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!
Year of Release (Deuteronomy 15)
Did God give Israel an economic model based upon cycles of 7 and 50 years? How did the year of release work? Did the sabbatical year, the year of freedom from debts, picture a better release, a rest from far greater burdens? Let’s look at Deuteronomy 15.
How would a year of release, the shmita, bless a nation? Could it lessen poverty?
At the end of every seven years, you shall cancel debts. This is the way it shall be done: every creditor shall release that which he has lent to his neighbor. He shall not require payment from his neighbor and his brother, because Yahweh’s release has been proclaimed. Of a foreigner you may require it; but whatever of yours is with your brother, your hand shall release. However there will be no poor with you (for Yahweh will surely bless you in the land which Yahweh your God gives you for an inheritance to possess) if only you diligently listen to Yahweh your God’s voice, to observe to do all this commandment which I command you today. For Yahweh your God will bless you, as he promised you. You will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow. You will rule over many nations, but they will not rule over you. (Deuteronomy 15:1-6 WEB)
However, because of sickness, foolishness, wars, droughts, discrimination, greed, oppression, and many other causes, poverty may remain. What was required in how they treated the poor?
Now if there are some poor persons among you, say one of your fellow Israelites in one of your cities in the land that the Lord your God is giving you, don’t be hard-hearted or tightfisted toward your poor fellow Israelites. To the contrary! Open your hand wide to them. You must generously lend them whatever they need. But watch yourself! Make sure no wicked thought crosses your mind, such as, The seventh year is coming—the year of debt cancellation—so that you resent your poor fellow Israelites and don’t give them anything. If you do that, they will cry out to the Lord against you, and you will be guilty of sin. No, give generously to needy persons. Don’t resent giving to them because it is this very thing that will lead to the Lord your God’s blessing you in all you do and work at. Poor persons will never disappear from the earth. That’s why I’m giving you this command: you must open your hand generously to your fellow Israelites, to the needy among you, and to the poor who live with you in your land. (Deuteronomy 15:7-11 CEB)
Slavery through kidnapping was illegal in Israel. People could become slaves for several reasons, paying off a debt, paying back a theft, economic survival, apprenticeship, prisoners of war, etc. Were there time limits of such slavery? Could they volunteer to remain slaves as a kind of welfare?
If any of you buy Israelites as slaves, you must set them free after six years. And don't just tell them they are free to leave— give them sheep and goats and a good supply of grain and wine. The more the Lord has given you, the more you should give them. I am commanding you to obey the Lord as a reminder that you were slaves in Egypt before he set you free. But one of your slaves may say, “I love you and your family, and I would be better off staying with you, so please don't make me leave.” Take the slave to the door of your house and push a sharp metal rod through one earlobe and into the door. Such slaves will belong to you for life, whether they are men or women. Don't complain when you have to set a slave free. After all, you got six years of service at half the cost of hiring someone to do the work. (Deuteronomy 15:12-18 CEV)
How were the firstborn animals treated as a class in ancient Israel?
All the firstborn males that are born of your herd and flock you shall dedicate to the Lord your God. You shall do no work with the firstborn of your herd, nor shear the firstborn of your flock. You shall eat it, you and your household, before the Lord your God year by year at the place that the Lord will choose. But if it has any blemish, if it is lame or blind or has any serious blemish whatever, you shall not sacrifice it to the Lord your God. You shall eat it within your towns. The unclean and the clean alike may eat it, as though it were a gazelle or a deer. Only you shall not eat its blood; you shall pour it out on the ground like water. (Deuteronomy 15:19-23 ESV)
Does the year of release from debts picture a year of release, a rest from greater burdens?
He [Jesus] came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. He entered, as was his custom, into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. The book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. He opened the book, and found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the broken hearted, to proclaim release to the captives, recovering of sight to the blind, to deliver those who are crushed, and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began to tell them, “Today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:16-21 WEB Isaiah 61:1-2)
Did God give Israel an economic model based upon cycles of 7 and 50 years? How did the year of release work? Did the sabbatical year, the year of freedom from debts, picture a better release, a rest from far greater burdens? You decide!
How would a year of release, the shmita, bless a nation? Could it lessen poverty?
At the end of every seven years, you shall cancel debts. This is the way it shall be done: every creditor shall release that which he has lent to his neighbor. He shall not require payment from his neighbor and his brother, because Yahweh’s release has been proclaimed. Of a foreigner you may require it; but whatever of yours is with your brother, your hand shall release. However there will be no poor with you (for Yahweh will surely bless you in the land which Yahweh your God gives you for an inheritance to possess) if only you diligently listen to Yahweh your God’s voice, to observe to do all this commandment which I command you today. For Yahweh your God will bless you, as he promised you. You will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow. You will rule over many nations, but they will not rule over you. (Deuteronomy 15:1-6 WEB)
However, because of sickness, foolishness, wars, droughts, discrimination, greed, oppression, and many other causes, poverty may remain. What was required in how they treated the poor?
Now if there are some poor persons among you, say one of your fellow Israelites in one of your cities in the land that the Lord your God is giving you, don’t be hard-hearted or tightfisted toward your poor fellow Israelites. To the contrary! Open your hand wide to them. You must generously lend them whatever they need. But watch yourself! Make sure no wicked thought crosses your mind, such as, The seventh year is coming—the year of debt cancellation—so that you resent your poor fellow Israelites and don’t give them anything. If you do that, they will cry out to the Lord against you, and you will be guilty of sin. No, give generously to needy persons. Don’t resent giving to them because it is this very thing that will lead to the Lord your God’s blessing you in all you do and work at. Poor persons will never disappear from the earth. That’s why I’m giving you this command: you must open your hand generously to your fellow Israelites, to the needy among you, and to the poor who live with you in your land. (Deuteronomy 15:7-11 CEB)
Slavery through kidnapping was illegal in Israel. People could become slaves for several reasons, paying off a debt, paying back a theft, economic survival, apprenticeship, prisoners of war, etc. Were there time limits of such slavery? Could they volunteer to remain slaves as a kind of welfare?
If any of you buy Israelites as slaves, you must set them free after six years. And don't just tell them they are free to leave— give them sheep and goats and a good supply of grain and wine. The more the Lord has given you, the more you should give them. I am commanding you to obey the Lord as a reminder that you were slaves in Egypt before he set you free. But one of your slaves may say, “I love you and your family, and I would be better off staying with you, so please don't make me leave.” Take the slave to the door of your house and push a sharp metal rod through one earlobe and into the door. Such slaves will belong to you for life, whether they are men or women. Don't complain when you have to set a slave free. After all, you got six years of service at half the cost of hiring someone to do the work. (Deuteronomy 15:12-18 CEV)
How were the firstborn animals treated as a class in ancient Israel?
All the firstborn males that are born of your herd and flock you shall dedicate to the Lord your God. You shall do no work with the firstborn of your herd, nor shear the firstborn of your flock. You shall eat it, you and your household, before the Lord your God year by year at the place that the Lord will choose. But if it has any blemish, if it is lame or blind or has any serious blemish whatever, you shall not sacrifice it to the Lord your God. You shall eat it within your towns. The unclean and the clean alike may eat it, as though it were a gazelle or a deer. Only you shall not eat its blood; you shall pour it out on the ground like water. (Deuteronomy 15:19-23 ESV)
Does the year of release from debts picture a year of release, a rest from greater burdens?
He [Jesus] came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. He entered, as was his custom, into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. The book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. He opened the book, and found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the broken hearted, to proclaim release to the captives, recovering of sight to the blind, to deliver those who are crushed, and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began to tell them, “Today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:16-21 WEB Isaiah 61:1-2)
Did God give Israel an economic model based upon cycles of 7 and 50 years? How did the year of release work? Did the sabbatical year, the year of freedom from debts, picture a better release, a rest from far greater burdens? You decide!
Other Tithes (Deuteronomy 14)
What did God say about body markings, edible foods, a festival budget and budgeting for the needy? What’s a New Testament principle in giving to the needy? Let’s examine Deuteronomy 14.
What did God think about body markings, like cutting and shaving the head?
Ye are the children of the Lord your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead. For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God, and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth. (Deuteronomy 14:1-2 KJV)
Why did God forbid eating abominable things, was it purely ceremonial or a health law?
You shall not eat any abominable thing. These are the animals which you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat, the deer, the gazelle, the roebuck, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope, and the mountain sheep. And any animal that divides the hoof and has the hoof split in two and chews the cud, among the animals, that one you may eat. Nevertheless, you are not to eat of these among those which chew the cud or among those that divide the hoof in two: the camel and the rabbit and the shaphan [rock hyrax], for though they chew the cud, they do not divide the hoof; they are unclean for you. And the pig, because it divides the hoof but does not chew the cud, it is unclean for you. You shall not eat any of their flesh nor touch their carcasses. (Deuteronomy 14:3-8 LSB)
What kinds of fish, birds or insects were considered to be edible?
These you may eat of everything that is in the water: anything that has fins and scales you may eat, but anything that does not have fins and scales, you shall not eat; it is unclean for you. You may eat any clean bird. But these are the ones that you shall not eat: the eagle and the vulture and the buzzard, and the red kite, the falcon, and the kite in their kinds, and every raven in its kind, and the ostrich, the owl, the seagull, and the hawk in their kinds, the little owl, the great owl, the white owl, the pelican, the carrion vulture, the cormorant, the stork, and the heron in their kinds, and the hoopoe and the bat. And all the swarming insects with wings are unclean to you; they shall not be eaten. You may eat any clean bird. You shall not eat anything which dies of itself. You may give it to the stranger who is in your town, so that he may eat it, or you may sell it to a stranger; for you are a holy people to the Lord your God. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk. (Deuteronomy 14:9-21 NASB)
What was the budget item that came to be called the second or festival tithe? What if the place was too far to transport live animals?
Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year. Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and olive oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the Lord your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name, so that you may learn to revere the Lord your God always. But if that place is too distant and you have been blessed by the Lord your God and cannot carry your tithe (because the place where the Lord will choose to put his Name is so far away), then exchange your tithe for silver, and take the silver with you and go to the place the Lord your God will choose. Use the silver to buy whatever you like: cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink, or anything you wish. Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice. And do not neglect the Levites living in your towns, for they have no allotment or inheritance of their own. (Deuteronomy 14:22-27 NIV)
What was the purpose of what came to be called the third or poor tithe? Would the extra tenth in the 3rd and 6th year, leaving out the 7th year of release and the 50th year of jubilee, give each family a budget item for the needy of 2.8% on top of leaving corners of the fields for them to harvest? Was this a community storehouse administered by the city government, in the city gates?
At the end of every third year you shall bring out the tithe of your produce of that year and store it up within your [city] gates. And the Levite, because he has no portion nor inheritance with you, and the stranger and the fatherless and the widow who are within your [city] gates, may come and eat and be satisfied, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do. (Deuteronomy 14:28-29 NKJV)
What is a New Testament approach to giving to ministers, strangers, fatherless and widows?
Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. (2 Corinthians 9:6-8 NLT)
What did God say about body markings, edible foods, a festival budget and budgeting for the needy? What’s a New Testament principle in giving to the needy? You decide!
What did God think about body markings, like cutting and shaving the head?
Ye are the children of the Lord your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead. For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God, and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth. (Deuteronomy 14:1-2 KJV)
Why did God forbid eating abominable things, was it purely ceremonial or a health law?
You shall not eat any abominable thing. These are the animals which you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat, the deer, the gazelle, the roebuck, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope, and the mountain sheep. And any animal that divides the hoof and has the hoof split in two and chews the cud, among the animals, that one you may eat. Nevertheless, you are not to eat of these among those which chew the cud or among those that divide the hoof in two: the camel and the rabbit and the shaphan [rock hyrax], for though they chew the cud, they do not divide the hoof; they are unclean for you. And the pig, because it divides the hoof but does not chew the cud, it is unclean for you. You shall not eat any of their flesh nor touch their carcasses. (Deuteronomy 14:3-8 LSB)
What kinds of fish, birds or insects were considered to be edible?
These you may eat of everything that is in the water: anything that has fins and scales you may eat, but anything that does not have fins and scales, you shall not eat; it is unclean for you. You may eat any clean bird. But these are the ones that you shall not eat: the eagle and the vulture and the buzzard, and the red kite, the falcon, and the kite in their kinds, and every raven in its kind, and the ostrich, the owl, the seagull, and the hawk in their kinds, the little owl, the great owl, the white owl, the pelican, the carrion vulture, the cormorant, the stork, and the heron in their kinds, and the hoopoe and the bat. And all the swarming insects with wings are unclean to you; they shall not be eaten. You may eat any clean bird. You shall not eat anything which dies of itself. You may give it to the stranger who is in your town, so that he may eat it, or you may sell it to a stranger; for you are a holy people to the Lord your God. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk. (Deuteronomy 14:9-21 NASB)
What was the budget item that came to be called the second or festival tithe? What if the place was too far to transport live animals?
Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year. Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and olive oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the Lord your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name, so that you may learn to revere the Lord your God always. But if that place is too distant and you have been blessed by the Lord your God and cannot carry your tithe (because the place where the Lord will choose to put his Name is so far away), then exchange your tithe for silver, and take the silver with you and go to the place the Lord your God will choose. Use the silver to buy whatever you like: cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink, or anything you wish. Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice. And do not neglect the Levites living in your towns, for they have no allotment or inheritance of their own. (Deuteronomy 14:22-27 NIV)
What was the purpose of what came to be called the third or poor tithe? Would the extra tenth in the 3rd and 6th year, leaving out the 7th year of release and the 50th year of jubilee, give each family a budget item for the needy of 2.8% on top of leaving corners of the fields for them to harvest? Was this a community storehouse administered by the city government, in the city gates?
At the end of every third year you shall bring out the tithe of your produce of that year and store it up within your [city] gates. And the Levite, because he has no portion nor inheritance with you, and the stranger and the fatherless and the widow who are within your [city] gates, may come and eat and be satisfied, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do. (Deuteronomy 14:28-29 NKJV)
What is a New Testament approach to giving to ministers, strangers, fatherless and widows?
Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. (2 Corinthians 9:6-8 NLT)
What did God say about body markings, edible foods, a festival budget and budgeting for the needy? What’s a New Testament principle in giving to the needy? You decide!
No Other gods (Deuteronomy 13)
How serious was God about Israel having no other gods? Could they be deceived by miracles, a friend, or a popular trend from a nearby city? Let’s review Deuteronomy 13.
Can false prophets perform miracles? What determines whether they are true or false prophets?
Now if a prophet or a dream interpreter appears among you and performs a sign or wonder for you, and the sign or wonder that was spoken actually occurs; if he says: “Come on! We should follow other gods”—ones you haven’t experienced—“and we should worship them,” you must not listen to that prophet’s or dream interpreter’s words, because the Lord your God is testing you to see if you love the Lord your God with all your mind and all your being. You must follow the Lord your God alone! Revere him! Follow his commandments! Obey his voice! Worship him! Cling to him—no other! That prophet or dream interpreter must be executed because he encouraged you to turn away from the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt, who redeemed you from the house of slavery; they tried to lead you away from the path the Lord your God commanded you to take. Remove such evil from your community! (Deuteronomy 13:1-5 CEB)
What if it’s a friend who tries to entice us to worship pagan gods?
Someone else may say to you, “Let's worship other gods.” That person may be your best friend, your brother or sister, your son or daughter, or your own dear wife or husband. But you must not listen to people who say such things. Instead, you must stone them to death. You must be the first to throw the stones, then others from the community will finish the job. Don't show any pity. The gods worshiped by other nations have never done anything for you or your ancestors. People who ask you to worship other gods are trying to get you to stop worshiping the Lord, who rescued you from slavery in Egypt. So put to death anyone who asks you to worship another god. And when the rest of Israel hears about it, they will be afraid, and no one else will ever do such an evil thing again. (Deuteronomy 13:6-11 CEV)
What if idolatry becomes all the rage in a nearby city?
If you hear in one of your cities, which the Lord your God is giving you to dwell there, that certain worthless fellows have gone out among you and have drawn away the inhabitants of their city, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods,’ which you have not known, then you shall inquire and make search and ask diligently. And behold, if it be true and certain that such an abomination has been done among you, you shall surely put the inhabitants of that city to the sword, devoting it to destruction, all who are in it and its cattle, with the edge of the sword. (Deuteronomy 13:12-15 ESV)
What are they to do with a city that has fallen into idolatry?
You are to gather all its spoil in the middle of the city square and completely burn up the city and all its spoil for the Lord your God. The city must remain a mound of ruins forever; it is not to be rebuilt. Nothing set apart for destruction is to remain in your hand, so that the Lord will turn from His burning anger and grant you mercy, show you compassion, and multiply you as He swore to your fathers. This will occur if you obey the Lord your God, keeping all His commands I am giving you today, doing what is right in the sight of the Lord your God. (Deuteronomy 13:16-18 HCSB)
Is idolatry still forbidden for the Christian? Are there other forms of idolatry, such as greed?
So put to death your worldly impulses: sexual sin, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry). (Colossians 3:5 ISV)
How serious was God about Israel having no other gods? Could they be deceived by miracles, a friend, or a popular trend from a nearby city? Is greed idolatry? You decide!
Can false prophets perform miracles? What determines whether they are true or false prophets?
Now if a prophet or a dream interpreter appears among you and performs a sign or wonder for you, and the sign or wonder that was spoken actually occurs; if he says: “Come on! We should follow other gods”—ones you haven’t experienced—“and we should worship them,” you must not listen to that prophet’s or dream interpreter’s words, because the Lord your God is testing you to see if you love the Lord your God with all your mind and all your being. You must follow the Lord your God alone! Revere him! Follow his commandments! Obey his voice! Worship him! Cling to him—no other! That prophet or dream interpreter must be executed because he encouraged you to turn away from the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt, who redeemed you from the house of slavery; they tried to lead you away from the path the Lord your God commanded you to take. Remove such evil from your community! (Deuteronomy 13:1-5 CEB)
What if it’s a friend who tries to entice us to worship pagan gods?
Someone else may say to you, “Let's worship other gods.” That person may be your best friend, your brother or sister, your son or daughter, or your own dear wife or husband. But you must not listen to people who say such things. Instead, you must stone them to death. You must be the first to throw the stones, then others from the community will finish the job. Don't show any pity. The gods worshiped by other nations have never done anything for you or your ancestors. People who ask you to worship other gods are trying to get you to stop worshiping the Lord, who rescued you from slavery in Egypt. So put to death anyone who asks you to worship another god. And when the rest of Israel hears about it, they will be afraid, and no one else will ever do such an evil thing again. (Deuteronomy 13:6-11 CEV)
What if idolatry becomes all the rage in a nearby city?
If you hear in one of your cities, which the Lord your God is giving you to dwell there, that certain worthless fellows have gone out among you and have drawn away the inhabitants of their city, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods,’ which you have not known, then you shall inquire and make search and ask diligently. And behold, if it be true and certain that such an abomination has been done among you, you shall surely put the inhabitants of that city to the sword, devoting it to destruction, all who are in it and its cattle, with the edge of the sword. (Deuteronomy 13:12-15 ESV)
What are they to do with a city that has fallen into idolatry?
You are to gather all its spoil in the middle of the city square and completely burn up the city and all its spoil for the Lord your God. The city must remain a mound of ruins forever; it is not to be rebuilt. Nothing set apart for destruction is to remain in your hand, so that the Lord will turn from His burning anger and grant you mercy, show you compassion, and multiply you as He swore to your fathers. This will occur if you obey the Lord your God, keeping all His commands I am giving you today, doing what is right in the sight of the Lord your God. (Deuteronomy 13:16-18 HCSB)
Is idolatry still forbidden for the Christian? Are there other forms of idolatry, such as greed?
So put to death your worldly impulses: sexual sin, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry). (Colossians 3:5 ISV)
How serious was God about Israel having no other gods? Could they be deceived by miracles, a friend, or a popular trend from a nearby city? Is greed idolatry? You decide!
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