Deuteronomy 23-25

In this passage, God shows the Israelites how to address additional real-life situations.

1. Exclusion from the Assembly
The Israelites are given several commands regarding who could worship in the Lord's presence. In particular, God did not permit those who had emasculated themselves in the course of idol worship to worship Him. Others who were excluded in this regard included children who were products of "forbidden marriages" (whether this denotes those who were born out of wedlock and/or those who were products of affairs with shrine prostitutes is unclear), Ammonites and Moabites (based on their actions in Numbers 22-24). Edomites and Egyptians were to be punished less harshly, though, as the third generation of their descendants would be allowed to worship the Lord.

2. Uncleanness in the Camp
The Israelites are then given several commands regarding proper hygiene when maintaining their encampments during periods of warfare. Any soldier who had a nocturnal emission needed to leave the camp during the day - and could only return in the evening after washing themselves. If soldiers needed to relieve themselves they had to perform this function outside the camp, and they needed to cover their excrement afterward. This was done to preserve the holiness of the camp, as the Lord was not absent from His army during those times.

3. Miscellaneous Laws
In addition, the Lord gives the Israelites a veritable potpourri of commandments in this long section that spans the remainder of today's reading. The stated regulations can be lumped into several general categories:

• do not take unfair advantage of others


• set yourselves apart from the nations around you by not engaging in their evil practices


• honor the Lord with all your heart and soul and mind


• care for the disadvantaged among you


• strive to build up families.

Deuteronomy 20-22

In this passage, God shows the Israelites how to handle various real-life situations.

1. Going to War
The Israelites are commanded to stand firm in the face of an enemy that is numerically superior, since God has already given them the victory. To emphasize the Lord's role in the impending battle, the Israelite officers are told to discharge any soldiers who are not fully committed to dealing with their enemies. Also, when conquering enemy cities that are relatively isolated, the Israelites are allowed to take women, children and livestock as plunder while killing all of the enemy males - but only after presenting an initial offer of peace and laying siege to the city in question. In addition, when conquering enemy cities that are not relatively isolated, the Israelites are commanded to completely destroy them, lest they fall into sin. As an addendum, the Israelites are prohibited from using fruit trees for their siege works.

2. Atonement for an Unsolved Murder
Assume that a man has been murdered, and the identity of his killer cannot be determined. The elders of the town that is closest to the body of the dead man are commanded to take a heifer that has neither plowed a field nor been yoked and lead her to a pristine valley with a flowing stream. They must then break the heifer's neck and pray that the Lord will accept the heifer's death as an atonement for the murder in question. I do wonder why God wouldn't allow the identity of the killer to be ascertained via the drawing of lots, though.

3. Marrying a Captive Woman
Whenever the Israelites are permitted to take women as captives after their battles, they are also allowed to marry them. These brides-to-be must have their heads shaved and their nails trimmed; they must also put aside the clothes that they were wearing when they were captured. After a period of mourning for their parents that lasts one month, these brides-to-be can be married to their Israelite lovers. Divorce is allowed in these situations, though the divorced women cannot be regarded as slaves, which would be a mark of dishonor.

4. The Right of the Firstborn
Assume that a man has two wives, and he loves one but not the other; moreover, the wife that he does not love has given him his firstborn son. In this case, the man must conform to the standard practice of giving his firstborn son a double portion of his possessions. I find this to be quite satisfying.

5. A Rebellious Son
A son who refuses to obey his parents must be dragged by them to the elders at the gate of their town. After the parents declare the facts regarding their son's behavior, the men of their town must stone the rebellious son to death. This is done in order to set a dramatic example for all Israel to note.

6. Various Laws
Here, the Israelites are presented with a potpourri of commandments, including: promptly burying a man who has been hanged for murder, properly dealing with an item that a fellow Israelite has lost, helping a fellow Israelite's fallen donkey or ox to get up, prohibiting cross-dressing, freeing a mother bird when taking her young or her eggs (which I found to be a bit strange), building a parapet around the roof of a new house as a safety measure, enforcing purity - as seen in commandments regarding seed planting and proper material for clothing, and making tassels on the corners of cloaks (which I also found to be a bit strange).

7. Marriage Violations
Here, the Israelites are presented with various regulations regarding marriage. First, assume that a man claims that his wife was not a virgin when they were married. This is a serious allegation, and so his wife's parents must go to the town elders at the gate of their town and bring proof of their daughter's virginity before her marriage. If the elders deem the evidence to be acceptable, the man must pay a hundred shekels of silver to his father-in-law, and he is prohibited from divorcing his wife. Now if the evidence is not deemed acceptable, the men of that town must stone his wife to death in front of her father's house. Second, adulterers must be put to death. Third, assume that a man has slept with a betrothed virgin within the limits of a town; both of them must be put to death. Now if this act occurs outside of a town, only the man must be put to death. Fourth, assume that a man has slept with a virgin who is not betrothed; they must then be married after the man has paid the girl's father fifty shekels of silver, and divorce is not allowed for the duration of the husband's life. Lastly, a man must not commit adultery with any of his father's wives.

Deuteronomy 17-19:Purity Is Of Utmost Importance

Hi folks,

Yes, it's been months, but I'm determined to continue this for as long as it takes for us to finish reading the Bible. Was chatting with Emily a few weeks back, and she seems ready to get back on it too. Are you all with me??

:)

In these next few chapters we really see God emphasizing holiness and justice in so many different ways.

1. Sacrifices Must be Without Defect
It would be "detestable" to bring a lamb or goat that has a defect.

2. Purge the Evil Among You
God specifically instructs the Israelites to STONE to death anyone among them who is doing evil in the eyes of the Lord. God sets up a system to make sure that this is done as fairly as possible. One can only be stoned based on the testimony of 2-3 witnesses, not just one.

Furthermore, issues that are too difficult to determine will be handled by the Levitical priest and the judge. Anyone who shows contempt for the priest or the judge will ALSO be stoned.

3. The Appointed King Must be "from among you."
God instructed them to choose an Israelite as a king (not foreigner!). Not only that, the king MUST work with the priests and follow all of God's laws and commandments.

4. Do Not Mix with the Foreigners!
The foreigners that the Israelites would replace practiced detestable acts, such as sorcery, divination, witchcraft, child sacrifice, etc. God specifically commanded them not to engage in such practices. Instead, God told the Israelites he would provide them with a prophet, through whom God would speak.

5. Take Care of Your Priests
God specifically gave instructions for the Israelites to support their priests, since the priests serve the people and do not receive their own inheritance. "The LORD is their inheritance."

6. Provide a Refuge
Though God provided many laws to maintain holiness, He understood human nature and provided ways to protect those that might be harmed unnecessarily. He understood the desire that humans have for revenge. He knew that if a person accidentally hurt another, that person's family would want revenge, even if it wasn't his fault.

God asked the Israelites to set aside a few cities that would act as refuge areas for these people.

Of course, if a person murdered with malice aforethought, the rules were completely different. In that case, God instructed them to bring him back to his avengers. "Show no pity."

7. Fairness Is Important
At the end of it all, God reminds them that you can never convict anyone based on the testimony of one witness. God emphasizes how important it is for the judge to listen to all the facts, evidence, before he makes his impartial decision.

Deuteronomy 14-16

What you May or May Not Eat
This looks similar to (if not exactly) what Jews practice to this day - what's kosher and what's not? There are many rules, such as:

animals that have a split hoof divided in two and that chew the cud are CLEAN
OK: the ox, the sheep, the goat, the deer, the gazelle, the roe deer, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope and the mountain sheep
NOT OK: camel, the rabbit or the coney

sea animals with fins and scales are CLEAN

all birds are CLEAN except the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture, the red kite, the black kite, any kind of falcon, any kind of raven, the horned owl, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk, the little owl, the great owl, the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey, the cormorant, the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe and the bat.

All insects are unclean and you can't cook a goat in its mother's milk

Tithes
Give 10% of your field produce back to God. How? (I found this interesting) by eating it in the presence of God so that you may learn to revere the LORD your God always. Every three years you bring your tithe to store in the town so the Levites can have their fill.

Although there seems to be no yearly requirement to give 10% to support the Levites, it does specifically say in verse 27 "And do not neglect the Levites living in your towns, for they have no allotment or inheritance of their own." So I think it is implied that we should still monetarily support our pastors/ministers/etc. ;)

The Year for Canceling Debts
This is tough - every 7 years you must cancel all the debts to and from "brothers" (not foreigners). God clearly says "there should be no poor among you." He warns against sinful thoughts of withholding lending because "The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near."

I found this statement powerful:

Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.

Such a good reminder, and something I don't do enough of . . . .

Freeing Servants
If a Hebrew sells himself to you as a servant, you should let him go free after 6 years of service (7th year) and send him with flocks, etc. so he "does not leave emptyhanded." God continually reminds the Israelite they too were once slaves, and this they should understand.

But if a servant wants to stay, then he becomes a servant for life.

Passover
God then gives the Israelites instructions for how to celebrate the Passover, including specific instructions about various feasts to celebrate, and how to celebrate them.

Finally, he tells them to appoint judges to help them arbitrate matters, and most importantly . . .

Do Not Worship Other Gods . . . .

Deuteronomy 11-13

Love the Lord Your God . . .
God reminds the Iraelites that it was not their children, but they who saw all the blessings that God gave them (deliverance from Egypt, etc.) God tells them that they must continue to "love the LORD your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul." If they do that, he will bless their promised land and bring TONS of rain . . the land will not be like Egypt, which was difficult to farm and required tons of irrigation. No, this land will DRINK UP the rainwater and produce bountiful crops.

Worshipping Other Gods
God warns them to be careful because they will be tempted to turn to other gods. He tells them to remind their children in many different ways of how faithful God was to the Israelites.

Essentially, God tells them He will bless them if they obey his commmands (to love the LORD), but if they turn to other gods, He will curse them.

God them gives further instructions about how they should remove all the places on the high mountains where their conquerees worship. They really MUST NOT worship other gods. God then gives some instructions about how the Israelites are to sacrifice and worship, including instructions on when they can or cannot eat meat and how to eat it.


Finally, God gives some REALLY STRICT instructions about what to do if others Israelites are worshipping other gods. This just continues to demonstrate how strongly God feels about this. Essentially, if you are enticed by a prophet, your own family members, your own spouse, or "wicked men" in the next town over, you must put the enticer to death. God has no room for people who worship other gods and try to entice others to do the same.

Deuteronomy 7-10

 "God will deliver them over to you" (chapter 7)
Moses next describes to the Israelites how they are to drive out the nations on their quest for the promised land. He tells them that they must DESTROY THEM COMPLETELY. He warns against intermarrying with these people, or getting involved with their gods. Instead the Israelites must destroy their gods.

Moses reminds the Israelites again that it was because of God's promise to their forefathers that he loves them and favors them. Moses also warns them that God will keep his covenant of love "to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands. But those who hate him he will repay to their face by destruction; he will not be slow to repay to their face those who hate him."

Moses reminds the Israelites that they MUST FOLLOW & OBEY God's commandments. He tells them to have faith that God will carry them through in defeating all these foreign peoples.

"Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God" (chapter 8)
Moses warms the Israelites not to forget about how good God has been to them. He reminds them of how God brought them out of slavery. Moses tells them they must remember and praise God once they have become comfortable in the promised land. "Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery."

Moses ends with an ominous warning:

"If you ever forget the LORD your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed. Like the nations the LORD destroyed before you, so you will be destroyed for not obeying the LORD your God."

 "For you are a stiff-necked people" (chapter 9)
Moses tells the Israelites that they will soon attack Anakites (HUGE GIANTS) and yet the Lord will make the Israelites victorious. He warns them not to think that it was because of their righteousness that they were victorious, but because of God's promise. In fact, he tells them they are a "stiff-necked people."

Moses then goes into describing various instances in history where God wanted to destroy them due to their sinful nature but Moses interceded and plead with God to save them. This was the golden calf incident, and other incidences at Taberah, at Massah Kibroth Hattaavah, and Kadesh Barnea. In all the cases, the Israelites did not trust & obey God and Moses had to intercede for them, praying "forty days and forty nights."


"Do not be stiff-necked any longer" (chapter 10)
Moses finishes off this section by describing how God decided he was not going to destroy the Israelites. He made a new set of stone tablets with the commandments on them. Instead, he told Moses to go and lead the people into the promised land.

I love this last part, so I've pasted it in its entirety. Such a good reminder of who God is, highlighting so many different aspects of his personality.

"And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the LORD's commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?

To the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it. Yet the LORD set his affection on your forefathers and loved them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations, as it is today.

Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer. For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing. And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt.

Fear the LORD your God and serve him. Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name. He is your praise; he is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes. Your forefathers who went down into Egypt were seventy in all, and now the LORD your God has made you as numerous as the stars in the sky.

Deuteronomy 5-6

Moses reminds the Israelites of the 10 commandments he received at the top of the mountain. He reminds them that God made this covenant with them not just their forefathers.

1. No other gods
2. No idols
3. No misuse of God's name
4. Observe the Sabbath
5. Honor your parents
6. No murder
7. No adultery
8. No stealing
9. No false testimony against your neighbor
10. Don't covet your neighbor's wife or his stuff

After seeing God's power on the mountain, the Israelites were amazed at God's glory. They said to Moses "go near and listen to all that the LORD our God says. Then tell us whatever the LORD our God tells you. We will listen and obey."

God was quite pleased with them. Moses said "So be careful to do what the LORD your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left. 33 Walk in all the way that the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess."

Moses continues to give the Israelites more guidance on how to honor and obey God.

1. Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, and strength
2. Don't forget the Lord, who brought you out of slavery in Egypt
3. Fear the Lord, and serve him ONLY
4. Do not test the Lord
5. Keep the commands of the Lord

The moral of the story?

"And if we are careful to obey all this law before the LORD our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness."