Deuteronomy 17 – 20
On the news, we occasionally hear of some Muslim woman or child being stoned to death, her crime: being raped. This seems totally unfair and barbaric, not only the stoning, but the injustice of the victim being the one punished.
In Deuteronomy 17, we find that a person who did evil in the sight of the Lord and who violated the covenant, was to be taken to the gates of the town and stoned to death. However, this could not be done on the word of only one witness; it required there be at least two or more witnesses to the crime and the witnesses were required to throw the first stones. Why did God institute such laws? According to Deut. 17:7, it was to purge the evil from among you.”
I have to admit this puzzles me, but I think everything God did was for the good of His people. The practices of the people in the Promised Land were abhorrent and very evil, and it is easy to convince oneself that evil is okay – after all, “everybody else is doing it.”
Moses even foresaw the people would eventually want a king and he urges them to select a man the Lord chooses, a fellow Israelite and not a foreigner. When he became king, he was to copy the law on a scroll in the presence of the priests, keep that copy with him and read it daily as long as he lives. By doing this, he would:
- Learn to fear the Lord by obeying all the terms of the instructions and decrees
- Prevent him from becoming proud and acting as if he is above the citizens
- Prevent him from turning away from the commands in the smallest way
- Ensure his descendants will reign for many generations
Deuteronomy 18 paints a vivid picture of the common practices of the nations that were living in the Promised Land. They:
- Sacrificed their children as burnt offerings
- Practiced fortunetelling
- Used sorcery
- Interpreted omens
- Engaged in witchcraft
- Cast spells
- Functioned as mediums or psychics
- Called forth the spirits of the dead
Moses also gives guidelines about how they would know whether or not a prophet is from the Lord. Basically, if his prediction does not come true, he is not from the Lord. In fact, a true prophet will never be wrong.
Justice was very important in this society. God instituted the cities of refuge, required more than one witness to convict of a crime, but also demanded a guilty person pay: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot.
God’s instructions on the total destruction of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites were also very clear. They were to destroy every living thing. Deuteronomy 20:18 tells why: “This will prevent the people of the land from teaching you to imitate their detestable customs in the worship of their gods, which would cause you to sin deeply against the Lord your God.”
Tomorrow, it’s Deuteronomy 21 – 23.
Hilarious Video
If you are up there in years, you will appreciate this video:
Last night, I had trouble sleeping. At 2 this morning, I was standing in my kitchen cutting strawberries to pu in my dehydrator. A little over 2 quarts fills it up and I bought three quarts for $5, so I have some berries to eat. I finally got to sleep around 5, got up for a little while at 6:40, then went back to bed and slept until 9:30. As of now (5:35 in the afternoon), I am beat.
Until next time…
No comments:
Post a Comment