Deuteronomy 21-23

What I Noticed Today (Deuteronomy 21-23)

Deuteronomy 21

God is concerned for human rights, and Deuteronomy21 contains laws regarding people who were murdered in the open country, a woman who is seduced or raped, a person who is neglected or not cared for, private property, and the rights of the firstborn.

In verses 1-9, if a man is found slain in the open countryside his body is to be taken to the nearest town. The elders and priests must get a young cow and break its neck by a stream and declare they did not kill the man or see who did. In this way, they will be declared innocent of the bloodshed.

In verses 10-14, a woman captured in the course of war must be allowed one month to mourn for her family (cut her hair and nails). After that, she may be taken as a wife. However, if you are unhappy with her you must not sell her, but let her go free because you have humiliated her.

In verses 15-17, if a man has more than one wife, he must not show favoritism to the son of the second wife over the first wife. The firstborn son must maintain the rights of the firstborn son.

In verses 18-21, a rebellious son who refused to listen to and honor his parents was to be brought before the elders at the city gate.  If guilty, he must be stoned by the elders to purge the evil from the land.

In verses 22-23, anyone found guilty who is executed by hanging on a tree must not be left overnight. He must be buried that day.

Deuteronomy 22

Deuteronomy 22 continues with various laws regarding lost possessions, and laws concerning sexual immorality.

In verses 1-4, if you find a brother’s animal or cloak you are to return it to him. If he lives far from you, you are to bring it to your home and keep it until your brother returns looking for it. If a brother’s animal falls into a pit, you must not ignore it, but help him lift it out.

In verses 5-12, you must preserve the natural distinctions established by the Lord:

• Men are not to wear women’s clothes, and women are not to wear men’s clothes.
• You must not take a mother hen along with her chicks. You may take the eggs or the chicks but leave the hen.
• If you build a house, you must also build a railing on the roof so that someone does not fall from it.
• Do not plant a vineyard with two types of seed or both crops will be defiled.
• Do not yoke an ox with a donkey.
• Do not make clothes of wool and linen.
• You must place tassels on the corners of your outer garments.

In verses 13-30, Moses describes violations of sexual purity:

• If a man believes the woman he marries is not a virgin, the woman’s mother and father are to take the evidence of her virginity (the bedding) to the elders at the city gate. The elders will punish the man and fine him 100 silver shekels. The fine will be given to the woman’s father. The woman will remain the wife of the man, and he may not divorce her. However, if the woman is guilty she is to be stoned by the men of the city.
• If a man is discovered to have had intercourse with another man’s wife, they must both be stoned.
• If a woman is engaged and a man has intercourse with her in the city, they must both be stoned. However, if the engaged woman is raped in the countryside only the man is to be stoned because there was no one there to rescue her.
• If a man rapes a woman who is a virgin and not engaged, he is to be fined 50 shekels and the fine given to the woman’s father. She must become his wife, and he cannot divorce her.

Deuteronomy 23

Deuteronomy 23 reveals that God is concerned with both major details and minor ones.

In verses 1-8, God is very strict about who may come into the assembly of God and who may not. No one whose testicles were crushed, no one born of a foreign union, no Ammonites or Moabites were allowed. The Edomites and the Egyptians, however, were not to be abhorred.

In verses 9-14, because God walked among the people in the camp, the camp was to be kept clean and holy because God is holy.

In verses 15-16, slaves who escaped from ruthless masters were to be given sanctuary by the Israelites.

In verses 17-18, prostitution was a common practice among pagan nations and was considered worship by many of them. As another example of being set apart, Israelites were prohibited from prostitution. Even money earned from prostitution was not to be brought in as an offering to God.

In verses 19-20, another example of Israelites being set-apart was they were not to charge interest on any kind of loans to other Israelites. They were allowed to charge interest to foreigners, but not other Israelites.

In verses 21-23, God takes vows very seriously, and any promise made to God needed to be fulfilled as promised.

In verses 24-25, when you enter a neighbor’s vineyard, you may eat as many grapes as you want, but you must not put them into a container. When you enter a neighbor’s grain, you may pluck heads of grain and eat them, but you must not put a sickle to it.

Some thoughts for further consideration:

• God established many laws and commands designed to keep the people holy and to set them apart from the pagan nations that surrounded them. Many of the laws seem harsh, but ultimately God’s laws were for their benefit.

What did you notice in your study today? Feel free to visit the website and leave a question or a comment.

Tomorrow: Deuteronomy 24-27