|
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)
0 Comments
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. |
Click here to get back to the chapter links on the Bible study homepage.
Archives
March 2025
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed