Deuteronomy 24-27

What I Noticed Today (Deuteronomy 24-27)

Deuteronomy 24

There are three main sections to the laws and commandments established in Deuteronomy 24.

The first section (vv. 1-5) deals primarily with relationships between husbands and wives and issues of divorce.

• If a man finds something improper about his wife, he may issue her a certificate of divorce and send her away. If she remarries and divorces again, the first husband may not remarry her, that is detestable to the Lord.
• When a man is newly married, he is not liable to join the army for one year.

The second section (vv. 6-9) deals primarily with lending, kidnapping, and the care of infectious disease:

• Do not take a millstone as security for a debt and thereby deprive a man of his ability to earn a living.
• A kidnapper has deprived someone of their freedom and must be punished by death. You must purge the evil from among the people.
• Be careful to follow all of the commands of the priest to care for an infectious skin disease.

The third section (vv. 10-22) deals with relationships between the rich and the poor.

• Do not enter the home of a man to collect security for a debt.
• If a man is poor and only has a cloak to offer as security, you must return it to him at night.
• Hired hands must be paid their wages every day at the end of the day so they can provide for their families.
• Each person is to be judged according to their own sins.

• Do not deny justice to the fatherless, a widow, or a foreigner in your land.
• When you harvest your land leave some behind for the fatherless, the widows, and the foreigners to gather so, they will not be humiliated by having to beg.

Deuteronomy 25

Deuteronomy 25 continues with laws that deal with wrongs in society and proper justice.

The wrongs include abusive punishments, abuse of animals, rejection of a sister in law (we’ll see this play out in Ruth), excessive force, dishonesty in business, and cruelty to God’s people.

• When there is a dispute between men, they will go to court and appear before the judges. If the guilty party deserves to be flogged, no more than 40 lashes are allowed.
• Do not prevent an ox from eating while it treads out the grain.
• If a man died without having children, his brother should take his wife and bear children in his brother’s name so his name will not be blotted out. If he refused to marry his brother’s wife the elders of the town were to remove one of his sandals and spit in his face as a sign of their disapproval.

• If two men are fighting and the wife of one intercedes and grabs his genitals, her hand must be cut off.
• You must have honest weights and measures.
• Remember what the Amalekites did to you, showing you no mercy; they did not fear God. Destroy them all.

Deuteronomy 26

Deuteronomy 26 reinforces the importance of the offerings of first fruits and the tithes to the Levites after the people arrive in the Promised Land.

When the people enter the Promised Land and have taken possession of it in the third year they must offer their first fruits to the Lord:

When the tithe to the Levites is completed, they are to make a positive affirmation that they have done as instructed (v. 13), a negative confirmation that they have not transgressed any of God’s laws (v. 14), and then pray for a blessing from God (v. 15).

Moses reminds the people that these commands come from the Lord and they are to be careful to do them with all their heart and soul (v. 16, see also Deuteronomy 6:5).

Immediately following this agreement, Moses restated the covenant which God made with Israel (Deuteronomy 18-19, see also Exodus 19:5).

Deuteronomy 27-29:1

This section contains the third speech of Moses given to the Israelites. It concerns the renewal of the covenant with the Lord, the blessings that will be derived from obeying, and the curses that will come for disobedience.

Deuteronomy 27

Deuteronomy 27 contains Moses instructions for a renewal of the covenant with the Lord.

In verses 1-10, Moses begins with instructions for the building of a special altar on the day they cross into the Promised Land.

• It is to be of smooth stones and coated with plaster, with the words of the law written on it. Both burnt and peace offerings are to be made there, and the people are to rejoice before God.

In verses 11- 26, Moses then gave instructions that on the same day they were to divide the entire nation of Israel standing between two mountains (see this done in Joshua 8:32-35).

• The tribes of Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin were to stand on Mt. Gerizim.
• The tribes of Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali were to stand across the valley on Mt. Ebal.
• The tribes on Mt. Gerizim would call out a blessing while the tribes on Mt. Ebal would call out a curse, and each blessing and each curse would be answered with an Amen by the people.

Some thoughts for further consideration:

• Once again God demonstrates that He is concerned with every aspect of the people’s lives; from the very important issues of marital fidelity and treatment of the less fortunate, to issues as simple as taking proper care of their animals.
• What really stands out to me is the admonition to obey God with all their heart and soul and to rejoice in the worship of God. We live today under grace, and it seems that many Christians don’t think about obeying God with all their heart and soul. I wonder, how many people attend church because of some sense of duty or obligation, rather than because they want to rejoice in the Lord? And for that matter, why is it that we tend to reserve our worship and rejoicing for an hour during a Sunday sermon?

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

Tomorrow: Deuteronomy 28