Were there two kinds of people that Israel conquered, those who had committed abominations and those who were to be given a chance for peace? Will such abominations become popular again? Let’s review Deuteronomy 20.
What was the priest to say to the army before they battled an enemy?
When you go out to war against your enemies and see horses, chariots, and an army larger than yours, do not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, is with you. When you are about to engage in battle, the priest is to come forward and address the army. He is to say to them: ‘Listen, Israel: Today you are about to engage in battle with your enemies. Do not be cowardly. Do not be afraid, alarmed, or terrified because of them. For the Lord your God is the One who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.’ (Deuteronomy 20:1-4 HCSB)
What were official exemptions from military service? Is it more merciful than modern exemptions?
Furthermore, let the officials ask the army, ‘Is there a man here who has built a new house but has not yet dedicated it? Let him go back home. Otherwise, he may die in battle and another man dedicate it. And is there a man here who has planted a vineyard and not yet benefited from it? Let him go home. Otherwise, he may die in battle and another man use it. And is there a man here who is engaged to a woman and has not yet married her? Let him go back home. Otherwise, he may die in battle and another man marry her.’ Let the officials also speak to the army, ‘Is there a man here who is afraid and faint-hearted? Let him go back home. Otherwise, he may demoralize his fellow soldier.’ When the officials have finished speaking to the army, they must appoint officers to lead the troops. (Deuteronomy 20:5-9 ISV)
What were the rules of offering peace before making war?
When thou comest nigh unto a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace unto it. And it shall be, if it make thee answer of peace, and open unto thee, then it shall be, that all the people that is found therein shall be tributaries unto thee, and they shall serve thee. And if it will make no peace with thee, but will make war against thee, then thou shalt besiege it: And when the Lord thy God hath delivered it into thine hands, thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword: But the women, and the little ones, and the cattle, and all that is in the city, even all the spoil thereof, shalt thou take unto thyself; and thou shalt eat the spoil of thine enemies, which the Lord thy God hath given thee. Thus shalt thou do unto all the cities which are very far off from thee, which are not of the cities of these nations. (Deuteronomy 20:10-15 KJV)
What were they to do with select cities that had committed abominations like child sacrifice?
Only in the cities of these peoples that Yahweh your God is giving you as an inheritance, you shall not leave alive anything that breathes. But you shall devote them to destruction, the Hittite and the Amorite, the Canaanite and the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite, as Yahweh your God has commanded you, so that they may not teach you to do according to all their abominations which they have done for their gods, so that you would sin against Yahweh your God. (Deuteronomy 20:16-18 LSB)
What were they to do with the fruit trees of the cities they were to conquer?
When you besiege a city for a long time, to make war against it in order to capture it, you shall not destroy its trees by swinging an axe against them; for you may eat from them, so you shall not cut them down. For is the tree of the field a human, that it should be besieged by you? Only the trees that you know are not fruit trees you shall destroy and cut down, so that you may construct siegeworks against the city that is making war against you until it falls. (Deuteronomy 20:19-20 NASB)
Is there a figurative woman that will exist just before Jesus' second coming, a religion filled with abominations like murdering the saints?
The name written on her forehead was a mystery: babylon the great the mother of prostitutes and of the abominations of the earth. I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God’s holy people, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus. When I saw her, I was greatly astonished. (Revelation 17:5-6 NIV)
Will those enamored by this world’s Babylonian system be granted entrance into the wonderful New Jerusalem?
But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. (Revelation 21:27 NKJV)
Were there two kinds of people that Israel conquered, those who had committed abominations and those who were to be given a chance for peace? Will such abominations become popular again? You decide!
Cities of Refuge (Deuteronomy 19)
What were the laws about manslaughter, murder, property markers and witnesses? Did Jesus make the law against murder even stronger, applying it to our hearts? Let’s look at Deuteronomy 19.
What was the law regarding cities of refuge for those involved in manslaughter?
When the Lord your God cuts off the nations whose land the Lord your God is giving you, and you dispossess them and settle in their cities and in their houses, you shall set aside for yourself three cities in the midst of your land which the Lord your God is giving you to possess. You shall prepare the roads for yourself, and divide into three regions the territory of your land which the Lord your God will give you as an inheritance, so that anyone who commits manslaughter may flee there. (Deuteronomy 19:1-3 NASB)
Was a city of refuge a place of safety for those who accidentally killed someone?
This is the rule concerning anyone who kills a person and flees there for safety—anyone who kills a neighbor unintentionally, without malice aforethought. For instance, a man may go into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and as he swings his ax to fell a tree, the head may fly off and hit his neighbor and kill him. That man may flee to one of these cities and save his life. Otherwise, the avenger of blood might pursue him in a rage, overtake him if the distance is too great, and kill him even though he is not deserving of death, since he did it to his neighbor without malice aforethought. This is why I command you to set aside for yourselves three cities. (Deuteronomy 19:4-7 NIV)
How many more cities of refuge would be added should the land be enlarged?
Now if the Lord your God enlarges your territory, as He swore to your fathers, and gives you the land which He promised to give to your fathers, and if you keep all these commandments and do them, which I command you today, to love the Lord your God and to walk always in His ways, then you shall add three more cities for yourself besides these three, lest innocent blood be shed in the midst of your land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, and thus guilt of bloodshed be upon you. (Deuteronomy 19:8-10 NKJV)
What was supposed to happen to someone involved in deliberate murder?
But suppose someone is hostile toward a neighbor and deliberately ambushes and murders him and then flees to one of the cities of refuge. In that case, the elders of the murderer’s hometown must send agents to the city of refuge to bring him back and hand him over to the dead person’s avenger to be put to death. Do not feel sorry for that murderer! Purge from Israel the guilt of murdering innocent people; then all will go well with you. (Deuteronomy 19:11-13 NLT)
What was the law about a neighbor’s property markers?
You shall not remove your neighbor’s landmark, which they of old time have set, in your inheritance which you shall inherit, in the land that Yahweh your God gives you to possess. (Deuteronomy 19:14 WEB)
What was the law regarding witnesses and false witnesses?
A solitary witness against someone in any crime, wrongdoing, or in any sort of misdeed that might be done is not sufficient. The decision must stand by two or three witnesses. Now if a spiteful witness comes forward against someone, so as to testify against them falsely, the two persons who have a legal suit must stand before the Lord, before the priests, and before the judges that are in office at that time. The judges will look into the situation very carefully. If it turns out that the witness is a liar—that the witness has given false testimony against his fellow Israelite— then you must do to him what he had planned to do to his fellow Israelite. Remove such evil from your community! The rest of the people will hear about this and be afraid. They won’t do that sort of evil thing among you again. Show no mercy on this point: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. (Deuteronomy 19:15-21 CEB)
Did Jesus take the law against murder to an even higher spiritual level, in our hearts?
You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny. (Matthew 5:21-26 ESV)
What were the laws about manslaughter, murder, property markers and witnesses? Did Jesus make the law against murder even stronger, applying it to our hearts? You decide!
What was the law regarding cities of refuge for those involved in manslaughter?
When the Lord your God cuts off the nations whose land the Lord your God is giving you, and you dispossess them and settle in their cities and in their houses, you shall set aside for yourself three cities in the midst of your land which the Lord your God is giving you to possess. You shall prepare the roads for yourself, and divide into three regions the territory of your land which the Lord your God will give you as an inheritance, so that anyone who commits manslaughter may flee there. (Deuteronomy 19:1-3 NASB)
Was a city of refuge a place of safety for those who accidentally killed someone?
This is the rule concerning anyone who kills a person and flees there for safety—anyone who kills a neighbor unintentionally, without malice aforethought. For instance, a man may go into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and as he swings his ax to fell a tree, the head may fly off and hit his neighbor and kill him. That man may flee to one of these cities and save his life. Otherwise, the avenger of blood might pursue him in a rage, overtake him if the distance is too great, and kill him even though he is not deserving of death, since he did it to his neighbor without malice aforethought. This is why I command you to set aside for yourselves three cities. (Deuteronomy 19:4-7 NIV)
How many more cities of refuge would be added should the land be enlarged?
Now if the Lord your God enlarges your territory, as He swore to your fathers, and gives you the land which He promised to give to your fathers, and if you keep all these commandments and do them, which I command you today, to love the Lord your God and to walk always in His ways, then you shall add three more cities for yourself besides these three, lest innocent blood be shed in the midst of your land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, and thus guilt of bloodshed be upon you. (Deuteronomy 19:8-10 NKJV)
What was supposed to happen to someone involved in deliberate murder?
But suppose someone is hostile toward a neighbor and deliberately ambushes and murders him and then flees to one of the cities of refuge. In that case, the elders of the murderer’s hometown must send agents to the city of refuge to bring him back and hand him over to the dead person’s avenger to be put to death. Do not feel sorry for that murderer! Purge from Israel the guilt of murdering innocent people; then all will go well with you. (Deuteronomy 19:11-13 NLT)
What was the law about a neighbor’s property markers?
You shall not remove your neighbor’s landmark, which they of old time have set, in your inheritance which you shall inherit, in the land that Yahweh your God gives you to possess. (Deuteronomy 19:14 WEB)
What was the law regarding witnesses and false witnesses?
A solitary witness against someone in any crime, wrongdoing, or in any sort of misdeed that might be done is not sufficient. The decision must stand by two or three witnesses. Now if a spiteful witness comes forward against someone, so as to testify against them falsely, the two persons who have a legal suit must stand before the Lord, before the priests, and before the judges that are in office at that time. The judges will look into the situation very carefully. If it turns out that the witness is a liar—that the witness has given false testimony against his fellow Israelite— then you must do to him what he had planned to do to his fellow Israelite. Remove such evil from your community! The rest of the people will hear about this and be afraid. They won’t do that sort of evil thing among you again. Show no mercy on this point: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. (Deuteronomy 19:15-21 CEB)
Did Jesus take the law against murder to an even higher spiritual level, in our hearts?
You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny. (Matthew 5:21-26 ESV)
What were the laws about manslaughter, murder, property markers and witnesses? Did Jesus make the law against murder even stronger, applying it to our hearts? You decide!
Levites & Prophets (Deuteronomy 18)
Did Israel care for the Levites? Did they engage in pagan practices? What was a prophet required to preach? What did Jesus command His disciples to teach? Let’s begin in Deuteronomy 18.
How was the entire tribe of Levi including the priests cared for?
The Levitical priests, all the tribe of Levi, shall have no portion or inheritance with Israel. They shall eat the Lord's food offerings as their inheritance. They shall have no inheritance among their brothers; the Lord is their inheritance, as he promised them. And this shall be the priests' due from the people, from those offering a sacrifice, whether an ox or a sheep: they shall give to the priest the shoulder and the two cheeks and the stomach. The firstfruits of your grain, of your wine and of your oil, and the first fleece of your sheep, you shall give him. For the Lord your God has chosen him out of all your tribes to stand and minister in the name of the Lord, him and his sons for all time. (Deuteronomy 18:1-5 ESV)
What of the itinerant Levite or one who transfers to another place?
Any descendant of Levi who wishes to do so may come from any city or part of Israel where he resides to the place that the Lord will choose. There he may serve in the name of the Lord his God. Like his fellow descendants of Levi who stand there in the Lord’s presence, he may eat the same share as they do regardless of what he receives from his ancestral estate. (Deuteronomy 18:6-8 ISV)
What about pagan practices like child sacrifice, fortune tellers and witchcraft?
When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not imitate the detestable customs of those nations. No one among you is to make his son or daughter pass through the fire, practice divination, tell fortunes, interpret omens, practice sorcery, cast spells, consult a medium or a familiar spirit, or inquire of the dead. Everyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord, and the Lord your God is driving out the nations before you because of these detestable things. You must be blameless before the Lord your God. Though these nations you are about to drive out listen to fortune-tellers and diviners, the Lord your God has not permitted you to do this. (Deuteronomy 18:9-14 HCSB)
Would there be prophets for the nation like Moses?
The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken; According to all that thou desiredst of the Lord thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not. And the Lord said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken. I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him. (Deuteronomy 18:15-19 KJV)
What of those prophets who are tempted to speak words God did not authorize?
But the prophet who speaks a word presumptuously in My name which I have not commanded him to speak, or which he speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.’ Now you may say in your heart, ‘How will we know the word which Yahweh has not spoken?’ When a prophet speaks in the name of Yahweh, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which Yahweh has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him. (Deuteronomy 18:20-22 LSB)
What did Jesus command His disciples to teach?
teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:20 NASB)
Did Israel care for the Levites? Did they engage in pagan practices? What was a prophet required to preach? What did Jesus command His disciples to teach? You decide!
How was the entire tribe of Levi including the priests cared for?
The Levitical priests, all the tribe of Levi, shall have no portion or inheritance with Israel. They shall eat the Lord's food offerings as their inheritance. They shall have no inheritance among their brothers; the Lord is their inheritance, as he promised them. And this shall be the priests' due from the people, from those offering a sacrifice, whether an ox or a sheep: they shall give to the priest the shoulder and the two cheeks and the stomach. The firstfruits of your grain, of your wine and of your oil, and the first fleece of your sheep, you shall give him. For the Lord your God has chosen him out of all your tribes to stand and minister in the name of the Lord, him and his sons for all time. (Deuteronomy 18:1-5 ESV)
What of the itinerant Levite or one who transfers to another place?
Any descendant of Levi who wishes to do so may come from any city or part of Israel where he resides to the place that the Lord will choose. There he may serve in the name of the Lord his God. Like his fellow descendants of Levi who stand there in the Lord’s presence, he may eat the same share as they do regardless of what he receives from his ancestral estate. (Deuteronomy 18:6-8 ISV)
What about pagan practices like child sacrifice, fortune tellers and witchcraft?
When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not imitate the detestable customs of those nations. No one among you is to make his son or daughter pass through the fire, practice divination, tell fortunes, interpret omens, practice sorcery, cast spells, consult a medium or a familiar spirit, or inquire of the dead. Everyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord, and the Lord your God is driving out the nations before you because of these detestable things. You must be blameless before the Lord your God. Though these nations you are about to drive out listen to fortune-tellers and diviners, the Lord your God has not permitted you to do this. (Deuteronomy 18:9-14 HCSB)
Would there be prophets for the nation like Moses?
The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken; According to all that thou desiredst of the Lord thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not. And the Lord said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken. I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him. (Deuteronomy 18:15-19 KJV)
What of those prophets who are tempted to speak words God did not authorize?
But the prophet who speaks a word presumptuously in My name which I have not commanded him to speak, or which he speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.’ Now you may say in your heart, ‘How will we know the word which Yahweh has not spoken?’ When a prophet speaks in the name of Yahweh, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which Yahweh has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him. (Deuteronomy 18:20-22 LSB)
What did Jesus command His disciples to teach?
teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:20 NASB)
Did Israel care for the Levites? Did they engage in pagan practices? What was a prophet required to preach? What did Jesus command His disciples to teach? You decide!
High Standards (Deuteronomy 17)
Why did God require sacrifices without defect? Does capital punishment deter evils? What were God’s standards for royalty? Does our king of kings far exceed those standards? Let’s look at Deuteronomy 17.
Should a sacrifice not have any blemish or defect?
You shall not sacrifice to the Lord your God an ox or a sheep which has a blemish or any defect, for that is a detestable thing to the Lord your God. (Deuteronomy 17:1 NASB)
Was that because the sacrifices pictured our sinless Savior?
For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. (1 Peter 1:18-19 NIV)
Was capital punishment designed to purge evil from Israel?
If there is found among you, within any of your gates which the Lord your God gives you, a man or a woman who has been wicked in the sight of the Lord your God, in transgressing His covenant, who has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, either the sun or moon or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded, and it is told you, and you hear of it, then you shall inquire diligently. And if it is indeed true and certain that such an abomination has been committed in Israel, then you shall bring out to your gates that man or woman who has committed that wicked thing, and shall stone to death that man or woman with stones. Whoever is deserving of death shall be put to death on the testimony of two or three witnesses; he shall not be put to death on the testimony of one witness. The hands of the witnesses shall be the first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people. So you shall put away the evil from among you. (Deuteronomy 17:2-7 NKJV)
Is there something far worse than the death penalty?
Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10:28 NLT)
What if a judicial decision is too hard for the lower courts?
If there arises a matter too hard for you in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within your gates, then you shall arise, and go up to the place which Yahweh your God chooses. You shall come to the priests who are Levites and to the judge who shall be in those days. You shall inquire, and they shall give you the verdict. (Deuteronomy 17:8-9 WEB)
What if people don’t want to abide by the court’s decision?
You must then act according to the ruling they announced to you from that location, the one the Lord selects. You must follow very carefully everything they instruct you to do. Act precisely according to the instruction they give you and the ruling they announce to you. Don’t deviate even a bit from the word they announce. And whoever acts rashly by not listening to the priest who is in office serving the Lord your God or to the head judge will die. Remove such evil from Israel! All the people will hear about this and be afraid. They won’t act arrogantly anymore. (Deuteronomy 17:10-13 CEB)
Is there a far more important day of judgment coming?
I saw a great white throne with someone sitting on it. Earth and heaven tried to run away, but there was no place for them to go. I also saw all the dead people standing in front of that throne. Every one of them was there, no matter who they had once been. Several books were opened, and then the book of life was opened. The dead were judged by what those books said they had done. (Revelation 20:11-12 CEV)
What are the high standards that God expects regarding a king?
When you come to the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you possess it and dwell in it and then say, ‘I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me,’ you may indeed set a king over you whom the Lord your God will choose. One from among your brothers you shall set as king over you. You may not put a foreigner over you, who is not your brother. Only he must not acquire many horses for himself or cause the people to return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses, since the Lord has said to you, ‘You shall never return that way again.’ And he shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold. (Deuteronomy 17:14-17 ESV)
What must a king do every day? What blessings could an obedient king expect?
When he is seated on his royal throne, he is to write a copy of this instruction for himself on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. It is to remain with him, and he is to read from it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, to observe all the words of this instruction, and to do these statutes. Then his heart will not be exalted above his countrymen, he will not turn from this command to the right or the left, and he and his sons will continue ruling many years over Israel. (Deuteronomy 17:18-20 HCSB)
Is there a king who willingly gave up everything to save us?
In God’s own form existed he, and shared with God equality, deemed nothing needed grasping. Instead, poured out in emptiness, a servant’s form did he possess, a mortal man becoming. (Philippians 2:6-7a ISV)
Why did God require sacrifices without defect? Does capital punishment deter evils? What were God’s standards for royalty? Does our king of kings far exceed those standards? You decide!
Should a sacrifice not have any blemish or defect?
You shall not sacrifice to the Lord your God an ox or a sheep which has a blemish or any defect, for that is a detestable thing to the Lord your God. (Deuteronomy 17:1 NASB)
Was that because the sacrifices pictured our sinless Savior?
For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. (1 Peter 1:18-19 NIV)
Was capital punishment designed to purge evil from Israel?
If there is found among you, within any of your gates which the Lord your God gives you, a man or a woman who has been wicked in the sight of the Lord your God, in transgressing His covenant, who has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, either the sun or moon or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded, and it is told you, and you hear of it, then you shall inquire diligently. And if it is indeed true and certain that such an abomination has been committed in Israel, then you shall bring out to your gates that man or woman who has committed that wicked thing, and shall stone to death that man or woman with stones. Whoever is deserving of death shall be put to death on the testimony of two or three witnesses; he shall not be put to death on the testimony of one witness. The hands of the witnesses shall be the first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people. So you shall put away the evil from among you. (Deuteronomy 17:2-7 NKJV)
Is there something far worse than the death penalty?
Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10:28 NLT)
What if a judicial decision is too hard for the lower courts?
If there arises a matter too hard for you in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within your gates, then you shall arise, and go up to the place which Yahweh your God chooses. You shall come to the priests who are Levites and to the judge who shall be in those days. You shall inquire, and they shall give you the verdict. (Deuteronomy 17:8-9 WEB)
What if people don’t want to abide by the court’s decision?
You must then act according to the ruling they announced to you from that location, the one the Lord selects. You must follow very carefully everything they instruct you to do. Act precisely according to the instruction they give you and the ruling they announce to you. Don’t deviate even a bit from the word they announce. And whoever acts rashly by not listening to the priest who is in office serving the Lord your God or to the head judge will die. Remove such evil from Israel! All the people will hear about this and be afraid. They won’t act arrogantly anymore. (Deuteronomy 17:10-13 CEB)
Is there a far more important day of judgment coming?
I saw a great white throne with someone sitting on it. Earth and heaven tried to run away, but there was no place for them to go. I also saw all the dead people standing in front of that throne. Every one of them was there, no matter who they had once been. Several books were opened, and then the book of life was opened. The dead were judged by what those books said they had done. (Revelation 20:11-12 CEV)
What are the high standards that God expects regarding a king?
When you come to the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you possess it and dwell in it and then say, ‘I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me,’ you may indeed set a king over you whom the Lord your God will choose. One from among your brothers you shall set as king over you. You may not put a foreigner over you, who is not your brother. Only he must not acquire many horses for himself or cause the people to return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses, since the Lord has said to you, ‘You shall never return that way again.’ And he shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold. (Deuteronomy 17:14-17 ESV)
What must a king do every day? What blessings could an obedient king expect?
When he is seated on his royal throne, he is to write a copy of this instruction for himself on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. It is to remain with him, and he is to read from it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, to observe all the words of this instruction, and to do these statutes. Then his heart will not be exalted above his countrymen, he will not turn from this command to the right or the left, and he and his sons will continue ruling many years over Israel. (Deuteronomy 17:18-20 HCSB)
Is there a king who willingly gave up everything to save us?
In God’s own form existed he, and shared with God equality, deemed nothing needed grasping. Instead, poured out in emptiness, a servant’s form did he possess, a mortal man becoming. (Philippians 2:6-7a ISV)
Why did God require sacrifices without defect? Does capital punishment deter evils? What were God’s standards for royalty? Does our king of kings far exceed those standards? You decide!
Annual Feasts (Deuteronomy 16)
What annual reminders of important events did God teach Israel? Are we free to observe annual reminders of Christ? Are modified forms of the ancient festivals still observed by many Christians? Let’s look at Deuteronomy 16.
Was Passover originally a remembrance of the Exodus from Egyptian slavery? How was unleavened bread associated with Passover?
Wait for the month of Abib, at which time you must perform the Passover for the Lord your God, because the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt at nighttime during the month of Abib. Offer a Passover sacrifice from the flock or herd to the Lord your God at the location the Lord selects for his name to reside. You must not eat anything containing yeast along with it. Instead, for seven days you must eat unleavened bread, bread symbolizing misery, along with it because you fled Egypt in a great hurry. Do this so you remember the day you fled Egypt for as long as you live. No dough with yeast should appear in any of your territory for seven days. Furthermore, none of the meat that you sacrificed on the first night should remain until morning. (Deuteronomy 16:1-4 CEB)
Could they eat the Passover at home like the original Passover?
Don't offer the Passover sacrifice in just any town where you happen to live. It must be offered at the place where the Lord chooses to be worshiped. Kill the sacrifice at sunset, the time of day when you left Egypt. Then cook it and eat it there at the place of worship, returning to your tents the next morning. Eat thin bread for the next six days. Then on the seventh day, don't do any work. Instead, come together and worship the Lord. (Deuteronomy 16:5-8 CEV)
How many weeks from the Sunday during the days of Unleavened Bread, was the day of Pentecost or Feast of Weeks celebrated?
You shall count seven weeks. Begin to count the seven weeks from the time the sickle is first put to the standing grain. Then you shall keep the Feast of Weeks to the Lord your God with the tribute of a freewill offering from your hand, which you shall give as the Lord your God blesses you. And you shall rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, the Levite who is within your towns, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow who are among you, at the place that the Lord your God will choose, to make his name dwell there. You shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt; and you shall be careful to observe these statutes. (Deuteronomy 16:9-12 ESV)
Was the autumn harvest feast a time of rejoicing for the whole family and others?
You are to celebrate the Festival of Booths for seven days when you have gathered in everything from your threshing floor and winepress. Rejoice during your festival—you, your son and daughter, your male and female slave, as well as the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow within your gates. You are to hold a seven-day festival for the Lord your God in the place He chooses, because the Lord your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, and you will have abundant joy. (Deuteronomy 16:13-15 HCSB)
If various duties kept some of the family from the sacred assemblies, who must appear?
Every male must appear in the presence of the Lord your God three times a year at the place where he will choose: for the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Seven Weeks, and the Festival of Tents. He must not appear in the Lord’s presence empty-handed, but each one must appear with his own gift, proportional to the blessing that the Lord your God has given you. (Deuteronomy 16:16-17 ISV)
How should they approach the issue of justice within their society?
Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the Lord thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes: and they shall judge the people with just judgment. Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous. That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live, and inherit the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. (Deuteronomy 16:18-20 KJV)
Were they allowed to set up sacred totem poles as did the pagans before them?
You shall not plant for yourself an Asherah [pole] of any kind of tree beside the altar of Yahweh your God, which you shall make for yourself. And you shall not set up for yourself a sacred pillar which Yahweh your God hates. (Deuteronomy 16:21-22 LSB)
Do Christians have freedom to keep a day of remembrance or not?
One person values one day over another, another values every day the same. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it for the Lord (Romans 14:5-6a NASB)
Were celebrations under the law like a tutor, that may be used to teach us how to celebrate great events of Christ’s ministry?
Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. (Galatians 3:24-25 NIV)
What annual reminders of important events did God teach Israel? Are we free to observe annual reminders of Christ? Are modified forms of the ancient festivals still observed by many Christians? You decide!
Was Passover originally a remembrance of the Exodus from Egyptian slavery? How was unleavened bread associated with Passover?
Wait for the month of Abib, at which time you must perform the Passover for the Lord your God, because the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt at nighttime during the month of Abib. Offer a Passover sacrifice from the flock or herd to the Lord your God at the location the Lord selects for his name to reside. You must not eat anything containing yeast along with it. Instead, for seven days you must eat unleavened bread, bread symbolizing misery, along with it because you fled Egypt in a great hurry. Do this so you remember the day you fled Egypt for as long as you live. No dough with yeast should appear in any of your territory for seven days. Furthermore, none of the meat that you sacrificed on the first night should remain until morning. (Deuteronomy 16:1-4 CEB)
Could they eat the Passover at home like the original Passover?
Don't offer the Passover sacrifice in just any town where you happen to live. It must be offered at the place where the Lord chooses to be worshiped. Kill the sacrifice at sunset, the time of day when you left Egypt. Then cook it and eat it there at the place of worship, returning to your tents the next morning. Eat thin bread for the next six days. Then on the seventh day, don't do any work. Instead, come together and worship the Lord. (Deuteronomy 16:5-8 CEV)
How many weeks from the Sunday during the days of Unleavened Bread, was the day of Pentecost or Feast of Weeks celebrated?
You shall count seven weeks. Begin to count the seven weeks from the time the sickle is first put to the standing grain. Then you shall keep the Feast of Weeks to the Lord your God with the tribute of a freewill offering from your hand, which you shall give as the Lord your God blesses you. And you shall rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, the Levite who is within your towns, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow who are among you, at the place that the Lord your God will choose, to make his name dwell there. You shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt; and you shall be careful to observe these statutes. (Deuteronomy 16:9-12 ESV)
Was the autumn harvest feast a time of rejoicing for the whole family and others?
You are to celebrate the Festival of Booths for seven days when you have gathered in everything from your threshing floor and winepress. Rejoice during your festival—you, your son and daughter, your male and female slave, as well as the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow within your gates. You are to hold a seven-day festival for the Lord your God in the place He chooses, because the Lord your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, and you will have abundant joy. (Deuteronomy 16:13-15 HCSB)
If various duties kept some of the family from the sacred assemblies, who must appear?
Every male must appear in the presence of the Lord your God three times a year at the place where he will choose: for the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Seven Weeks, and the Festival of Tents. He must not appear in the Lord’s presence empty-handed, but each one must appear with his own gift, proportional to the blessing that the Lord your God has given you. (Deuteronomy 16:16-17 ISV)
How should they approach the issue of justice within their society?
Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the Lord thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes: and they shall judge the people with just judgment. Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous. That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live, and inherit the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. (Deuteronomy 16:18-20 KJV)
Were they allowed to set up sacred totem poles as did the pagans before them?
You shall not plant for yourself an Asherah [pole] of any kind of tree beside the altar of Yahweh your God, which you shall make for yourself. And you shall not set up for yourself a sacred pillar which Yahweh your God hates. (Deuteronomy 16:21-22 LSB)
Do Christians have freedom to keep a day of remembrance or not?
One person values one day over another, another values every day the same. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it for the Lord (Romans 14:5-6a NASB)
Were celebrations under the law like a tutor, that may be used to teach us how to celebrate great events of Christ’s ministry?
Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. (Galatians 3:24-25 NIV)
What annual reminders of important events did God teach Israel? Are we free to observe annual reminders of Christ? Are modified forms of the ancient festivals still observed by many Christians? You decide!
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