Deuteronomy Chapter 25
Reading through the lists of various laws that Moses handed down to the Israelites we might be tempted to think that there were too many. In fairness this is nothing compared to the number of laws instituted by our own federal government as well as states, counties, and local cities. Laws are created weekly in this country if not daily. And let’s remind ourselves why God gave them laws; He gave them to point them to their sin so that sin could be irradicated. This is why God’s judgement of their sins was severe, so they would not want to repeat their sins. We also see throughout these laws that God is a fair and just God. If only we had fairness and justice in our land.
Let's Reflect
1. Disputes between men were to be decided by a judge. The judge was to hand down a guilty decision to the one who caused the dispute. The punishment was to whip the guilty man, and it was to be carried out in front of the judge, and it was done publicly. The punishment of whipping was limited. What was the number of whips they were not to exceed?
2. We see another law that shows God’s kindness to animals in verse 4. What kindness was mentioned?
3. A Levirate marriage was instituted to not only keep a man’s name in the family but to keep his land in the family. If a man did not wish to marry his brother’s widow to carry on his name, how was he put to shame?
4. When two men fought, a woman must not interfere and injure a man’s private parts. Again, this was protection for the man to be able to reproduce. She was in a sense, causing the murder of his future generation. To me, this law was speaking to a woman who took extreme measure when she interfered in a man’s fight. Perhaps she grabbed a sharp object to injure the man she was attacking. To prevent this from ever happening the law stated an equally severe punishment for the woman. What was the punishment?
5. Verses 13-16 was a law about being fair in the trade of commerce. Things being bought and sold by weight need to be done fairly. They were not to put in extra weights in a bag to create the illusion of a greater weight of product. What did God say about those who are dishonest in their business dealings?
6. Speaking of unfairness, God reminded them of the unfair treatment and attack of Amalek when they were coming up out of Egypt. The skirmish was won because Moses prayed and asked for God’s help with his arms being held up while he did so. What did God tell them will happen to the Amalek in the future after they’ve had a good amount of time in the promised land?
