Deuteronomy - Chapters 12-26

In chapters 12-26 of Deuteronomy, Moses retells the laws to the new generation of Jews entering the promised land. These laws emphasize the importance of loving and obeying God, as well as the consequences of disobedience. While some laws, like the Ten Commandments, still apply today, others, such as food laws, have been abolished in the New Testament. The laws also cover worship, treatment of others, judicial issues, and guidelines for kings and priests. Cities of refuge are established for those who accidentally kill someone, and rules for war are outlined. Overall, these laws reveal God's character and expectations for His people. I am Julie Callio, your host, and thanks so much for taking time out of your busy schedules to tune in with me today. If by chance you want to contact me, you can do that at theab.bc.pc at gmail.com. Today we are covering chapters 12 through 26 of Deuteronomy, which are various laws that the Jews are to observe when they enter the promised land. As a reminder, these were not new laws, but this is a retelling of the laws to this new generation. In the previous chapters Moses told them their story of how God delivered them, and he told their history as if it is theology or the study of God, and how God was with them and He will continue to be with them if they love the Lord their God with all their heart and with all their soul, then God will bless them. If they disobey, then they will experience the curses of God. This is called the retribution principle. One thing to keep in mind as we interpret the law of the Old Testament, we need to remember that this was a specific time and a specific place with a specific people, and all of these are different now, but the one thing or the one person that has stayed the same is God. In the last Old Testament book of Malachi chapter 3 verse 6, it says, I the Lord do not change, so you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. In the New Testament, the writer of Hebrews said in chapter 13 verse 8, Jesus is the same yesterday and today and forever. One way to interpret these laws is to see what do these laws show us about God and His character, and that helps us to see if they are laws that we still need to follow. For instance, the Ten Commandments are all laws we should still obey because they reflect who God is. We do not lie because God does not lie, and we are to be like Him. With regards to food laws, we know from the New Testament story of Peter with his dream of the sheet coming down from heaven in Acts chapter 10 verse 15 that we are free to eat anything. In Acts chapter 7 verse 19, Jesus also declared that all foods are clean. In light of that, we also need to remember what Paul said in 1 Corinthians chapter 10 verse 23. Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible, but not everything is constructive. In other words, I am free to eat a whole chocolate cake if I want to, but is that really smart? Paul even adds a warning that basically says, I better not be eating that chocolate cake in front of a sister in Christ who is on a diet because then I am not eating that cake in love. That is why Paul says in 1 Corinthians chapter 16 verse 14, do everything in love. Now with regards to worship, we know there is no longer a tabernacle or temple or sacrifices given like in the Old Testament, and as Christians, we know that Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of the world, so there is no longer any need for more sacrifices, but there are things we can glean from God's commands on how to worship back then that teach us about worship. The first is found in chapter 12, there is one place to worship and it was central to their lives, their calendar, everything. As in the 10 commandments, the Jews were to worship the only God and they were not to worship idols. One thing we see in this section is that God has put his name on that dwelling place or tabernacle. That is found in chapter 12 verse 5, then verse 11, then verse 12, chapter 16 verse 6, and then chapter 26 verse 2. Right now the tabernacle is in the center of their camp, but as they begin to spread out with their own land, the Lord will choose where to place the central location of worship and they are to come at specific times to worship. The Lord reminds the people that the Levites are to be taken care of by their offerings because they did not receive land as an inheritance. They were to bring tithes of their crops and then the Lord even gave guidelines that they had to travel far to worship. One thing we can glean from this is that we are to worship the one true God and that worship affects every area of our lives. Another phrase we see throughout this section is you must purge the evil from among you. Chapter 13 verse 5, chapter 17 verse 7, chapter 21 verse 21, chapter 22 verse 21 and 22 and 24. God is holy and they were to be holy unto the Lord their God. Chapter 14 verse 21, sometimes ladies we need to remove evil influences from our lives. That could be anything from books, movie, TV, music or even more important some relationships that are not good for us. Throughout the laws we see the Lord made provisions for the aliens or the non-Jews living among them, the fatherless and the widows. Chapter 14 verse 28, chapter 24 verse 17, then verse 19, then verse 20, then verse 21, chapter 26 verses 12 and 13. There was a law to cancel debts about every 7 years. Chapter 15 gives a retribution principle in verses 5 and 6. If only you fully obey the Lord your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today for the Lord your God will bless you as he has promised and you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. You will rule over many nations but none will rule over you. This year a freeing debts also included freeing Hebrew slaves after 7 years and they were to treat their slaves with respect because they were to remember that they too were slaves in Egypt at one time. Verse 16 reads but if your servant says to you I do not want to leave you because he loves you and your family and is well off with you then the master could pierce his ear and he would be a servant for life. This could be for both male and female servants. The end of 15 and most of 16 cover the religious practices and holidays including sacrifices, Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread, Feast of Weeks and Feast of Tabernacles. Chapter 16 verse 16b and 17 say no man should appear before the Lord empty handed. Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the Lord your God has blessed you. This reminds me of Jesus in the temple in Mark chapter 12 verses 41-44 also found in Luke chapter 21 verses 1-4 where a poor widow came into the temple and put two small copper coins worth only a fraction of a penny and Jesus saw her called his disciples and said I tell you the truth this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth but she out of her poverty put in everything all she had to live on. My dad used to say you can't out give God. Even the poor were to bring something to the Lord. The rest of this section deals with judicial issues. Chapter 6 verses 18-20 tell them how to appoint judges and officials for each tribe and they were not to receive bribes because a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous. Justice was to reign. In chapter 19 verses 8-13 they speak of the court system and if need be they were to bring the issues to the priest to inquire of them for wisdom. Verses 14-20 speak of the day when the people cry out for a king which happens in 1 Samuel chapter 8. The Lord gives guidelines to the king on how he is to govern. He is to constantly be in the law of the Lord so that he would lead correctly. He was not to consider himself to be better than the people. Chapter 18 covers the priests, descendants of Aaron and the Levites and their service. And then verses 9-13 tell of detestable ways of the nations they are entering and they are not to follow those sinful ways. In chapter 18 verse 15 says the Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him. One way of knowing if the prophet was really from the Lord was whatever they said would come true. After the leadership was covered cities of refuge were to be set up. They already had three set on the east side of the Jordan River with two and a half tribes. But once they crossed the Jordan they are to set up three cities centrally located. Chapter 19 verse 3 says build roads to them and divide into three parts the land the Lord your God has given you as an inheritance so that anyone who kills a man may flee there. There are cities for people who accidentally killed someone and as long as they lived there they were safe from being killed themselves. But if they left the avenger of blood could come after them and kill them. Then as they enlarged their territory they were to designate three more cities. Verse 10 do this so innocent blood will not be shed in your land which the Lord your God has given you as your inheritance and so that you will not be guilty of bloodshed. Verses 15 through 21 declares there must be at least two witnesses before a matter comes to trial. Chapter 20 covers going to war and the Lord said to not be afraid of them even though they are bigger than you because the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory. I also appreciated verse 10 when you march up to attack a city make its people an offer of peace. They were given an opportunity of surrender and to work for the Jews. The Lord even made a way of atonement for an unsolved murder in chapter 21. The priest helped in that process and verse 5 reads the priests the sons of Levi shall step forward for the Lord your God has chosen them to minister and to pronounce blessings in the name of the Lord and to decide all cases of dispute and assault. If you remember the Levites did not have land but they had cities scattered throughout the land and my Old Testament professor said that the priests served as local pastors for the people when they were not doing their duty of service at the tabernacle. There are various laws about family relations and many of them are designed to protect the woman the loved one and the unloved one. There were laws against rebellious people in their land and if one committed a capital offense he was to be put to death. Chapter 21 verse 23 tells us you must not leave his body on the tree overnight. Be sure to bury him the same day because anyone who is hung on a tree is under God's curse. You must not desecrate the land of the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance. This is why the Pharisees wanted Jesus to be crucified even though they could have stoned him to death because they wanted him to be cursed by God. Then back in Deuteronomy there are holiness codes of cleanliness within the camp. I've gone into more detail in last year's lesson entitled Moses's words for the children of Israel as they prepare to enter the promised land. On February 15, 2023 this section ends in chapter 26 verses 16 through 19. The Lord your God commands you this day to follow these decrees and laws carefully observe them with all your heart and with all your soul. You have declared this day that the Lord is your God and that you will walk in his ways and that you will keep his decrees commands and laws and that you will obey him. And the Lord has declared this day that you are his people his treasured possession as he promised and that you are to keep all his commands. He has declared that he will set you in praise fame and honor high above all the nations he has made and that you will be a people holy to the Lord your God as he promised. So what do you declare today? If you have heard his voice this day please don't harden your heart instead let's be women who hear and obey. Until next time and thanks so much for listening.