FEBRUARY 26 DEUTERONOMY 21-26

Deuteronomy 21-26

Six chapters of laws, some of them a bit rough:

• At least 5 instances of capital punishment; 3 for adultery (Deut. 22:20-24), 1 for kidnapping (24:7) and 1 for a rebellious son (21:18-21).  How thankful I am that last one was not in effect during my adolescence!

• One instance, where the penalty is the cutting off of a hand (25:11-12). 

• A number of laws concerning husbands divorcing their wives, but not the other way around (24:1-4).

As hard as these might sound, they were steps in the right direction.  Capital punishment was actually being limited; note that fathers may not be put to death for their children, or vice versa (24:16).  The hand cutting was restricting capital punishment.  The willy-nilly divorcing of wives by disgruntled husbands was being regulated!

Here are my favorite laws from this batch:

• Mercy toward mother birds insures “a long life for us!” (22:6-7)

• Folks should “go to the bathroom” outside the camp and carefully dig latrines! (instructions for this are in Deuteronomy 23:12-14)

• You can eat all the grapes you want from your neighbor’s vineyard; just don’t put any in your pocket! (23:24)

• · Don’t harvest too carefully; leave some for the poor! (24:19-22)

But my favorite passage from these chapters is the beautiful recitation that was required upon the presentation of their firstfruits from the Promised Land to the Lord.  My favorite part begins, “My father was a wandering Aramean…” (Deuteronomy 26:5-10)

One last thing:  the law described in Deuteronomy 21:22-23 was actually applied on Good Friday.   It was the reason Jesus’ body was taken down from the cross.

Until tomorrow,
Pastor Gary