instructions for the blessing and cursing ceremony that is to follow the erection of the monument and the sacrificial offerings that were described in the first section of this chapter. Half of the tribes will stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people, and the other half will stand on Mount Ebal to recite the curses for disobedience of the covenant. (v.12-13) (Deuteronomy 11:29, Joshua 8:33, Judges 9:7) Commentators have noted that the tribes pronouncing the blessings were all born of Leah and Rachel, except for Reuben and Zebulun. The rest were born of the handmaids Bilhah and Zilpah. Some have suggested that the tribe of Reuben was selected to pronounce the curses because of Reuben’s sin of incest with Bilhah. (Genesis 35:22, 49:3-4) While this is possible, there is no clear reason given in the text, and so we should not read too much into what isn’t there. What is important to note here is that just because a tribe is selected to pronounce the curses doesn’t mean that God has cursed that tribe. Verses 14-26: There is a total of twelve curses, eight of which can be connected directly to one of the ten commandments. (v.15-17, 20, 22-25) After each curse is read aloud all the people on both mountains are to respond with “Amen!”, once again pledging to uphold the commandments of the law. Note that some of these curses can be violated in secret which means that the one committing the act will be punished even if there are no witnesses. This is a reminder to the people that God sees all, and He will punish the guilty accordingly. All of the curses pertain directly to the “Thou shalt not” laws/commandments given in Exodus and Leviticus and reviewed by Moses in his first two sermons to the people here in Deuteronomy. These verses can be viewed as a review of what God expects of the nation regarding their relationship to Him, and then to each other, specifically the poor, the blind, the orphan, the widow, and one’s own family. Note that, once again, Moses emphasizes sexual purity more than any other law. (v.20-23) And while homosexuality is not specifically mentioned in any of those four verses, the fact that it’s listed in the same verses with bestiality in Leviticus means that we can logically presume it's also implied here in verse 21. Verse 26 is meant to be a summary curse for any violation of any of the commandments in the whole law of God. (Psalm 119:21, Jeremiah 11:3, Galatians 3:10) This is why Paul refers to the curse of the law in that verse from Galatians. God expects His chosen people to obey every single statute and judgment, and when they do not they must immediately perform the expected sacrificial atonement. Those who do not are cursed and subject to God’s wrath and judgment. While the same applies to the NT believer today, we have the final act of Jesus Christ on the cross to plead with God as the atonement for our sins. God still expects us to obey His law and strive for holiness, and when we fail we must ask for forgiveness and plead the blood of His only son as the payment for our sin. CHAPTER 28: Given the instructions in the previous chapter regarding the blessing and cursing ceremony, one would expect this chapter to be a continuation, with Moses describing the blessings that the tribes on Mount Gerizim will give following the curses pronounced by the tribes on Mount Ebal. But that is not the case. While Moses does begin by describing the blessings that God will bestow upon the Israelites for their obedience, the bulk of this chapter focuses on God's judgment and punishment should Israel turn away from Him and fail to keep the law. Verses 1-14: This section, presumably, is the same ceremonial blessings that the tribes on Mount Gerizim will pronounce in response to the curses listed in the previous chapter. As always, Moses makes clear to the people that God’s blessings come with a condition: “…if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all His commandments…”. (v.1) (Exodus 15:26, Leviticus 26:3, Deuteronomy 7:12, 11:13) Only by this will the nation of Israel be set “…on high above all nations of the earth.” (Deuteronomy 26:19, 1 Chronicles 14:2) Moses then lists all the blessings that God will pour out on His chosen people. (v.2-8) Not only will God ensure victory against all of Israel’s enemies, thus creating lasting peace throughout the land, but He will continue to multiply their offspring, their harvests, and their livestock. Every home and every storehouse will be overflowing with bounty, and whatever each Israelite sets his hand unto will be blessed “…in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.” (v.8) (Genesis 22:17, 39:5, Leviticus 25:21, 26:7-8, Psalm 121:8, 128:1, 4) Israel will be a holy nation (v.9), and all other nations of the world will recognize her status as God’s chosen people. (v.10) (Exodus 19:5-6, Numbers 6:27, 2 Chronicles 7:14, Isaiah 63:19, Daniel 9:18-19) They will be afraid of her, and the bounty of God’s blessings upon Israel will allow her to lend to other nations, thus indebting them to her. (v.10-12) As long as Israel continues to “…hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God…” (v.13) He will pour out on them “…His good treasure…” (v.12), and Israel will always be “…the head, and not the tail…”. (v.13) (Isaiah 9:14-15) But all of this is predicated on Israel never straying off the path God has chosen for them by obeying all his commandments and statutes and worshiping Him only. (v.14) (Deuteronomy 5:32, Joshua 1:7) The remainder of this chapter is lengthy and detailed exposition of curses that will fall upon Israel if, instead, she chooses not to “…hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God…” (v.15) by disobeying “…all His commandments and His statutes…”. (Joshua 23:15, Daniel 9:10, Malachi 2:2) Just as there are bountiful blessings for obedience, so is there bountiful curses and judgment upon Israel if she fails to uphold her part of the covenant. Verses 16-19: Rather than blessing Israel’s offspring, harvests, and livestock, God will instead curse them, causing barrenness of the womb for both woman and beast and famine in the land. These four verses deliberately mirror verses 3-6. Verses 20-22, 27, 33-35: Everything that the Israelites put their hand to will fail or be destroyed. (v.20) All manner of sickness and deadly diseases will befall them. (v.21-22) (Exodus 15:26, Leviticus 26:16, Amos 4:9) The death toll from war, famine, and disease will be so great as to wipe out the whole nation from the promised land. (v.21-22) The physical descriptions in these three verses indicate clearly that God will use not only the heathen nations outside the promised land but also the very elements of nature itself to pour out His righteous judgment upon His people. (Jeremiah 5:15, 17) Verses 23-24, 38-40, 42: God will stop the rain and harden the earth so that nothing will grow. (v.23) Locusts and worms will consume the crops and vineyards, and the fruit of the olive trees will fall from their boughs before they’re ripe, making the olives useless for the production of oil. (v.38-40) (Exodus 10:4, Joel 1:4, Micah 6:15, Zephaniah 1:13, Haggai 1:6) Verse 25-26: This is the opposite of verse 7. Now it is Israel who is fleeing from her enemies seven different directions. (Deuteronomy 32:30) The death toll will be so great as to provide a bountiful feast for the ravens, vultures, and other wild animals. (v.26) (1 Samuel 17:44, Psalm 79:2) Verses 28-29: God will even blind the hearts and minds of the people, so that they “…grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness…”. (v.29) (Job 5:14) This is the same judgment which Jesus speaks of in Mark 4:12. For some, like Pharaoh in Exodus, God hardens their hearts because of their unbelief so that the truth is foreign to them. If Israel turns from God to worship idols and practice the abominations of the heathen nations around them, God will give them over to the same judgment as Pharaoh and the people of those foreign nations. Furthermore, Israel will be continually enslaved and plundered, and no one will come to her rescue. Verses 30-32, 41: These echo the curse of verse 20 where Moses stated that all which Israel attempts to do will be for naught. Here he goes into specifics. The betrothed daughter will either be raped or willingly engage in premarital relations with a man other than her future husband. (2 Samuel 12:11, Job 31:10, Jeremiah 8:10, Amos 5:11, Zephaniah 1:13) All attempts to establish a home, family, and occupation will be thwarted. (v.30) (Deuteronomy 20:6, Job 31:8, Jeremiah 12:13, Lamentations 1:5, Micah 6:15) A man’s livestock will be slain or plundered, preventing him from making a living. (v.31) His children will be enslaved and forced to marry foreigners, causing deep sorrow and regret for him and his wife. (v.32) (2 Chronicles 29:9, Nehemiah 5:5) All of this will result in utter weakness and despair for every Israelite. Verses 36-37: Much of this chapter is a prophecy, and here Moses foretells of Israel’s desire for a king. If the nation persists in their disobedience and apostasy, God will deliver them and their king into captivity by a people that is foreign to them. Israel will be slaves once again, forced to serve false gods by their captors. (Deuteronomy 4:28, 1 Kings 9:7-8, 2 Kings 17:4-6, 24:12-14, 25:7, 11, 2 Chronicles 36:1, Jeremiah 16:13, 24:9, 25:9) The name of Israel will be reduced to a byword and thing of horror among all the other nations outside the promised land. (v.37) (Psalm 44:14) They will marvel at Israel’s downfall. Verses 43-44: Instead of being the head, Israel will now be the tail. The entire nation will be brought low, enslaved and in debt to a foreign people. Verse 45-46: One would expect this verse to the end of this chapter as it sums up Moses’ central point. All the curses detailed in the preceding verses will come upon Israel if she fails to obey God’s law and honor her part of the covenant. It’s important to note here that although Moses states clearly that the nation will be destroyed, he does not use any adjectives here that say the destruction will be complete. God will not – and cannot, in fact – renege on His promise to Abraham. Verse 46 confirms this, for Moses adds that the consequences of these curses will stay with Israel “…for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed forever.” In other words, the name of the LORD will still be glorified in Israel’s judgment and condemnation. (Numbers 26:10, Isaiah 8:18, Ezekiel 14:8) Verses 47-57: But Moses doesn’t end with that dire warning and prediction. As if all that wasn’t bad enough, he now gives a detailed description of God’s judgment against Israel for her apostasy that makes the previous curses pale by comparison. Moses expounds on his earlier mention of Israel’s captivity by a foreign power, describing exactly what will happen among the Israelites while they under siege by their enemies. Because Israel fails to serve the Lord by joyfully acknowledging Him as the source of their daily providence and blessings (v.47) God will deliver her back into bondage at the hands of her enemies. (Deuteronomy 12:7, Nehemiah 9:35) Israel will go naked and hungry and destitute, with “…a yoke of iron upon thy neck…”. (v.48) (Lamentations 4:4, Jeremiah 28:13-14) This is an interesting point that Moses brings up in verse 47. What God is saying here is that He will bring judgment upon His chosen people because their heart attitude is not right before Him. They are ungrateful for His daily providence and protection, and they fail to properly worship and honor Him as the sole source of all their wealth and prosperity. This ingratitude will result in the sin of pride among the nation, and this will cause them to turn from the Lord to idolatry and many other transgressions from which God has commanded them to abstain. Therefore, a nation whom the Israelites have never heard of, whose language is unknown to them, will invade the promised land. (v.49) (Isaiah 5:26, 7:18, Jeremiah 5:15) The enemy will be great and powerful, showing no mercy to the old or the weak (v.50), and will seize all of Israel’s crops and livestock. (v.51) (2 Chronicles 36:17) They will besiege her cities, causing mass starvation for the people within, causing them to resort to cannibalism in order to survive. (v.52-53) (Leviticus 26:29, 2 Kings 6:28-29, 25:1-2, Jeremiah 19:9, Lamentations 2:20, 4:10) The reason such depravity will come about is because every Israelite man and woman will be so desperate in their hunger that they will forsake their civilized behavior and resort to not only killing their own children to consume as food, but will hide it from their neighbors for the sake of their own survival. (v.54-57) The women will even consume their own afterbirth. (v.57) All of this, sadly, came true, and many Biblical scholars have suggested that God gave Moses divine prophetic insight in order to deliver this specific warning. Verses 58-68: As if all that wasn’t enough, Moses hammers his central point home even harder. War, disease, famine, death, captivity and slavery – all of it will befall God’s chosen people if they fail to “…fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD THY GOD…”. (v.58) God will no longer take delight in blessing and caring for Israel, instead rejoicing in His wrath and judgment upon them. (v.63) (Deuteronomy 30:9, Proverbs 1:26, Isaiah 1:24, Jeremiah 12:14, 32:41, 45:4) All of the blessings described at the beginning of this chapter will be reversed. Instead of being as numerous as the stars in the heaven, Israel will be reduced to a very small number. (v.62) Instead of peace and rest, she will experience nothing but fear, dread, sorrow, and despair as she is scattered among the heathen nations. (v.64-65) (Leviticus 26:36, Lamentations 1:3, Amos 9:4) Her despair will be so great, in fact, that every morning the people will long for night, and at night they will long for the dawn, but there will be no hope or salvation forthcoming. (v.66-67) (Job 7:4) And, in the end, Israel will return to the foreign land where she began, but this time not even the Egyptians will take them back as slaves. (v.68) (Jeremiah 43:7, Hosea 8:13) Israel will be left utterly alone and destitute, a fragmented and scattered remnant with no home or land to call their own. Verse 63 echoes Deuteronomy 18:12, and many people, including Christians, find this troubling. (Refer back to that chapter and my comments on that verse.) But it should not surprise the true believer that God’s holiness and His justice demand punishment for sin, including the disobedience of His chosen people. The Israelites, remember, promised to obey all of God’s law and uphold their part of the covenant numerous times, starting with the ten commandments at Mount Sinai. (Exodus 24:3) God, therefore, has every right to pass judgment on Israel for her disobedience, apostasy, and rebellion. The same holds true for all of mankind today, even us believers. We are His creation (Psalm 24:1), and He has every right to do with us as He so pleases. This final passage of Moses’ third address to the people is extremely depressing, to say the least. But it underscores the importance of Israel’s obedience to God and His covenant. There will be no excuse for this second generation’s descendants when God’s judgment and wrath come upon them for their disobedience and apostasy. Their fathers were warned of the punishment for not keeping and honoring all of the law of God, and that warning was passed down from generation to generation in the words of Moses recorded in this book. Even when the books of Moses were long forgotten and buried in the archives of the temple, God still sent His warning to His chosen people in the words of the prophets such as Isaiah and Jeremiah. Israel and Judah still refused to listen, and all the prophecy of Moses in this chapter came true. God always keeps His word, for both blessing and judgment. CHAPTER 24:
This chapter continues the topic of purity and then circles back to the subject of the treatment of one’s neighbor in daily life. Verses 1-4: This is the passage which the Pharisees used in an attempt to trick Jesus during one of their many debates with Him. (Matthew 19:3-9) Jesus’ response in verse 8 actually explains this passage in Deuteronomy. While God never intended a marriage to end in divorce, there were many Israelite men who were, apparently, divorcing their wives for various reasons. Therefore Moses, in an attempt to keep the camp and the community pure before God, clarified in this passage the conditions that were acceptable for a bill of divorcement. As for the uncleanness that Moses references in verse 1, Biblical commentators and scholars differ on what exactly that refers to. We know it can’t be adultery or premarital unfaithfulness since those are punishable by death. (Deuteronomy 22:20-22) The only other logical answer is some other form of sexual impurity or indecency which would not merit the death penalty but is still severe enough to warrant a bill of divorcement. The woman is free to marry another man (v.2), but if he, too, divorces her because of some form of uncleanness or indecency, or if he dies, then she is not allowed to remarry her first husband. She is considered unclean and defiled. (v.4) That is the whole point of this section of the law. (Jeremiah 3:1) Verse 5: A newly married man's primary responsibility is to his home and his wife in the first year of the marriage. This increases the possibility – and the blessing – of children, thereby ensuring the growth of the nation and the stability of the whole community. (Deuteronomy 20:7) God places great importance on marriage and family, for this is the foundation of all society and a healthy, viable community. Verse 6: No Israelite is allowed to take his neighbor’s millstone as collateral for a loan. To do so would rob the borrower of his only means of sustenance and livelihood, thus making it impossible for him to pay back the loan. Verse 7: Any Israelite caught kidnapping and selling his brethren into slavery will be put to death. God abhors slavery, and to do such a thing is a great evil that would poison the whole community. This relates to the ongoing theme of Israel being delivered from bondage in Egypt, of which God reminds His chosen people frequently throughout Exodus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Verses 8-9: Moses reminds the people of the uncleanness of leprosy, and that they need to do all that the law and the priests instruct them to do to remove the uncleanness from the camp. (Leviticus 13:2, 14:2) Verse 9 is also a reminder that God will sometimes use leprosy as a punishment for disobedience. (Numbers 12:10, 1 Corinthians 10:6) Verses 10-13: Moses gives clarification on the collateral that is used for loans among the Israelites. The lender is to respect the privacy and personal property of the borrower by not entering the latter’s house to collect on a loan. (v.10-11) The borrower is required to bring the payment to the lender. Nor is the lender allowed to keep the collateral overnight if that thing is required for shelter or sustenance; a cloak, for example. (v.12-13) (Exodus 22:26, Ezekiel 18:7) By obeying this commandment and showing mercy to the poor, the lender will demonstrate his righteousness in the eyes of the Lord. (Deuteronomy 6:25, Psalm 106:31, Daniel 4:27) Verses 14-15: While on the subject of oppression of the poor, Moses reminds the employers that they are required to pay their workers the appropriate wages at the end of each work day. This law applies to both Israelite employees and any hired foreigners that are living among them. To withhold the day’s wages is a sin in the eyes of God. (Leviticus 19:13, Jeremiah 22:13) Verses 16-18: Each man/woman is responsible for his/her own sin. Children will not be held accountable for the sins of their parents, and vice versa. (v.16) (2 Kings 14:6, 2 Chronicles 25:4, Jeremiah 31:29-30, Ezekiel 18:20) This doesn’t mean, however, that God will not allow the consequences of the sins of the fathers to be visited upon the sons, even to the third and fourth generations. This is made clear later in the OT when all of Israel is delivered into captivity in Babylon. God makes it clear to Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel that His righteous judgment and punishment is upon not only the first generation that committed the sins of apostasy, idolatry, and immorality, but also the successive generations as well who must endure the captivity and loss of their homeland because of the sins of their fathers and grandfathers. This point is also made clear in the sin of Adam and Eve. You and I today did not violate God’s law regarding the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, yet we are still reaping the consequences of their sin of disobedience. However, you and I – and all of mankind since – are also still responsible for our own sins that we have committed of our own free will and choice in our lifetimes. Verses 17-18, 22 are a reminder to the judges to be fair and impartial when deciding cases that involve the foreigners and orphans. (Exodus 23:6) Lenders are not to take advantage of the widows when giving them a loan. As stated many times before, God reminds His people where they came from, that they were once enslaved and oppressed in a foreign land. Furthermore, because it was God who redeemed and delivered the Israelites from their oppression, He has every right to command them not to do the same to others. They, in turn, are obligated to obey this command because it was God who delivered them and redeemed them. (v.18, 22) Verses 19-21: The landowners are not to thoroughly harvest their fields or their vineyards so that nothing is left behind. They are to leave some of their crops for the poor, the widows, the orphans, and the foreigners that are living within the Israelite community. God ensures His blessing to those who also provide for the less fortunate, and this commandment is also linked to the Israelites’ bondage in Egypt. They are to be kind and generous because of how God delivered them from oppression and also because He has promised to always care and provide for all their basic needs in the promised land. If the nation as a whole remains obedient and faithful to God in their honor and worship of Him, then He will bless them abundantly. CHAPTER 25: Verses 1-3: Moses reminds the people that those who are judges must not only be fair and just (v.1), but the sentence and punishment must also fit the crime and be humane. (v.2-3) Every man and woman has dignity, regardless of his/her crime, and this has been a common theme throughout the Pentateuch. Moses commands that no more than forty stripes be given as punishment when the crime warrants it, lest “…thy brother should seem vile unto thee.” In other words, the dignity of the accused – as well as his human rights – must not be violated. (Job 18:3) Later on, when Christ appears on the scene for his earthly ministry, Jewish law has been amended to limit the flogging to only 39 lashes as an extra measure of ensuring that this commandment is never broken. (2 Corinthians 11:24) Verse 4: This is an oddly specific law, and it seems especially out of place given the topic of corporal punishment as well as the next section that deals with marriage and inheritance law. But, as we’ve already seen earlier in this book, some of these passages are a hodgepodge of legislation that isn’t always connected by a specific theme or topic. Moses often moves from one subject to the next without any discernible pattern or preamble, and this chapter is a good example of that. This particular law, however, can be connected to the theme of dignity that Moses addresses in the first three verses. Animals, too, have certain rights, and the point of this verse is that the Israelites are to treat their cattle and livestock humanely. (Proverbs 12:10, 1 Corinthians 9:9, 1 Timothy 5:18) Oxen, especially, were of the more expensive livestock in the ANE, and therefore only the wealthy of the community owned them. The owners would likely rent them to their neighbors during the harvest season in order to thresh grain, and that’s probably another reason for this particular commandment. The one borrowing his neighbor’s ox should treat the animal with kindness and respect, just as he would his own livestock. This is another way of loving one’s neighbor as oneself. Verses 5-10: This section is an example of two different values, or goals, within the law that could come into tension, and so further clarity is needed in order to settle such a conflict. In this case, the two values are the necessity of having a male heir in order to pass on one’s family name and the demand of the law for sexual purity within the Israelite community. In this scenario, Moses gives the example of two brothers that live in the same household, and one of them is married. The law states that a brother may not have sex with his sister-in-law, but if the husband dies before producing any children, how can the family name continue? Moses gives the condition whereby it will be acceptable for a man to take his brother’s widow as his wife in verse 5. If the two siblings are living in the same household, and only one of them is married, and if that one dies before fathering a son, the surviving brother may take his sister-in-law as his new wife. The firstborn son produced by that marriage will then take the name of the deceased brother. However, if the widow’s brother-in-law is unwilling to take her as his wife, he must undergo a public – and very humiliating – ritual in order to get out of his lawful obligation. (v.7-9) This is precisely what happened to Ruth and how Boaz was able to take her for his wife. (Ruth 4:7-10) It’s not clear from the text here in Deuteronomy – or in Ruth – the exact symbolism of the sandal and its removal, but the spitting in one’s face would make that man ceremonially unclean for seven days. (Numbers 12:14) He would also be forever marked as “…him that hath his shoe loosed…” by the entire community, a stigma that will follow him for the rest of his life. (v.10) Verses 11-12: If two men are in the midst of a fight, and the wife of one of them seizes the other man by the genitals in an effort to give her husband the upper hand, then her hand should be cut off as punishment. There are two standards in view here: 1) the possible injury to a man’s genitals, thus adversely affecting his ability to procreate and thereby preventing him from producing a male heir whereby his family name will be preserved; and 2) the general issue of modesty and moral decency. The woman should not be touching anyone’s private parts other than her husband’s, even if it is in his defense. This is the only law that requires physical mutilation as punishment. Verses 13-16: The Israelites are to have one standard of weights and measures, and are to deal honestly with not only their fellow Israelites but also any foreigners with whom they conduct business transactions. (Leviticus 19:35, Proverbs 11:1, 20:23, Ezekiel 45:10, Micah 6:11) To do otherwise is to invite God’s wrath and judgment. Verses 16-19: Moses reminds the Israelites of what the Amalekites did to them as they were fleeing Egypt. Verse 18 is information that had not previously been included in the earlier accounts of Israel’s encounters with this heathen people. (Exodus 17, Numbers 14) The Amalekites had actually killed the weakest of the Israelites during their march from Egypt, preying upon the stragglers at the rear of the crowd which were “…faint and weary…”. (v.18) This was an especially egregious sin against His chosen people in the eyes of God, as it violates His commandments to care for the poor, the weak, the elderly, and all others who are incapable of defending themselves. This has been a theme throughout the Pentateuch, and Moses reminds the people now of what they must do to the Amalekites once they have eliminated all other enemies in the promised land. (v.19) This also explains why King Saul’s disobedience cost him not only his kingship but also his eternal salvation. (1 Samuel 15:2-3, 22-23) God had pronounced final judgment against the Amalekites, ordering Saul to utterly wipe out the nation completely from the face of the earth, sparing not even their livestock. (Exodus 17:14) Yet Saul allowed the Amalekite king to live and the people to bring back spoils, including the livestock. It was up to Samuel to carry out God’s judgment by slaying the king who was the last of his people. CHAPTER 26: Chapters 26 is the closing passage of Moses’ second address to the people that began in chapter 12. The overall theme of this second sermon was that Israel keep “…the statutes and judgments…” (Deuteronomy 12:1) of the LORD their God, for that is the only way that they will successfully conquer and settle in the promised land. The focus of chapter 12 was the right and proper ways in which Israel should worship and honor God. Here in chapter 26, Moses returns to that theme, forming an appropriate bookend to his sermon. Verses 1-11: In chapter 16, the first fruits offering wasn’t mentioned in the list of holidays, and perhaps Moses was intentional in that regard, for he goes into great detail about the holiday here. Notice his use of the phrase “the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to place His name there” in verse 2. This was the same reference to the tabernacle in Deuteronomy 12:5. God had instituted the firstfruits offering as a form of tithe and worship, a way for the people to recognize the true source of all their blessings, and to thank God for all that He has done for them in their daily lives. (Exodus 22:29, 23:16, 19, Numbers 18:13, Proverbs 3:9) What’s new in this passage is a declaration that is made in the presence of God and the high priest by the one bringing the offering. (v.5-10) It remembers God’s deliverance of the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt. (Exodus 12:37, 51, 13:3, 14, 16, Deuteronomy 5:15) Jacob is referred to as a Syrian in verse 5, confirming the lineage of Abraham. (Genesis 24:2-4, 25:20, Hosea 12:12) This prayer of thanksgiving recognizes the small size of Jacob’s family when he entered Egypt and God’s magnificent providence and blessing in the size of the nation that embarked on the exodus four hundred years later. (Genesis 46:27, Deuteronomy 10:22) It acknowledges the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham regarding “…a land that floweth with milk and honey.” (v.9) (Exodus 3:8, 17) It then concludes with a statement about the firstfruits of that promised land, again acknowledging God’s blessings and providence at the time of harvest. (v.10) Moses ends this section with another reminder that such offering and prayer of thanksgiving is the right and proper way of “…worship before the LORD thy God.” (v.10) He also commands the people to “…rejoice in every good thing which the Lord thy God hath given unto thee…”. (Deuteronomy 12:7, 16:11, Ecclesiastes 3:12-13, 5:18) Everything that happens in our lives, as well as everything we have, is by the providence and hand of God alone. Acknowledging that, and rejoicing in it, and giving a portion back to Him is not only right for the believer, but it is also commanded by God throughout scripture. Obedience is not optional for the child of God. Verses 12-15: This particular tithe is not to be offered until the third year after the Israelites have entered the promised land. (v.12) This tithe was first referenced in Deuteronomy 14:28-29. It’s to be distributed among the people, the priests, and any foreigners living within the nation rather than given to the LORD. (v.12) The phrasing of verse 12, as well as those in chapter 14, suggest that this special tithe is one time only and is to be given after the customary annual tithes and offerings have been brought to the tabernacle and given to God. (Leviticus 27:30, Numbers 18:24) Verses 13-15 are a prayer/declaration made before God by each member of the community after they have brought their portion to the city gates. Similar to the prayer in the first section of this chapter, this declaration states what the individual has done in accordance with God’s law regarding this tithe, and that he/she has obeyed the law and all its commandments. (v.13) (Psalm 119:141, 153, 176) The Israelite is also declaring that he/she has not used any portion of the offering in violation of God’s law. (v.14) The prayer closes with a request that God bless the nation and the land, and this is the first clear statement in the OT that God’s dwelling place is in heaven. (v.15) (Psalm 80:14, Isaiah 63:15, Zechariah 2:13) Verses 16-19: This closing statement from Moses sums up the whole of his second address: 1) God has commanded the Israelites to keep, honor, and obey all the statutes and judgments in His law (v.16); 2) the people have vowed to do so (v.17); and 3) God has proclaimed Israel to be a chosen nation set above all other nations on the earth (v.18-19). (Exodus 6:7, 19:5, Deuteronomy 7:6, 14:2, 28:9, Titus 2:14, 1 Peter 2:9) This chapter continues the theme of purity by focusing on the holiness of God and His sanctuary, the tabernacle, as well as the purity of the whole camp since God is dwelling among His people.
Verses 1-6: This section describes all those who are forbidden membership in “…the congregation of the LORD.” Most commentators and Biblical scholars agree that that phrase refers to not just worship in the tabernacle and all the sacrifices and offerings related to it, but also the right of general citizenship, holding any public office, and marriage to any Israelite. Moses gives specific examples of those who are forever barred from the congregation: eunuchs (v.1), bastards (v.2), and any Ammonite or Moabite (v.3). Eunuchs: In the ANE, eunuchs were most often the result of pagan worship rituals or forced slavery. It’s important to note here that God, through Moses, is not necessarily making a moral judgment against such men by prohibiting them from full membership in the congregation of His chosen people. Rather, the point here is in regard to the purity and the sanctity of both the tabernacle and the congregation. Earlier, God had made it clear to Moses and the Israelites that no son of Aaron’s lineage is allowed to serve as priest who is blind, crippled, hunchbacked, has any major skin blemishes, or has had his genitalia mutilated in any way. (Leviticus 21:18-21) The same goes for any animal that is brought to the priest to offer up as a sacrifice to the Lord. (Leviticus 22:24) As with many other passages here in Deuteronomy, God is further clarifying or adding to His law for the Israelites, and now He is forbidding any eunuch from membership in the congregation of His chosen people because they are not whole or complete. The Moody Bible Commentary states it thusly: “Wholeness” was important in the Israelite worship system, so anything that did not conform to the “perfect” template (in this case a complete male body) was excluded. With something missing from his body he was no longer representative of a man made fully in God’s image (Genesis 1:27). This might seem harsh and unloving of God to exclude a man who very likely had no choice in his castration, since this was often done at an early age when boys were sold into slavery to the cultic priests of the pagan temples, or captured as slaves by a conquering foreign nation. But we must always keep in mind that God is a holy God, and He has every right to set whatever boundaries and restrictions He wants to regarding whom He allows to associate with His chosen people. More than that, however, He has absolute authority and sovereignty over His creation, and He may do with any of us as He so pleases. Bastards: Those of illegitimate birth are also excluded from Israelite membership and worship in the tabernacle. Since any unmarried individuals who had sexual intercourse are either put to death or required to get married, per the commands in the previous chapter, this passage is most likely referring to non-Israelite children born to cult prostitutes in the pagan temples. However, this may also include a child born of rape, a scenario that was also mentioned in the previous chapter. Since there isn’t much detail or clarification provided here, we can only presume one of two possibilities: 1) if the victim is unmarried, she rears the child alone until such times as a marriage is arranged and then her husband formally adopts the child as his own. Same thing applies if the woman is already married. 2) The child is forever forbidden from full membership in the Israelite community, including the worship of God in the tabernacle, thus denying him/her any way of salvation in this current dispensation of the law, even though both of his/her parents are Israelites. Given what we already know thus far from the texts of the Pentateuch, I am inclined to accept option #1 as the correct answer, but it is very possible that option #2 is also correct. The phrase “…even to his tenth generation…” is an old Hebrew idiom which means “forever”. This verse is not saying that those of the eleventh generation will be allowed to worship God in the tabernacle and be accepted with full membership privileges and rights in the Israelite congregation. The Ammonites and Moabites: Because of their treatment of Israel when they came out of Egypt, God is denying these two nations any membership among – or even any peaceful alliance with – His chosen people forever. (Nehemiah 13:1-2) It’s also because they hired Balaam to curse Israel, something God did not allow and, instead, turned into a blessing of His chosen people. (Numbers 22:5-6) It is also possible that this prohibition is due to the fact that both these nations are the descendants of the incestuous union of Lot with his two daughters. This would tie in well with the theme of purity and holiness of both the previous chapter and this one. Verses 7-8: The Edomites and Egyptians, however, are permitted to join the Israelites in their worship in the tabernacle provided, of course, that they convert to the Hebrew faith and belief in God and are willing to obey and honor His law. God reminds the Israelites that they were once strangers in Egypt, and therefore they are to be kind to the Egyptian or Edomite that is now a stranger among them. (Exodus 22:21, 23:9, Leviticus 19:34, Deuteronomy 10:19) Furthermore, the offspring of any marriage of an Israelite to an Egyptian or Edomite is eligible for full membership in the congregation of Israel starting with the third generation. (v.8) There is a notable exception to this law in the form of King David who was a descendant of Ruth, a Moabitess. The Moody Bible Commentary offers the following possibility as a way of explanation for this exception: “The simplest view is that we have here an example of “faith” trumping “law.” Ruth demonstrated great faith in the God of Israel, especially during the dark period of the judges, and was graciously allowed to be included into the Israelite community as well as the messianic line.” It’s important to note here that God is making clear to His chosen people that only the foreigner that believes in Him and accepts Him as the one, true God of all creation will be accepted into the congregation of Israel with all rights and privileges thereof. And, in the case of Ruth, her faith in God was so great that He graciously made an exception, again proving that God is absolutely sovereign over all, and He is allowed to make exceptions to these types of laws as He sees fit. Contradictions such as this are an example of some of the more difficult and complex theological issues that we find in scripture, but that doesn’t mean that God’s word contradicts itself in any way. Instead, we ought to treat these examples as an avenue of deeper study of the Bible and of God Himself; a way by which we can grow in our faith by tackling such issues and learning more about OT theology and God’s chosen people at this time in history. Verses 9-14: This section deals with the soldiers of Israel’s army when they go out on a military campaign against their enemies. Because God is present among His people, the entire camp must make sure to remain pure and undefiled, including the soldiers themselves. If there is any man that is unclean because of a seminal emission while he is asleep at night, he is to follow the proper ritual for cleansing himself outside the camp the following day. (v.10-11) (Leviticus 15:16) Additionally, all soldiers are to have a shovel extension on their weapon or person that allows them to dig a hole anytime they need to empty their bowels. This is to be done outside the camp, and the feces is to be covered up afterwards. (v.12-13) The reason for these laws is because the presence of God within the camp is what assures victory for the Israelites. (v.14) (Leviticus 26:12, Deuteronomy 7:21) Because God is holy, the camp must also be holy, and that means it must remain undefiled. Any deviation will cause God to remove His presence from the camp. Verses 15-16: Any servant or slave that is a runaway, meaning he has fled his master before the appointed time of release of service, and who is found by another will not be returned to his original master. This law applies to both the foreign slave/master and the Israelite slave/master. The servant is to remain free to choose a new master. The implication here is that the servant or slave has been mistreated and abused, for that is the primary reason that he or she would flee before the time of service is complete. This is indicated by the last phrase of verse 16: “…thou shalt not oppress him.” (Proverbs 22:22) This commandment is contrary to the standard practices of the nations of the ANE, again demonstrating the distinct separateness of God’s chosen people among the heathen peoples of the promised land. Verses 17-18: Purity in human sexuality is of upmost importance to God, and he states once again, clearly and explicitly, that adultery and homosexuality among His chosen people is forbidden. (Genesis 19:4-5, Leviticus 18:22, 19:29, 20:13, Deuteronomy 22:21, 2 Kings 23:7) There are no exceptions to this law, and no further clarity is required. The command in verse 17 is as simple and direct as Adam’s statement in Genesis 2:24. Sex is to be enjoyed between one man and one woman only and within the covenant of marriage only. Period! Anything outside of that – adultery, polygamy, homosexuality, orgies, or sex between an unmarried couple – is strictly forbidden by God which He makes very clear to the Israelites throughout the Pentateuch. The apostle Paul makes it clear in his epistles that the same applies to all believers today. (Romans 1:27, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Galatians 5:19-21, 1 Timothy 1:9-10) God has never been vague or equivocal on this issue, quite the opposite in fact. He has made it clear in His word that human sexuality is something holy and sacred between a married couple, each of the opposite sex. Any pastor, reverend, bishop, clergyman, or church that preaches and teaches anything other than this command and prohibition is a liar and a heretic and should be marked and avoided as such. The term “dog” in scripture is most often used to refer to gentiles, male prostitutes, or homosexuals, the latter two of which is the case here in verse 18. (Matthew 7:6, Philippians 3:2, Revelation 22:14-15) The command in this verse refers to the tithe of profit from the prostitution of male and female whores – of which some of the men were also sodomite prostitutes – in the pagan rituals and cultic practices of the heathen nations of the promised land. To bring that money into the house of God is an abomination and strictly forbidden by God. Verses 19-20: The Israelites are forbidden from charging interest on any loans to one another. (v.19) (Exodus 22:25, Leviticus 25:35, Nehemiah 5:2, Psalm 15:5) To the foreigners however, they are allowed to charge interest on a loan. (v.20) (Deuteronomy 15:3) Verses 21-23: While on the topic of money and lending, Moses reminds the people of the seriousness of vows and freewill offerings made to the LORD. (Numbers 30:2, Job 22:27, Psalm 61:8, 66:13-14, Ecclesiastes 5:4-5, Matthew 5:33) They are to keep their vows by doing whatever they promised to God. (v.23) Failure to do so is a sin in the eyes of the Lord, and will be dealt with accordingly. (v.21) It’s better to have not made the vow at all than to make it and not follow through with it. (v.22) Verses 24-25: The Israelites are allowed to eat of their neighbor’s crops, but they may not harvest any of them to save for later. This commandment is another way of God’s provision for the poor and destitute among His chosen people. It’s also an example of God’s promise to bless the Israelites when they conquer and settle the promised land. There will be such an abundance of crops that there will be more than enough food to not only feed the poor but also for the landowner to sell for a profit at the market. Therefore, the landowners are not to be stingy by forbidding any of their neighbors to freely eat of their crops and vineyards. While this chapter seems at first to be a hodgepodge of unrelated topics, a closer study reveals that Moses is expounding on the seventh, eighth, and tenth commandments. This entire book, remember, is an exposition by Moses of the law of God which is summed up in the ten commandments. Here in chapter 22, Moses gives examples to the people of situations and scenarios related to the commandments regarding adultery, theft, and covetousness.
Verses 1-4: The eighth and tenth commandments forbid stealing a neighbor’s personal property or even coveting it. These four verses address the possibility of someone’s livestock that has wandered off and is discovered by one’s neighbor. (Exodus 23:4-5) The one who found it is required to return the animal to its rightful owner instead of keeping it for himself. (v.1) If the owner cannot be immediately located, the one who found it may keep it until the owner turns up to claim it. (v.2) The same goes for any personal property that is found by someone. (v.3) Nor is any man to turn a blind eye to his neighbor’s ox or donkey that has been injured and needs help. This is presumably related to the scenario in verse 1 where the animal has wandered away from its owner and then, for example, falls into a ditch and gets hurt or stuck. The one who comes upon the injured ox or donkey is to help it and return to its neighbor instead of just ignoring it. God expects His chosen people to treat each other with dignity, care, and respect. In the ANE, one’s livelihood depended on healthy livestock, and to steal another ox, sheep, or donkey was to rob that man of his daily sustenance and living wage. The same goes for clothing or precious metals such as gold or silver. Not only are the Israelites expected to respect each other’s personal rights and property, they are to be kind and gracious to one another by returning that property when found. This principle is one of a few foundational stones for any godly, stable, and productive society. Verse 5: This is the clearest, most direct command in scripture which prohibits cross dressing and transvestite practices. As with homosexuality and those who engage in such perverse behavior, the cross dressers are also an abomination in the eyes of God. The theme for the rest of this chapter is purity, and Moses is giving examples to the people of ways in which they need to remain pure in their daily lives before God. This verse is another example of how God is a God of order and precision. One of the purposes of His law is to maintain that order in a world corrupted and poisoned by sin. The devil is the author of lies and confusion, and that is the purpose behind homosexuality and transvestitism. Satan seeks to pervert God’s holy design for gender and sexuality, and cross dressing and “gender confusion” are one of the ways he does this. There is no such psychological disorder as “gender dysphoria”. The problem with anyone today, especially the younger generation under eighteen, who believes he/she is the opposite gender “trapped in the wrong body” is sin, plain and simple. It’s not a mental disorder. And anyone who says that the Bible has nothing specific to say about the practice of homosexuality or gender issues is lying through their ungodly and abominable teeth. This verse states in plain, simple, modern English exactly what God views of this particular sin. It’s also clear from this verse that cross dressing is nothing new to modern civilization. As far back as the time of Moses and the Israelites in the ANE, pagan religious rituals must have included such perverted practices as this, else Moses would not have specifically mentioned it here. This ties in with the foundational purpose of the law: the separation of the Israelites unto God from all the heathen nations around them. Verses 6-7: Biblical scholars and commentators have differing opinions on the purpose of this commandment. According to the Moody Bible commentary, some see it as a directive to the Israelites to respect and care for all life, but that doesn’t seem likely given that Moses says it’s okay to take the bird’s eggs for sustenance but not the mother herself. The logical explanation for this is the same reasoning behind the commandment from chapter 20 about not cutting down fruit-bearing trees when laying siege to a city, as well as that found in Leviticus 22:28[ii]. Killing both the mother bird and her young or eggs will deprive the Israelites of an ongoing and sustaining food source. It’s also possible that this command is related in some obscure way to that which prohibits the Israelites from cooking a young goat in its mother’s milk. (Exodus 23:19, 34:26, Deuteronomy 14:21) Verse 8: In the ANE houses were built with flat roofs that could be used as an additional living space or a place to entertain guests in the evenings when the weather cooled. (2 Samuel 11:2) The command here is that each man is to build a parapet, or fence, around his roof to protect anyone from accidentally falling off the edge. It again relates to not defiling the promised land with any bloodguilt as already discussed in the previous chapter, as well as the general theme of loving one’s neighbor as oneself. Verse 9-12: The commands in these verses are not only practical wisdom that will make daily life easier for the Israelites, but also examples of outward demonstrations of spiritual purity. The Israelites are not to sow a field with more than one kind of crop, or yoke two different animals together to plow, or sew a garment with two different fabrics. Verse 12 is a reminder of the command already given in Numbers 15:38-39. That, along with obedience of the directives in the previous three verses will remind the people every day of their chosen and separate status from all the nations around them. (2 Corinthians 6:14-15) Verses 13-21: Moses now arrives at the most important type of purity in the law of God. These verses give a scenario whereby the husband accuses the wife of not being a virgin when he married her. The matter is to be brought before the city elders, and her parents are to show proof of her virginity. This evidence is the bloodstain on the bedsheet of the woman’s hymen that is broken the first time she has sex. (This is the cloth referred to in verse 17.) Thus, if the accusation is proven to be false, the man is punished by the elders in the form of whipping and required to pay restitution to the parents in the amount of a hundred shekels of silver, which is twice the standard bride price. Nor is he allowed to divorce his wife. He is to remain married to her for the rest of his life or hers. The reason for such harsh punishment is to prevent false accusations. But if the parents of his wife are unable to show proof of their daughter’s virginity, and the elders rule in favor of the husband, the wife is sentenced to death by stoning. She has been found guilty of lying and has thus brought corruption and evil into the community. (v.21) The law of God spends a great deal of time and page on sexual purity in all its forms. The physical act of sex is to be celebrated only within the bounds of marriage which God had already defined for the Israelites – and all mankind – as a holy union between one man and one woman only. (Genesis 2:23-25) As I have already noted in my commentary of Genesis 2, the introduction of sin by the disobedience of Adam and Eve corrupted God’s holy and good design for human sexuality, perverting it into all kinds of depraved forms. The whole purpose of His law for Israel – and for all mankind ever since – is for our own protection as well as to separate us from the world and all its wickedness and depravity. Condemning a woman to death merely because she lied about her virginity to her future husband seems cruel and unusually harsh to our modern sensibilities, but that just shows how far we today have fallen away from God and His holiness. Extramarital affairs, divorce, unmarried people living together and having casual sex, homosexuality, and all manner of other filthiness is so commonplace to modern society that even Christians barely raise an eyebrow to any of it, even within their own churches and communities. Hollywood, especially, has dulled our sensitivity to this issue, and we have no problem enjoying – even laughing at – TV shows and movies that depict extramarital sex or homosexuality. Yet God is clear in passages such as this one in Deuteronomy just how seriously he expects His chosen people – and us today – to treat the subject of sexual purity. This doesn’t mean that a man and woman who have been previously divorced cannot get married. We live in a fallen and broken world, and that means that there are certain situations where a marriage must be dissolved to protect one spouse, as in the case of physical, emotional, or sexual abuse by the other. Or someone comes to know Christ and accept him as his/her personal savior after having previously been married and divorced. A new union with another Christian is acceptable to God and the couple should strive every day to build their new marriage and family upon God and His word. What God – and Moses – is stating here in the law is that those who claim to follow God and are His children should always strive for holiness in all areas of daily life, but most importantly in the realm of marriage and sexuality. God created and designed human sexuality to be both pleasurable to the man and woman and as a way of fulfilling His command to “…Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth…”. (Genesis 1:28) Any deviation from that standard is sin, and God will not tolerate or excuse sin in any form. That is the whole point of our need of Jesus Christ and His precious blood that can cleanse us of our sin and clothe us in His righteousness in the eyes of God the Father. Verse 22-24: If a man is caught in an affair with a married woman who is not his wife, or a woman who is betrothed to another man, and she willingly participated in the act, then both of them are condemned to death. (Leviticus 20:10, Numbers 5:22, Ezekiel 16:38, Matthew 5:27-28, John 8:5, 1 Corinthians 6:9, Hebrews 13:4) Again, this seems unreasonably harsh to our present day sensibilities, but imagine if this penalty was enforced today! How many less broken homes? How many more good and godly marriages and a more stable, flourishing society would we have? Both verses 22 and 24 end with the same warning: “…so thou shalt put away evil from among you.” Any society that obeys and honors all of God’s law will discover true happiness and experience such wealth and prosperity for all its citizens that could never be achieved any other way. Verses 25-27: In the case of rape, however, only the man is condemned to death. Because the woman resisted, there is no fault found in her, and she is free to go. Under God’s law the punishment always fits the crime, and there is mercy for those that truly deserve it. The criminal is held accountable for his/her actions and choices, and the victim is served justice. This is one reason that God spends so much time lecturing His people on caring for the poor, the destitute, and standing up to fight for those who cannot defend themselves. A true, godly system of justice always punishes the criminal and defends the rights of the victim. This is one of the fundamental characteristics and attributes of God Himself. Verses 28-29: In the case of an unmarried man seducing and having sexual relations with a virgin who is not betrothed to anyone, and the woman is also a willing participant in the incident, the man is expected to pay the girl’s father the standard bride price of fifty shekels and then marry her. (Exodus 22:16-17) He is also forbidden from ever divorcing her. The reason for this law is the same as that concerning the husband who falsely accuses his new bride of not being a virgin. In both scenarios the woman is publicly humiliated and unjustly shamed. Therefore the responsibility falls to the man who wronged her to make restitution and put the matter right. Take note of where God is placing the bulk of the responsibility and guilt in both these scenarios. Moses describes the husband or the unmarried man as the one who has done the wrong, not the woman. This indicates the burden of leadership and godly responsibility of the men in the Israelite society. They are to lead, nurture, care for, and protect their wives, daughters, widows, and all other women in their community. Think back to the curse God placed on Eve in the garden of Eden. “…thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.” (Genesis 3:16) The woman is the weaker of the two sexes, and it is the responsibility and burden of the men to watch over the women and not lead them astray. This, of course, doesn’t completely absolve the woman of any accountability for her actions and choices, but in the majority of cases of these types of transgressions that Moses is discussing here, it’s the man who is initiating the crime, not the woman. Verse 30: Moses gives one last reminder about the law regarding incest. It, too, is strictly forbidden by God and should never be found among His chosen people. The term “…his father’s wife…” assumes a scenario where the son of a deceased man takes his stepmother – not his biological mother – as his new wife. The phrase “…discover his father’s skirt…” refers to the privacy and sanctity of the sexual relationship between a husband and wife. Even though the man and his stepmother are not related by blood, God still sees it as incest, and it is thus forbidden. CHAPTER 20:
Verses 1-9: In a theocratically governed nation such as Israel, it makes sense that the priest (presumably the high priest) would be the one to exhort and encourage the people before they went out to war against their enemies. Moses reminds the nation, first of all, that they are not to fear their enemy because of the number of their armies or their horses and chariots. (v.1) (Psalm 20:7, Isaiah 31:1) This was the mistake of the first generation that came out of Egypt when they received the report of the twelve spies. The priest is to remind the people that God is on their side and He goes with them in battle to give His chosen people the victory. (v.3) (Deuteronomy 1:30, 3:22, Joshua 23:10) The other point of these first four verses is that war is not just a military matter, but a religious one as well. The physical presence of the priest is to remind the people that God has given His blessing for the upcoming battle, and they are to fight in His name. As with all else in this life, there is a time for war as well as a time for peace. (Ecclesiastes 3:3) The point of verses 5-8 is that God cares more for His chosen people than simply conquering their enemies. Any soldier that has not experienced marriage, or building a new home, or planting a vineyard – those rare milestones in the life of the people of the ANE – was granted leave from the battle to go do those things and enjoy life for a little while. Furthermore, any soldier that was too afraid of the battle, even after the priest’s exhortations to the whole army, is also allowed to go back home, lest his fear cause his fellow soldiers to also lose heart. (v.8) This is an odd allowance by God and seems contradictory, at first, to everything Moses has been saying up to this point about having faith in conquering the promised land. But the same command was also given to Gideon (Judges 7:3), and we know from that story that God needed to whittle Gideon’s army down to a size whereby the Israelites would not be able to claim a victory that rightfully belonged to the LORD. So perhaps the same principle is in view here. Verses 10-18: Moses now addresses the subject of conquering cities and people that are outside the border of the promised land. The Israelites are to always seek peace first with those other nations and people. (v.10) (2 Samuel 10:19) If the inhabitants of a city agree to surrender and become tributaries, or servants, then that is well and good. (v.11) But if they refuse and put up a fight, then Israel is lay siege to that city until it is conquered, and then all the men are to be slain. (v.12-13) The women, children, livestock, and all other wealth and goods may be taken as spoils of war by Israel. (v.14) (Joshua 8:2, 1 Samuel 14:30) Verse 15 makes it clear that Moses is referring to other cities and nations that are outside the promised land, perhaps even great distances from it, because in verses 16-18 he reiterates the Lord’s original command regarding the heathen nations and people that currently inhabit Canaan. (Exodus 23:31, Numbers 21:2-3, Deuteronomy 7:1, Joshua 11:14) The Israelites are to slay everyone – including the women and children – so as to prevent any of them from corrupting Israel by turning them away from God to idolatry and other wickedness. (Exodus 34:12, Deuteronomy 7:4, 12:30, 18:9) The assumption here is that by utterly destroying the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and the Jebusites (v.17) – as well as all the other nations currently occupying the promised land – Israel is eliminating all sources of temptation to turn away from God. (v.18) That whole process of conquering and settling the promised land would allow them to emerge a much stronger nation, spiritually speaking, and, thus, they would not be so tempted when it comes time to either make peace with or conquer the other nations outside the promised land. As we well know from the later books of the OT, Israel failed in that first objective, and that’s the reason she fell into apostasy and came under judgment from God for her disobedience. (Exodus 23:33, 2 Kings 21:3, Psalm 106:34) Verses 19-20: Almost as a footnote, Moses commands the people to not cut down any fruit-bearing trees that are in the fields surrounding any city to which they are laying siege. (v.19) The reason for this is because Israel’s army would need those trees and their food to sustain them during a lengthy military campaign. However, any other trees which do not naturally bear fruit are acceptable to chop down in order to provide fuel for fire or raw materials for weapons during the war against a city and its inhabitants. (v.20) Biblical commentaries suggest that this command is also a reference to God expecting His chosen people to have respect for the land itself. In this time period in the ANE, it was common for opposing armies to lay waste to any land surrounding a city against which they were laying siege. Moses is telling the Israelites to not use the same tactic, but instead have respect for the land and use its food and other resources to their advantage in the war with her enemies. CHAPTER 21: Verses 1-9: Moses gives some more case law regarding the sixth commandment. If a body is discovered in an open field and the identity of the murderer is unknown, then the elders and judges of Israel are to be summoned. (v.1-2) They are to measure the distance from the body to the nearest city, and the elders and priests of that city are to take over the case. The elders are bring a young, unbroken heifer, meaning a calf that has never worn a yoke, to any valley where there is running water. (v.3-4) The elders are to kill the heifer by beheading it (v.4) and then summon the priests of Levi. Both the priests and the elders are to wash their hands over the heifer and publicly announce, “Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it. Be merciful, O LORD, unto Thy people Israel, whom Thou hast redeemed, and lay not innocent blood unto Thy people of Israel’s charge.” (v.7-8) (Psalm 19:12, 26:6, Matthew 27:24) What this means is that they are stating, for the record, that no one witnessed the murder, and they are asking God to forgive His people of any charge against them for the shedding of the blood of the victim upon the land. By performing this ritual, the defilement of innocent blood will be forgiven them (v.8) and the bloodguilt removed from the nation. (v.9) (Deuteronomy 19:13) It’s important to note that this ritual is not a blood sacrifice as those described earlier in Exodus and Leviticus. The blood of the heifer is not poured out, nor is there an altar built upon which to sacrifice it. Instead, the breaking of the animal’s neck signifies that a capital crime had taken place, and the murderer – whomever that might be – is guilty of death. It’s also important to note how strictly and reverently God expects His chosen people to view the holiness of the promised land. God has declared this land holy, for He is to dwell there among His chosen people, and He has already commanded them not to defile the land for that very reason. (Exodus 29:45-46, Numbers 35:34) Hence the necessity for the ritual described here. Verses 10-14: Moses now circles back to the topic addressed in the previous chapter about Israel making war against the other nations outside the promised land. Since God will allow them to take captive the women and children of the cities that they conquer, the situation might arise wherein an Israelite soldier will find one of the captive women desirable and wish to marry her. (v.10-11) God will allow this, but only after the following ritual is observed: 1) the woman is to shave her head completely and trim her fingernails; 2) she is to mourn the death of her parents for thirty days. (v.12-13) After this, the Israelite man is free to marry her. But if, for whatever reason, he no longer finds her desirable after the month of mourning, she is released and free to go wherever she wishes. (v.14) The man is forbidden from selling her as a slave because of the fact that she has already been humiliated by performing the first requirement as described in verse 12. There’s two important things to note here: 1) As I mentioned already, the captive women that Moses is speaking of here are from the nations outside the promised land, as discussed in the previous chapter. The logical presumption here is that Israel has already slain all the peoples of the nations within the promised land. Also, keep in mind that God has expressly forbidden the Israelites to intermarry with any of the daughters of the Canaanites (Deuteronomy 7:3), so that’s another reason we can logically conclude that the scenario described here involves captives from other nations outside Canaan. 2) This scenario also presumes that some of the captives are willing to convert to the beliefs of Israel and associate themselves with the God of the Israelites. A great example of this is Rahab. (Joshua 6:25) Not only that, but God has already mentioned within His law numerous times the strangers that might be dwelling among His people, and that they are allowed to partake of the various sacrifices and annual feasts as long as they accept the God of Israel and agree to abide by His law. The Israelites are also commanded numerous times to care for the strangers, to see to their needs if they are poor and destitute. Therefore, it is logical to presume that some of the women taken captive as spoils of war could be found attractive enough for marriage by the Israelite soldiers once those women expressed a desire to believe in the God of Israel and obey His law. The exact purpose of the ritual that Moses describes in verses 12-13 is not explained in the text. The Moody Bible Commentary has this to say: “Some think that if the only reason the woman was desirable in the first place was that she was physically beautiful, the removal of adornments would mean she would be less attractive. The most likely reason is that these acts demonstrate that she needed to remove anything pertaining to her former life and embrace life within the Israelite community. This would also remind her husband that he is no longer to treat her as an alien but as a wife.” Also, the fact that the law requires the Israelite man to let her go free if he no longer wishes to marry her remains consistent with the other commands from God in the law regarding foreigners living among the Israelites, as I mentioned earlier. They too, have personal rights, and are to be treated humanely by God’s chosen people. This is a far cry from the way the heathen nations of the ANE treated prisoners of war during this time period. Verses 15-17: While Genesis 2:22-24 clearly states God’s standard for marriage and holy sexuality, and while this is also clearly reinforced throughout scripture in both the old and new testaments, it’s also equally clear – both in scripture and in historical records of the ANE – that polygamy was commonly practiced, even among God’s chosen people. And just because God seems to bless men which practiced this – i.e. Abraham, Jacob, David, and Solomon – does not mean that He approves or sanctions it. A better view of polygamy in the Bible is that God blesses the Israelites in spite of their practice of this sin, just as He does with the common practice of divorce. Scripture also makes clear that polygamy always has disastrous consequences for all those involved, especially in the examples of David and Solomon. We must always be careful when studying the Bible that we do not equate the written record of something – such as David’s and Solomon’s many wives – with God’s approval of said thing. Even a cursory study of men like David and Solomon will reveal to any true Christian that God clearly allowed the consequences of that sin to be manifested in the lives of those men. Even the fact that the thirteen tribes of Israel were formed from the sons of Jacob’s polygamous marriages to Rachel and Leah should not be viewed by us as God approving of that dual marriage. Here in Deuteronomy 21, Moses adds to the case law regarding inheritance when there is more than one firstborn son in a polygamous marriage. (Genesis 29:33) If a man has two wives, and one is more favored - or beloved - than the other, and the one that is less favored - or hated - gives birth to a son before the other wife, then that firstborn receives the double portion of the man’s inheritance. He is not to give the double portion to the firstborn of the more beloved wife if her son was born second. In other words, the line of inheritance is to remain intact, regardless of which wife bore the firstborn son. Verses 18-21: This passage refers to the fifth commandment. Any son that is openly rebellious and publicly defies his parents by refusing to submit to their authority and obey them, and who has not responded to all attempts by his parents to properly discipline him, is to be brought before the elders of the city for judgment. The sentence is death by stoning, and this is to be carried out by all the men of the city. The reason for such a harsh punishment is stated in verse 21: “…so shalt thou put evil away from among you…”. (Deuteronomy 13:5, 19:19-20, 22:21, 24) The fifth commandment is the only one with a promise attached to it, and the scenario that Moses lays out for the people in these verses reinforces that promise. If one honors and obeys one’s parents, then he/she shall live a long and prosperous life. But God takes a dim view of pride and rebellion, and all those who do not repent of those sins and do not hearken unto the chastening of their parents will live a very short life. Verses 22-23: These final two verses give some direction for what should be done with the bodies of those who are executed because of a capital offense. As has already been made clear from this chapter and other passages in the earlier books of the Pentateuch, the standard method of public execution is stoning, not hanging. However, as was typical of the societies of the ANE in this time period, the bodies of the slain were often hung in public view as a way of warning others of the consequences of breaking the law. What Moses is giving here is direction regarding the treatment of those bodies after death. Put simply, they were not to remain hung on the tree after sundown. The Moody Bible Commentary puts it this way: “The executed criminal was considered cursed by God, not because he was hung on a tree but because of the behavior that brought about his punishment. While there is a clear object lesson in these situations to warn people about the consequences of their behavior, the body of the criminal was still to be treated in such a way that Israelites did not defile their land.” (Leviticus 18:25, Numbers 35:34, Joshua 8:29, 10:26-27, John 19:31) CHAPTER 18:
Verses 1-8: After discussing the roles of judges and kings once Israel has conquered and settled in the promised land, Moses now turns to the roles of the priests and Levites. He begins with a reminder that the tribe of Levi has no land inheritance such as will be given to the other twelve tribes. (v.1-2) (Deuteronomy 10:9, 1 Corinthians 9:13) Instead, their portion and sustenance is to be taken out of the daily sacrifices and offerings that are brought by the people to the tabernacle, “…for the LORD is their inheritance, as he hath said unto them.” (v.2) The portions of the animal listed in verse 3 differs slightly from those given in the Leviticus and Numbers. (Leviticus 7:32, Numbers 18:11-12, 1 Samuel 2:13, 29) Previously, only the animal’s shoulder was mentioned specifically, while here Moses lists “…the two cheeks, and the maw…” in addition to the shoulder. (The word “maw” refers to the stomach.) One possible explanation, according to the Moody Bible Commentary, is that those earlier passages dealt specifically with the peace offerings and other Levitical offerings, while here in Deuteronomy Moses addresses the other freewill or festival offerings. Whatever the explanation, the point here is that God has set up a system whereby the priests and Levites are provided and cared for in exchange for their lifetime devotion of service to Him in the tabernacle. (v.4-5) Isaiah 28:7-8 references this portion of the law specifically when God details to His prophet the sins of the priests of Israel. They took more than their portion of the firstfruits of the offerings that Moses lists here in verse 4, including the wine. Eli’s sons, also, took advantage of the people’s meat offerings, taking far more than their allotted share, and thus corrupting themselves and defiling the sacred role of the priests. (1 Samuel 2:14, 17) This is why Moses spends this time reviewing for the people the importance of obeying the law and doing only that which God has stipulated – nothing more, nothing less. Any deviation, even in the slightest, has dire consequences, which Israel eventually learns the hard way. Verses 6-8 refers to those priests who would be serving in the cities of refuge and, thus, would have to travel varying distances to the tabernacle to participate in the annual feasts that Moses discussed earlier. Those priests are to be granted the same privileges and portions of the sacrifices that the priests of the tabernacle received with the exception of their fathers’ inheritance. (v.8) (Leviticus 27:30, Numbers 18:21, 2 Chronicles 31:4, Nehemiah 12:44) This, presumably, refers to other family possessions that are typically passed down from generation to generation since there is no land ownership in the tribe of Levi. Any proceeds from the sale of such inheritance are allowed to be kept by the priest for himself, minus the required tithe to the LORD. Verses 9-14: While on the subject of the priests and their central role in the proper worship of God by the whole nation, Moses again reminds the Israelites that they are not to imitate the abominations of the heathen nations around them after conquering the promised land. Such wickedness includes child sacrifice (v.10) and all forms of witchcraft and sorcery. (v.10-11) These two staples of the false religions of the Canaanites are abhorred by God and are the primary reason for His righteous judgment against them. (v.12) (Leviticus 18:24, Deuteronomy 9:4) Notice the specific wording of this verse: “For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord…”. Not just the sin that they commit, but the people themselves are also the abhorred thing because of that wickedness which they, in their pride and rebellion against God, persist in doing of their own free will. This is one of many passages in scripture that reaffirm God’s hatred of sinners. (Genesis 6:5-7, 19:24-25, Exodus 14:27-28, Psalm 11:5-6, Proverbs 2:21-22, 15:8-9, 1 Samuel 15:23) No, that doesn’t contradict other verses such as John 3:16. What it means is that those who continually refuse to acknowledge God’s sovereignty and their own need of a savior, who continually rebel against God by willfully practicing perversion and wickedness, will earn God’s hatred, wrath, and eventual condemnation and righteous judgment. That old saying, “God loves the sinner but hates the sin” is not exactly true, as this verse in Deuteronomy – as well as multiple others elsewhere in scripture – clearly state. (John 3:18-19, Romans 1:18, 21) Verse 13 is a clear, simple, and direct summation of all the law of God. “Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God.” It cannot be stated any more succinctly than that. God demands holiness from the nation of Israel in all things, a point that Moses drives home repeatedly through Deuteronomy. The word “perfect” here does not mean “without sin”. That isn’t possible for any of us this side of heaven. What it means instead is “blameless”. God provided the law to His chosen people so that they would have a way to obtain a form of righteousness in His eyes, thus appearing before Him blameless or perfect. (Numbers 23:21) Verses 14-22: Moses points out the difference between those of the heathen nations that practice divination, and the ones like himself that God has appointed to speak on His behalf. (v.14-15) Moses reminds the people of what God said at Mount Horeb, when they were terrified of the presence of God as manifested by the fire, smoke, lightning, and thunder. (v.16) (Exodus 20:18-19) The LORD appointed Moses to be as a prophet, to speak the words of the Lord to the people (v.18), and the nation will be held accountable for whether or not they obey that spoken word. (v.19) But this means that it will also be possible for a false prophet to rise up among the people, and so Moses provides a way to test whether or not that man is truly speaking the word of the LORD. If the thing which the prophet predicts does not come to pass, then he is a liar, and should be dealt with accordingly. (v.20, 22) (Deuteronomy 13:5, Jeremiah 2:8, 14:14-15, 28:9, Zechariah 13:2) CHAPTER 19: The next topic regarding the conquering and settling of the promised land is the cities of refuge. (Numbers 35:10-12) In his first address to the people, Moses had discussed the three cities that would be located on this side of the Jordan River, in the land that was claimed and settled by the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh. (Numbers 32:33, Deuteronomy 4:41-42) Now he resumes this subject by reminding the people to set aside three more cities in Canaan once they have successfully conquered and settled there. (v.1) (Exodus 21:13, Joshua 20:2) The promised land is to be divided into three sections, each one being the location of a city of refuge. (v.3) These cities, remember, are for those who accidentally kill another man or woman, and Moses gives an example in verse 5. The legal term we use today is manslaughter. The reason there is to be more than one city is because the one who accidentally kills another is not safe until he/she is within the border walls of that city of refuge. It will be possible for the relative of the victim to pursue the killer in an effort to overtake him/her before he/she reaches the city of refuge. (v.6) One of the other reasons for these special cities is to prevent the endless cycle of murder and revenge that was so prevalent among the societies and cultures of the ANE in this time period. If the relative of the victim is successful in murdering the killer, then the killer’s family could also claim a rite of vengeance against the murderer, and so on. God, therefore, established these cities of refuge in order to not only protect the ones who shed blood by pure accident, meaning there was no malice towards the victim (v.4, 6) nor any premeditation in the act of the killing itself, but also to prevent the chaos and breakdown of the community of His chosen people that would result from an endless cycle of vengeance and bloodshed. Furthermore, Moses says, if the LORD blesses Israel by giving her even more land and, thus, enlarging her borders beyond what has already been stipulated, there should be three more cities of refuge added to prevent the shedding of innocent blood. (v.8-10) (Numbers 35:33, Deuteronomy 21:1) Notice the condition that Moses specifies in that scenario in verse 9. The only reason that God would bless the children of Israel by adding more land unto her is through her obedience to His laws and worship of Him alone. Only the innocent my flee to the city of refuge. (v.11) If anyone who commits willful, premeditated murder and tries to seek shelter in one of those cities, the elders of that city are required by law to surrender the murderer to the avenger. (v.12) (Numbers 35:16, 24, Deuteronomy 27:24, 1 John 3:15) Moses warns the elders not to have pity on the murderer due to the seriousness with which God views the shedding of innocent within the borders of His holy land. (v.13) (Numbers 35:34, Deuteronomy 13:8, 1 Kings 2:31) Verse 14: The Israelites are forbidden from changing the borders of the land assigned to each tribe as well as one’s own property. (Deuteronomy 27:17, Job 24:2, Proverbs 22:28, Hosea 5:10) In the ANE, stones were often used to mark the boundaries of one’s property, just as we use fences today. This warning from Moses ties into the tenth commandment regarding covetousness. Each Israelite is to be content with whatever land he/she possesses and not attempt to deceptively gain more by subtly moving his/her boundary stones, thus decreasing the neighbor’s land size. This commandment will also ensure peace with one’s neighbors which will also secure peace for the community as well by preventing needless disputes and squabbles among adjoining land owners. As the old saying goes, “Good fences make good neighbors.” Verses 15-21: Moses circles back to the earlier command regarding the number of witnesses upon which a case could be brought before the judges. (Numbers 35:30, Deuteronomy 17:6, Matthew 18:16, John 8:17, 2 Corinthians 13:1, 1 Timothy 5:19, Hebrews 10:28) This also relates directly to the ninth commandment which forbids lying. But where he had previously stated that only by two or three witnesses could a capital case be brought before the elders, Moses now specifies that any legal matter cannot be properly adjudicated without first being established by the testimony of at least two accusers. (v.15) Furthermore, any witness that is discovered to be lying, thus violating the ninth commandment, is to suffer whatever punishment he/she sought against the one he/she accused. (v.18-19) (Proverbs 19:5, Daniel 6:24) In this manner will the law deter those who would bear false witness for his/her personal gain. (v.20) Lastly, the punishment should fit the crime. (v.21) (Exodus 21:23-24, Leviticus 24:20, Matthew 5:38-39) That final verse is one of a few which has long been quoted out of context, especially by non-Christians. Many have used it as a false claim that God is not, in fact, loving and merciful but, rather, just the opposite: cold, unfeeling, and cruel to humanity. This argument is most often used as a platform for why the death penalty should be abolished completely from America’s justice system. In fact, what God is saying here is just that: the punishment should fit the crime, and yes, that does include the execution by the state of anyone found guilty of murder in a proper court of law. Yes, the Bible does, in fact, support the death penalty, and yes, God is still merciful, loving, and just by establishing this law for all mankind. As I’ve already discussed in my earlier commentary of Genesis, God Himself instituted human government, and part of that is giving the state the right to try capital cases and, if necessary, carry out the proper judgment against those found guilty of such crimes. Furthermore, verse 21 also repeats the same command from verse 13: “Thine eye shall not pity…”. The judges and priests are not to have mercy on the one who bore false witness. That does seem to conflict with earlier commands from God for the Israelites to show pity and mercy for the strangers among them who are less fortunate. But the key thing to remember here is that this command is regarding those who have violated God’s law, not the ones who have fallen on hard times and are without the basic necessities of life such as food, clothing, or shelter. The whole point of the law which He gave to Moses and the Israelites is to establish God’s system of righteousness and justice – not only for His chosen people, but for all of mankind. Therefore, those who deliberately and willfully violate that law will suffer judgment and punishment accordingly. God is holding us accountable for our choices and actions, precisely because He is holy, just, and righteous. He has every right to lay down His law and expect His creation to obey it. That’s also the whole point of His plan of salvation which was fulfilled in the death, burial, and resurrection of His son, Jesus. All of mankind has – and will – disobey God’s law. We are born in sin, and we have no hope of keeping that law on our own. But, through the shed blood of Jesus, anyone can obtain that righteousness whereby they are saved from the just and deserved punishment of an eternity in hell. But only if he/she accepts of his/her free will that free gift of salvation. If he/she refuses, then they are condemned already. (John 3:18) They will receive the just punishment for their crime. CHAPTER 16:
While on the subject of animal sacrifices, Moses now reminds the people of the three feasts that God requires them to celebrate each year: the Passover, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles (a.k.a. the Feast of Booths). The common theme here is that all three will require the Israelites to journey to the tabernacle in order to properly celebrate these occasions. (v.16) Verses 1-8: This review of the Passover requirements now includes a new command that was not originally given in Exodus 12-13. The Passover lamb must now be slain at the tabernacle, not in the home as it was first done on the night of the exodus or in the forty years of wandering in the desert. (v.2, 5) All the other requirements, however, remain unchanged: the lamb must be perfect, without any blemish or spot; all leaven must be removed from every home (v.4); the people are to eat unleavened bread for all seven days of the feast (v.3); there can be nothing left overnight from the sacrifice on the first day (v.4); and the first and seventh days are a sabbath, a day of rest and solemn observance. (v.8) (Exodus 12:16) Verses 9-12: The Feast of Weeks, a.k.a the Feast of the Harvest (Exodus 23:16) or the day of the firstfruits (Numbers 28:26), is to be celebrated seven weeks after the beginning of the wheat harvest. (v.9) This is about about 50 days after the Passover, which places it around March/April, thus putting the Feast of Weeks as occurring sometime in May/June. This feast is to celebrate the bounty of God’s blessings on His people, and, thus, there is to be a freewill offering of the firstfruits of the harvest. (v.10) This is also to be an occasion of rejoicing and celebration of not only all that God has done for the Israelites in the previous year, but also to remember His great acts of deliverance from their bondage in Egypt. (v.11-12) (Exodus 34:22, Leviticus 23:15-16, Numbers 28:26) No one is to be excluded or left out from this festival, including the Levite, the orphan, the widow, or the stranger that is living within the community. (v.11) Verses 13-17: The third annual festival is the Feast of Tabernacles, a.k.a. the Feast of Booths, which specifically commemorates the exodus from Egypt. This feast is to be held seven days after the grape and all the other grain harvests which occur sometime in September/October. (v.13) Again, no one in the community, regardless of their nationality or their lot in life, is to be excluded from the celebration. (v.14) As with all the other feasts, this one is to last for seven days, and it, too, is to be a celebration of God’s provision and blessing in the completed harvests. These three feasts are not optional and all the congregation of Israel is required to appear at the tabernacle at the appointed time each year for these observances. Nor are they to show up empty handed. (v.16) (Exodus 23:14-15) They are to give of the best of their flock and their harvests, to give whatever they are able (v.17), and to hold nothing back from the LORD their God. Verses 18-20: Another reminder that the leaders of Israel are to be impartial and unbiased when executing their judgments in legal matters. (v.18) (Exodus 23:1-2, 6, Deuteronomy 1:16-17, John 7:24) They are not to abuse their power or authority in any way, especially by accepting bribes. (v.19) (Exodus 23:8) They – and all of Israel – are to be just, fair, and honest in all of their dealings with one another and with strangers, for this will reflect God’s own attribute of justice. Also, this will ensure that the nation will live long and peaceably in the promised land. (v.20) Verses 21-22: One last reminder about not planting groves of trees for the purpose of worshiping God in the promised land. (v.21) (Exodus 34:13) Nor are the people to attempt any graven images of God or any other false god, for the Lord abhors it. (v.22) This ties into the central theme of this chapter regarding the worship of God alone at the place of His choosing. (Leviticus 26:1) CHAPTER 17: Verse 1: This is a continuing thought from the last two verses of chapter 16. Not only are the people to refrain from creating idols, but they are also to make sure to offer up to God only that which is perfect and of the best of their flocks and livestock. To do otherwise “…is an abomination unto the Lord thy God.” (Deuteronomy 15:21, Malachi 1:8, 13) The word “evilfavourdness” means “defect” or, literally, “evil thing”. This implies that not only is the animal to be physically perfect – i.e. no broken limbs, no spots or blemishes of the skin or fur – but also cannot be an animal that is wild, unruly, or has attacked another man or beast. Something that is evil is dangerous to others and must be destroyed, not given up in sacrifice to a holy, perfect, and just God. Verses 2-7: Moses continues on the topic of idol worship by returning to the subject of those among the people who would cause their family or others in the community to turn away from God and begin worshiping false gods or nature. (v.3) (Deuteronomy 4:19, 13:6) To do so is a transgression of His covenant (v.2), and must be dealt with accordingly. (Joshua 7:11) Moses reminds the Israelites of the due process of law that must take place immediately when a rumor of such apostasy is heard. The matter is to be investigated by that one’s family or friends and, if there is truth to the accusation, then that man or woman is to be brought before the leaders to be tried in a court of law. (v.4-5) (Deuteronomy 13:12-14) There must be two or more witnesses to attest to the apostasy (v.6), and the sentence is death by stoning. (v.5) (Leviticus 24:14, Joshua 7:25) One witness making the accusation is not enough to warrant the death penalty, thus preventing instances of false accusations that might arise because of personal vendettas. Furthermore, it is the witnesses themselves who will cast the first stones. (v.7) The reason for this rule is that even if a man has convinced one or two of his friends to also make a false accusation, then the possibility of being guilty of murder on top of bearing false witness might cause the men to stop their scheme and the truth finally come out. The reason that Moses brings up this topic again is to stress the importance of the Israelites keeping their community pure from all evil. (Deuteronomy 13:5, 19:19, 1 Corinthians 5:13) Anyone who is guilty of transgressing God’s covenant with His chosen people is to be dealt with immediately in order to keep the whole community pure and blameless before the LORD their God. Verses 8-13: If there is a civil matter that is too difficult for the tribal leaders to determine a verdict, then they are to take the matter to the priests at the tabernacle as well as the appointed judge at that time. (v.8-9) (Deuteronomy 1:17, 2 Chronicles 19:10) Presumably, the priests will use the Urim and Thummim to divine God’s instruction in the matter. (Exodus 28:30) Their judgment is final and must be obeyed as it is the word of the LORD. (v.10) Anyone that refuses to obey and honor the verdict of the judge or the priests is to be put to death. (v.11-12) (Numbers 15:30, Deuteronomy 1:43) The judgment will apply to all the people, not just the parties involved in the legal dispute. (v.13) (Deuteronomy 13:11) The implication here is that the matter is so great that only God may render the verdict and, thus, is serious enough that the whole nation must pay attention and obey that judgment from the LORD. Verses 14-20: Moses delivers a prophetic warning in these final verses that instructs Israel what to do if they decide they want to be like the other nations of the promised land by setting up a king to rule over them. Whether because of his own experience in leading the people for forty years, or because of divine revelation from God, Moses warns the people that it should be God who selects the king, not them. (v.15) (1 Samuel 9:15-16, 10:24, 16:12-13, 1 Chronicles 22:8, Hosea 8:4) Furthermore, that king should take extra care and diligence to study and obey the law of the LORD (v.18-19) (Psalm 119:97-98), and should also trust completely in God to protect the kingdom instead of his own army’s might and power. (v.16) (1 Kings 4:26, 10:26, Psalm 20:07) Nor should he allow his great wealth, which is a blessing from God, or the sin of polygamy to become the means by which he falls away from the Lord into idolatry and apostasy. (v.17) (1 Kings 10:14, 11:1-3) As we well know from Israel’s history, all of these things caused the downfall of nearly all her kings – even the greatest of them, David and Solomon. The last sentence of verse 20 is both a reminder and a promise: obedience to God’s law will bring long life and prosperity to not just the king and all his descendants, but the entire nation as well. |
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