(The previous post covered instructions to the people concerning false prophets, idolatrous cities, the cleanness of food, and borrowing/lending money.)
Deuteronomy 16
(This chapter covered three major feasts.)
(Verses 1-8: the observance of Passover.)
1 Observe the month of Abib, and keep the passover unto Jehovah thy God; for in the month of Abib Jehovah thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night.
2 And thou shalt sacrifice the passover unto Jehovah thy God, of the flock and the herd, in the place which Jehovah shall choose, to cause his name to dwell there.
(Verses 3-4: the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which here was associated with Passover.)
3 Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith, even the bread of affliction; for thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt in haste: that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life.
4 And there shall be no leaven seen with thee in all thy borders seven days; neither shall any of the flesh, which thou sacrificest the first day at even, remain all night until the morning.
5 Thou mayest not sacrifice the passover within any of thy gates, which Jehovah thy God giveth thee;
6 but at the place which Jehovah thy God shall choose, to cause his name to dwell in, there thou shalt sacrifice the passover at even, at the going down of the sun, at the season that thou camest forth out of Egypt.
7 And thou shalt roast and eat it in the place which Jehovah thy God shall choose: and thou shalt turn in the morning, and go unto thy tents.
8 Six days thou shalt eat unleavened bread; and on the seventh day shall be a solemn assembly to Jehovah thy God; thou shalt do no work therein.
(Verses 9-12: the observance of the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost).)
9 Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee: from the time thou beginnest to put the sickle to the standing grain shalt thou begin to number seven weeks.
10 And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto Jehovah thy God with a tribute of a freewill-offering of thy hand, which thou shalt give, according as Jehovah thy God blesseth thee:
11 and thou shalt rejoice before Jehovah thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy man-servant, and thy maid-servant, and the Levite that is within thy gates, and the sojourner, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are in the midst of thee, in the place which Jehovah thy God shall choose, to cause his name to dwell there.
12 And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt: and thou shalt observe and do these statutes.
(Verses 13-15: the observance of the Feast of Tabernacles.)
13 Thou shalt keep the feast of tabernacles seven days, after that thou hast gathered in from thy threshing-floor and from thy winepress:
14 and thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy man-servant, and thy maid-servant, and the Levite, and the sojourner, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates.
15 Seven days shalt thou keep a feast unto Jehovah thy God in the place which Jehovah shall choose; because Jehovah thy God will bless thee in all thine increase, and in all the work of thy hands, and thou shalt be altogether joyful.
(Verses 16-17: the command to observe each of these three feasts.)
16 Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before Jehovah thy God in the place which he shall choose: in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles; and they shall not appear before Jehovah empty:
17 every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of Jehovah thy God which he hath given thee.
(Instructions for the males regarding the feasts of Unleavened Bread, Weeks, and Tabernacles.)
18 Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which Jehovah thy God giveth thee, according to thy tribes; and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment.
(Judges and officers were to be set up in all the gates. They were to judge with righteous judgment.)
19 Thou shalt not wrest justice: thou shalt not respect persons; neither shalt thou take a bribe; for a bribe doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.
(They were commanded to not extend or pervert judgment or accept a bribe.)
20 That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live, and inherit the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee.
(They were to follow Justice.)
21 Thou shalt not plant thee an Asherah of any kind of tree beside the altar of Jehovah thy God, which thou shalt make thee.
22 Neither shalt thou set thee up a pillar; which Jehovah thy God hateth.
(They were not allowed to plant an Asherah (grove; group of trees often used for idolatry) or set up a pillar near the altar of God.)
Deuteronomy 17
(This chapter covered laws specifically for the rulers of Israel.)
(Verses 1-5: religious idolatry.)
1 Thou shalt not sacrifice unto Jehovah thy God an ox, or a sheep, wherein is a blemish, or anything evil; for that is an abomination unto Jehovah thy God.
2 If there be found in the midst of thee, within any of thy gates which Jehovah thy God giveth thee, man or woman, that doeth that which is evil in the sight of Jehovah thy God, in transgressing his covenant,
3 and hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, or the sun, or the moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded;
4 and it be told thee, and thou hast heard of it, then shalt thou inquire diligently; and, behold, if it be true, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought in Israel,
5 then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman, who hath done this evil thing, unto thy gates, even the man or the woman; and thou shalt stone them to death with stones.
(Idolaters were to be stoned to death.)
6 At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is to die be put to death; at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.
(There must have been at least two witnesses when putting a man to death. Jesus referenced this verse in John 8:17 when He was confronted by the Pharisees during the final six months of His public ministry.)
7 The hand of the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. So thou shalt put away the evil from the midst of thee.
(They were to "put away" evil from among them. The word used for "putting away" in the Old Testament was: Strong's #7971 shalach which meant "to send away, for, or out.")
8 If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within thy gates; then shalt thou arise, and get thee up unto the place which Jehovah thy God shall choose;
9 and thou shalt come unto the priests the Levites, and unto the judge that shall be in those days: and thou shalt inquire; and they shall show thee the sentence of judgment.
(If there was a matter too hard for the judges and officers of the tribes to resolve, the matter was to be brought to the Levites.)
10 And thou shalt do according to the tenor of the sentence which they shall show thee from that place which Jehovah shall choose; and thou shalt observe to do according to all that they shall teach thee:
11 according to the tenor of the law which they shall teach thee, and according to the judgment which they shall tell thee, thou shalt do; thou shalt not turn aside from the sentence which they shall show thee, to the right hand, nor to the left.
12 And the man that doeth presumptuously, in not hearkening unto the priest that standeth to minister there before Jehovah thy God, or unto the judge, even that man shall die: and thou shalt put away the evil from Israel.
13 And all the people shall hear, and fear, and do no more presumptuously.
(The matters brought to the Levites were considered the "highest court." The Levites' decision was final.)
14 When thou art come unto the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are round about me;
15 thou shalt surely set him king over thee, whom Jehovah thy God shall choose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee; thou mayest not put a foreigner over thee, who is not thy brother.
(Moses said that he knew that once the Israelites got to the Promised Land, they would ask for a king like the other nations. This did not mean that God wanted this, but when it happened, they were to set a king over them that God had chosen and not a stranger who was not their brother.)
16 Only he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he may multiply horses; forasmuch as Jehovah hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.
17 Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.
(The king was not supposed to multiply horses to himself or cause the people to return to Egypt. The king was not supposed to multiply wives to himself or multiply gold and silver to himself. 1 Kings 10 documented that Solomon violated this Deuteronomic Code.)
18 And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book, out of that which is before the priests the Levites:
19 and it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life; that he may learn to fear Jehovah his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them;
20 that his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children, in the midst of Israel.
(The king was supposed to write a copy of the Law and keep it and read from it all the days of his life. This command was so that he would learn to fear God, keep and do the Law and statutes, and his heart would not be lifted up above his brothers. Doing all of this would prolong his days in his kingdom. Again, a reminder of the Shaba: Deuteronomy 6. Also, this was another part of the Deuteronomic Code that Solomon ignored.)
Deuteronomy 18
(This chapter covered priests and prophets.)
1 The priests the Levites, even all the tribe of Levi, shall have no portion nor inheritance with Israel: they shall eat the offerings of Jehovah made by fire, and his inheritance.
2 And they shall have no inheritance among their brethren: Jehovah is their inheritance, as he hath spoken unto them.
(God was the inheritance of the Levites.)
3 And this shall be the priests' due from the people, from them that offer a sacrifice, whether it be ox or sheep, that they shall give unto the priest the shoulder, and the two cheeks, and the maw.
4 The first-fruits of thy grain, of thy new wine, and of thine oil, and the first of the fleece of thy sheep, shalt thou give him.
(These were the payments due to the priests from the people.)
5 For Jehovah thy God hath chosen him out of all thy tribes, to stand to minister in the name of Jehovah, him and his sons for ever.
6 And if a Levite come from any of thy gates out of all Israel, where he sojourneth, and come with all the desire of his soul unto the place which Jehovah shall choose;
7 then he shall minister in the name of Jehovah his God, as all his brethren the Levites do, who stand there before Jehovah.
8 They shall have like portions to eat, besides that which cometh of the sale of his patrimony.
(The Levites were provided for because they ministered to God.)
9 When thou art come into the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.
10 There shall not be found with thee any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, one that useth divination, one that practiseth augury, or an enchanter, or a sorcerer,
11 or a charmer, or a consulter with a familiar spirit, or a wizard, or a necromancer.
12 For whosoever doeth these things is an abomination unto Jehovah: and because of these abominations Jehovah thy God doth drive them out from before thee.
13 Thou shalt be perfect with Jehovah thy God.
14 For these nations, that thou shalt dispossess, hearken unto them that practise augury, and unto diviners; but as for thee, Jehovah thy God hath not suffered thee so to do.
(They were told to not learn to do the same actions as the nations they were driving out. They were to be perfect: "maximum profitability." God wanted them to be in their best possible state.
It was the very abominations that these other nations were doing that gave God the ability to respond against them according to Justice. God did not want the Israelites to violate Justice in the same way, instead He wanted them "perfect.")
15 Jehovah 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;
(A PROPHET (Christ) would come from the Israelites and they were told to listen to Him. Peter referenced this verse in Acts 3:22 when he preached after healing the lame man at Solomon's porch.)
16 according to all that thou desiredst of Jehovah thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of Jehovah my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not.
17 And Jehovah said unto me, They have well said that which they have spoken.
18 I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee; and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.
(God confirmed this to Moses by saying He would raise up a PROPHET (Christ) from among the Israelites, He would put His Words in the PROPHET'S mouth, and the PROPHET would speak all that God commanded Him.)
19 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.
20 But the prophet, that shall speak a word presumptuously in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.
21 And if thou say in thy heart, How shall we know the word which Jehovah hath not spoken?
22 when a prophet speaketh in the name of Jehovah, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which Jehovah hath not spoken: the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously, thou shalt not be afraid of him.
(God told Moses how to deal with a false prophet and how to tell if a prophet was false or not.)
(This post covered the instructions for observing feasts, warnings for eventual kings, and prophecy concerning Jesus.)
Day 57
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