DEUTERONOMY 21, 22

As we will see in our first verse tonight, the various laws laid out in the Pentateuch (Genesis through Deuteronomy) are intimately associated with the idea of the Land of Promise. This reminds us that the law code given throughout the first five books of the Bible are meant to be understood “in context” as a set of civic laws that were to be enforced once the nation of Israel inhabited the land of Canaan.

There may be principles that apply to us tonight as NT Christians, but it is important for us to remember the historical context of these books.

1 If one be found slain in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it, lying in the field, and it be not known who hath slain him: 2 Then thy elders and thy judges shall come forth, and they shall measure unto the cities which are round about him that is slain: 3 And it shall be, that the city which is next (nearest) unto the slain man, even the elders of that city shall take an heifer, which hath not been wrought with, and which hath not drawn in the yoke; 4 And the elders of that city shall bring down the heifer unto a rough valley (or, a rapid stream), which is neither eared (plowed) nor sown, and shall strike off the heifer's neck there in the valley: 5 And the priests the sons of Levi shall come near (forward); for them the LORD thy God hath chosen to minister unto him, and to bless in the name of the LORD; and by their word shall every controversy (dispute) and every stroke (assault) be tried: 6 And all the elders of that city, that are next unto the slain man, shall wash their hands over the heifer that is beheaded in the valley: 7 And they shall answer and say, Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it.

• The ceremonies here ordained were to be observed on the discovery of a slaughtered corpse, which reveals the value of human life, the horror of shedding innocent blood, as well as the fears that were felt lest God should avenge it on the country at large.

· v. 3 heifer - This term refers here to a calf not quite of a mature age; one which had never been used by a man for farm work. That is, this heifer must not have ever been yoked to a plow and used to till the fields. Once an animal had been used in the fields it became ritually unclean, and could not be used for ceremonial purposes. An animal that was sacrificed or given to the Lord had to be completely dedicated to the Lord. No part of it could be used for the benefit of the original owner, because people would then give the Lord animals that had been worn out and used. The Lord always demanded a real sacrifice. (cp. Rom 12)

• v. 4 elders - Each of the tribes and the cities of Israel was overseen and governed by a group of elders chosen by the Lord through his servant Moses (and later Joshua). These elders functioned as city and tribal judges and magistrates and ensured that the various laws were observed and enforced. The intent of the ceremony recorded here was meant to stimulate the activity of the elders in the discharge of their official duties; to lead to the discovery of the criminal, and the repression of crime.

· Break the heifer's neck - The offering of the heifer was not a sin or trespass offering, but served two purposes: 1. It served to demonstrate to the Lord that the city nearest the dead body was not involved in the murder of the deceased. 2. The heifer served also as a representation of the murderer and fulfilled a teaching role to the people of the city by indicating that this was what would happen to the murderer should he be found, and to anyone else who committed a similar crime.

· v. 5 priests, the sons of Levi - All priests were descendants of Aaron the brother of Moses, both of whom were descended from the third son of Israel named Levi. The priests served as judges in the land of Israel.

· Chosen to minister - These sons of Aaron were chosen to minister to the Lord in the Tabernacle of God where the Ark of the Covenant rested and where the glory of God would settle.

· v. 6 wash their hands - The elders would wash their hands indicating that neither they nor their city was guilty of the murder. It was probably from the Jews that Pilate learned this symbolical method of expressing his innocence.

8 Be merciful (accept atonement), O LORD, unto thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed, and lay not innocent blood unto thy people of Israel's charge. And the blood shall be forgiven them. 9 So shalt thou put away (remove) the guilt of innocent blood from among you, when thou shalt do that which is right in the sight of the LORD.

• v. 8 Be merciful, is also translated accept atonement - kaphar means "to provide a covering"; the lid of the Ark of the Covenant was also called the kaphar, which was also known as the mercy seat. In this context, the elders of the city ask the Lord to cover this sin of murder and not blame the people of the city or the nation of Israel for it.

The law concerning female captives

10 When thou goest forth to war against thine enemies, and the LORD thy God hath delivered them into thine hands, and thou hast taken them captive, 11 And seest among the captives a beautiful woman, and hast a desire unto her, that thou wouldest have her to thy wife; 12 Then thou shalt bring her home to thine house; and she shall shave her head, and pare her nails; 13 And she shall put the raiment of her captivity from off her, and shall remain in thine house, and bewail her father and her mother a full month: and after that thou shalt go in unto her, and be her husband, and she shall be thy wife. 14 And it shall be, if thou have no delight in her, then thou shalt let her go whither she will; but thou shalt not sell her at all for money, thou shalt not make merchandise of her (treat her as a slave), because thou hast humbled her.

• v. 11 beautiful woman - Take her for your wife - Common practice in the ancient world was to do one of two things when an enemy was utterly defeated:
  • 1. The conquering army would kill everybody in the city which they had taken, or
  • 2. They would kill all the men of fighting age and take the women and children captive as slaves. Those taken captive would serve the remainder of their years as slaves in the land of their captors.
• A woman found among the captives, who was desired by a man of the conquering people, would usually be taken by force. Here God gives some rules to protect the woman in question.

· v. 12 shave her head and trim her nails - This was done as a sign of ritual purification and symbolized a cutting away of the past and the beginning of a new life under God's covenant (Lev. 14:8, Num 8:7). This was done to reveal that this woman no longer belonged to a pagan nation, but was about to be included amongst the Jews as one of God's covenant people.

o This shaving of the head is still a custom in the many parts of the Middle East today; when a person converts from any religion to Islam, their head is shaven, and he is carried through the city crying, [Arabic] la alahila allah we Mohammed resooli Allah; “There is no God but God, and Mohammed is the prophet of God.

· v. 13 mourn her father and mother a full month God puts this provision in the law to protect the heart of the woman. Again, in most cases such as this, the man would simply take the woman whenever he wanted, but the Lord has mercy on her, insisting that the Israelites allow her a month to grieve over the loss of her family before she is made the wife of one of her enemies.

· v. 14 set her free...because you have humbled her The practice of taking a woman in captivity was an everyday thing 3,000 years ago, and a woman taken in such a way had absolutely no rights whatsoever. She was a slave in every sense of the term, and, if a man decided he didn't like her, after taking advantage of her sexually, he would either retain her as a servant in his house, which would be a terrible fate, since he didn't like her and would most likely give her grueling tasks and treat contemptibly, or he would sell her to somebody else.

· Here the Lord refuses to allow that cruel practice to be carried out and insists that a man who sleeps with a captive woman must either marry her or set her free. God points out that the man owes her at least that much given how terribly he has shamed her.

When considering the Old Testament Law, you must always remember a very important principle that Jesus taught in Matthew 19:3-10. In that passage, we see Jesus' teaching on divorce, in which he plainly says that people cannot get divorced for just any reason (as the Pharisees were teaching). In response to Jesus' teaching, the Pharisees ask why Moses commanded people to write certificates of divorce, if it was wrong for people to do so. Jesus responded that Moses allowed divorce because "of the hardness of your hearts," but, Jesus would go on to explain, divorce was not God's original intent. So, we see an important principle here that can explain a great deal about the Old Testament laws. God, knowing that people are evil and hard hearted, gave laws that do not express God's best for people, but make allowance for certain things in order to prevent worse things from happening. Divorce is wrong and is not God's original design for people, but God allowed it because he knew people would do it anyway, and he wanted to provide some protections for the people involved. He did it in order to prevent men from abandoning their wives without leaving any means for a woman to take care of herself. So too with the laws given above: it is not good to take a woman captive and force her to be your wife, but, because people are going to do it, God gave a law to protect the woman from being treated as badly as she would in another culture. Thus the principle guiding the Lord in these laws is mercy. Pastor Bob Caldwell

Firstborn inheritance rights

15 ¶ If a man have two wives, one beloved, and another hated, and they have born him children, both the beloved and the hated; and if the firstborn son be hers that was hated: 16 Then it shall be, when he maketh his sons to inherit that which he hath, that he may not make the son of the beloved firstborn before the son of the hated, which is indeed the firstborn: 17 But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath: for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his.

• v. 16 firstborn status - In the ancient oriental world, the law of Primogeniture was the dominant principle of inheritance. In every family, the firstborn son was given the birthright, which meant that upon his father's death he stood to inherit the vast majority of his father's belongs, as well as all of his father's land, and, at the same time, be declared head of the family household.
• He must not bestow firstborn status on the son of the loved wife - When a man has two wives, one loved and the other hated (loved less in comparison), he is not allowed to give the birthright to the first son of his loved wife just because he loves her more. He has to give the birthright to the firstborn son regardless of which wife he came from. This, again, is an act of mercy by the Lord. He is protecting the unloved woman so that she will be well taken care of. The story of Jacob and his wives Leah and Rachel found in Genesis 29-37 illustrate the reasoning behind this law.
• From this verse we see that polygamy did exist under the Mosaic laws, and that it was put under certain regulations; but it was not enjoined, Moses merely suffered it, because of the hardness of their hearts, as our Lord justly remarks in Matt 19.8

The rebellious son

18 ¶ If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened (disciplined) him, will not hearken unto them: 19 Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place; 20 And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard. 21 And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear.

• v. 18 stubborn and rebellious - This is referring to a son who is openly defiant even after receiving correction from his parents. This law concerns those sons which remain rebellious and are defiant and rebellious even after receiving every possible chance to change.
• so you shall put away the evil from among you An incorrigible son had to be put to death in ancient Israel
• The form of punishment was equivalent to that issued to a blasphemy or idolatry. 1Sa 15:23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.
• It is obvious that God considers rebellion against parents as serious stuff and when not curtailed, it becomes a threat to the moral climate of the nation.
• Please take note of the fact that God deems gluttony a sin that is equal to drunkenness. Moderation in all things is the doctrine of Scripture. The only thing that we can do in “excess” is love The Lord and one another.

22 And if a man have committed a sin worthy (punishable) of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree: 23 His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.

· v. 23 his body shall not remain overnight Common practice among the ancients was to desecrate the bodies of enemies and criminals by committing various outrages to the bodies. Sometime bodies would be dismembered, others would be dragged throughout the streets, those hanged would be left out for days etc.

· He who is hanged - Here God points out that a body that has been hanged is accursed and will defile the land. In this, God demonstrates that the worldly mindset of desecrating bodies is evil and brings a curse upon the people of the land. This is very contrary to the way of the world at this time.

· Accursed of God - Paul points out in Galatians 3:13 that this verse applies to Christ who was in a manner of speaking "hanged on a tree" when he was crucified on a wooden cross at Calvary.

o Paul compares this verse with Deuteronomy 27:26 which curses everyone who does not do everything found in this law. Paul's main point is that, since nobody has ever perfectly upheld the commands of the law, everybody is cursed by God as Deuteronomy 27:26 states, but Jesus Christ who is the one person who perfectly upheld the law was cursed as well because he was hanged on a tree, and because this perfect person was cursed when he ought not to have been, God has declared that He has removed the curse from those who put faith in Jesus Christ.

DEUTERONOMY 22

1 ¶ Thou shalt not see thy brother's ox or his sheep go astray, and hide thyself from them (as if you did not see them): thou shalt in any case bring them again unto thy brother. 2 And if thy brother be not nigh unto thee, or if thou know him not, then thou shalt bring it unto thine own house, and it shall be with thee until thy brother seek after it, and thou shalt restore it to him again. 3 In like manner shalt thou do with his ass; and so shalt thou do with his raiment; and with all lost thing of thy brother's, which he hath lost, and thou hast found, shalt thou do likewise: thou mayest not hide thyself. 4 Thou shalt not see thy brother's ass or his ox fall down by the way, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt surely help him to lift them up again.

• v. 2 if your brother is not near you, or if you do not know him- The Law showed no leeway in regard to lost property. Whether it was the property of a neighbor or a stranger, the Israelites were expected to preserve the property until the owner could be found.
• The Old Testament as well as the New requires men to do to others as in like circumstances they ought to wish others to do to them.

5 The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination (offensive) unto the LORD thy God.

• A woman shall not wear any that pertains to a man and vice versa - This law was meant to prevent societal perversions such as transvestism and prevent blurring of gender distinctions.
• To cross dress was contrary to nature and a sign of despising the divine order of God.
• One commentator wrote this: “cross dressing opens the door to an influx of so many evils that all who wear the dress of another sex are pronounced "an abomination unto the Lord."
• If God forbids a man to dress like a woman and vice versa, it is not hard to understand why He forbids men to act like they are a woman or a woman to act like they are a man.

6 If a bird's nest chance to be before thee in the way in any tree, or on the ground, whether they be young ones, or eggs, and the dam (mother) sitting upon the young, or upon the eggs, thou shalt not take the dam with the young: 7 But thou shalt in any wise let the dam go, and take the young to thee; that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days.

· You shall not take the mother with the young - Not only was God concerned with the treatment of His people toward one another, but He also expected them to be good stewards of the creation around them.

· If God detests cruelty done to little birds, how much more when it is done to those created in His Image and likeness.

8 When thou buildest a new house, then thou shalt make a battlement (parapat) for thy roof, that thou bring not blood upon thine house, if any man fall from thence.

· The roofs of Eastern houses were flat and often used as living space. A parapet was an outer wall built to protect guests from falling over the edge of the roof. They were used in the same manner railing is used today and those who did not take this measure to protect themselves and their guests were liable for any accidents that occurred.

9 Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with divers seeds: lest the fruit of thy seed which thou hast sown, and the fruit of thy vineyard, be defiled. 10 Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together.

· An ox and ass, being of different species and of very different characters, cannot associate comfortably, nor unite cheerfully in drawing a plough or a wagon.

11 Thou shalt not wear a garment of divers sorts, as of woollen and linen together.

· This was possibly a response to the practices of pagan priests who wove their priestly garments with various kinds of materials in the hope of receiving blessings that were related to the movement of the planets. Israel was called to be separate from all the pagan customs of the nations around them.

· In these passages that forbid the mixture of things of different quality, some commentators suggest that this is a picture on why God forbids His children being unequally yoked with unbelievers as we read in 2Co 6:14-16

12 Thou shalt make thee fringes upon the four quarters of thy vesture, wherewith thou coverest thyself.

• These fringes were to be worn to remind them of God’s commandments as they were going about their daily lives. They were made of the color blue, which was to remind them of heaven.
• How good it is for us when we have things like Scripture memorization cards or those kinds of things that remind us of Scripture throughout the dat.

13 ¶ If any man take a wife, and go in unto her, and hate (rejects) her, 14 And give occasions of speech against her (accuses her of impropriety), and bring up an evil name upon her (defames, slanders), and say, I took this woman, and when I came to her, I found her not a maid (virgin): 15 Then shall the father of the damsel, and her mother, take and bring forth the tokens of the damsel's virginity (evidence of her virginity) unto the elders of the city in the gate: 16 And the damsel's father shall say unto the elders, I gave my daughter unto this man to wife, and he hateth her; 17 And, lo, he hath given occasions of speech against her, saying, I found not thy daughter a maid; and yet these are the tokens of my daughter's virginity. And they shall spread the cloth before the elders of the city.

· v. 17 they shall spread the cloth before the elders - The proof of virginity was often evidenced by bloodstained sheets. These sheets could serve as evidence of a woman's virginity if her husband or anyone else brought a false accusation against her.

18 And the elders of that city shall take that man and chastise him (RSV, whip; NIV, punish); 19 And they shall amerce (fine) him in an hundred shekels of silver, and give them unto the father of the damsel, because he hath brought up an evil name upon a virgin of Israel (he sought to ruin her reputation): and she shall be his wife; he may not put her away all his days.

• In addition to him being forbidden to divorce her, he was to pay a fine that was the equivalent to about 10 years wages. I do not believe that this would be a very happy household unless by the grace of God they got their hearts right with God and one another.

20 But if this thing be true, and the tokens of virginity be not found for the damsel: 21 Then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die: because she hath wrought folly in Israel, to play the whore in her father's house: so shalt thou put evil away from among you.

• If it was discovered that the woman was not a virgin before she was married, she had done a disgraceful thing in Israel by being promiscuous while still in her father’s house.
• The penalty for playing the whore was death by stoning.

22 If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil from Israel. (cp. John 8.1-11)

· The penalty for adultery was death.

23 If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed (engaged) unto an husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her; 24 Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she cried not (it was consensual sex), being in the city; and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbour's wife (violated another man’s wife): so thou shalt put away evil from among you.

· v. 23 betrothed to a husband - This is similar to the engagement of a man and woman in today's society. However, once a woman was betrothed to her husband, the laws of adultery were in full effect even through the actual marriage ceremony had not yet taken place.

25 But if a man find a betrothed damsel in the field, and the man force her (rape), and lie with her: then the man only that lay with her shall die: 26 But unto the damsel thou shalt do nothing; there is in the damsel no sin worthy of death: for as when a man riseth against his neighbour, and slayeth him, even so is this matter: 27 For he found her in the field, and the betrothed damsel cried, and there was none to save her.

· The rapist was to be put to death.

28 If a man find a damsel that is a virgin, which is not betrothed, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found; 29 Then the man that lay with her shall give unto the damsel's father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife; because he hath humbled her, he may not put her away all his days.

· This provision was actually put in place to protect the woman, not the man. If a man raped a woman and took her virginity in ancient times, she would have had supreme difficulty in marrying anyone from that point on. An unmarried woman could hardly survive in ancient times. Thus, the family had the option of forcing the offender to marry the woman and provide for all of her needs because of what he had done.

30 A man shall not take his father's wife (stepmother), nor discover his father's skirt (dishonor his father’s bed).

• This was the sin of Reuben.

Closing thoughts

God values human life and He does not take murder or the shedding of innocent blood lightly. I will speak on this Sunday morning, Lord willing.

God sets up civic and judicial government to uphold civil and moral laws. We need to pray for our elected officials beloved.

God sees rebellion against parents as a sin that deserves the severest punishment, because it will have an adverse effect on society.

God values marriage and any sexual violation against that union as high treason against the holy government of The Almighty and a blemish against that holy covenant.

God condemns the slander of the reputation of others.

God cares for all of His creation…even the tiniest birds.

God is concerned for the safety of people, as was seen in the command to make a railing around the roof top.

In the NT, Jesus tells us that sins of murder and adultery are in the heart of every single human being and the desire to get revenge of be intimate with another person outside of the marriage bed is proof that we are sinners by nature and by choice. Instead of condemning us to death, God’s Spirit reveals to us His one and only solution to the problem of sin, and that is the cross of His Son Jesus Christ….

The highest and most glorious display of God’s love for His creation was when His Son Jesus Christ was sent to the cross to die for our sin, that we, by His grace, through faith in Him, may be given the gift of eternal life…..God grants that gift even on a Wednesday evening…..we would love to give you and Bible and a helpful book on the new birth and pray with you.