(The previous post covered the cities of refuge, the preparations by the individual to enter the Promised Land, and the punishment for being a false witness and a rebellious son.)
Deuteronomy 22
(This chapter covered miscellaneous laws.)
1 Thou shalt not see thy brother's ox or his sheep go astray, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt surely bring them again unto thy brother.
2 And if thy brother be not nigh unto thee, or if thou know him not, then thou shalt bring it home to thy house, and it shall be with thee until thy brother seek after it, and thou shalt restore it to him.
3 And so shalt thou do with his ass; and so shalt thou do with his garment; and so shalt thou do with every lost thing of thy brother's, which he hath lost, and thou hast found: thou mayest not hide thyself.
4 Thou shalt not see thy brother's ass or his ox fallen down by the way, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt surely help him to lift them up again.
(The first part of this chapter covered helping your brother and not hiding when your brother was in need.)
5 A woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment; for whosoever doeth these things is an abomination unto Jehovah thy God.
(The law against "cross dressing.")
6 If a bird's nest chance to be before thee in the way, in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs, and the dam sitting upon the young, or upon the eggs, thou shalt not take the dam with the young:
7 thou shalt surely let the dam go, but the young thou mayest take unto thyself; that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days.
(They could take the young birds but they had to leave the mother. The "dam" was the mother bird.)
8 When thou buildest a new house, then thou shalt make a battlement for thy roof, that thou bring not blood upon thy house, if any man fall from thence.
(They were told to build walls around their roof (balcony) so it was not their fault if someone fell from there.)
9 Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with two kinds of seed, lest the whole fruit be forfeited, the seed which thou hast sown, and the increase of the vineyard.
10 Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together.
11 Thou shalt not wear a mingled stuff, wool and linen together.
12 Thou shalt make thee fringes upon the four borders of thy vesture, wherewith thou coverest thyself.
(Four laws of separation.)
13 If any man take a wife, and go in unto her, and hate her,
14 and lay shameful things to her charge, and bring up an evil name upon her, and say, I took this woman, and when I came nigh to her, I found not in her the tokens of virginity;
15 then shall the father of the damsel, and her mother, take and bring forth the tokens of the damsel's virginity unto the elders of the city in the gate;
(The "tokens of the damsel’s virginity" was a blood-stained sheet, the proof the wife was a virgin and not married to anyone previously. The wedding was a feast during which the bride and groom had intercourse to prove she was not married to anyone else.)
16 and the damsel's father shall say unto the elders, I gave my daughter unto this man to wife, and he hateth her;
17 and, lo, he hath laid shameful things to her charge, saying, I found not in thy daughter the tokens of virginity; and yet these are the tokens of my daughter's virginity. And they shall spread the garment before the elders of the city.
18 And the elders of that city shall take the man and chastise him;
19 and they shall fine him a hundred shekels of silver, and give them unto the father of the damsel, because he hath brought up an evil name upon a virgin of Israel: and she shall be his wife; he may not put her away all his days.
(Notice, if the husband falsely accused the wife, he could never put her away. "Put away" meant to end the Marriage covenant by walking away from her. No bill of divorcement, which took the place of the blood-stained sheet. Without the ability to produce a blood-stained sheet (either physically or with a bill of divorcement) the woman would not be able to marry within Israel. She was removed from the community of Israel as a fornicator, an unbeliever. Notice, this passage did not state the husband could not divorce her. However, if he divorced her, another man could marry her. This passage was not about divorce...)
20 But if this thing be true, that the tokens of virginity were not found in the damsel;
21 then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death with stones, because she hath wrought folly in Israel, to play the harlot in her father's house: so shalt thou put away the evil from the midst of thee.
(Now we see what this passage was really about. The husband was not only attempting to remove her from the community of Israel, he was attempting to get her stoned as an unbeliever. Her inability to produce a blood-stained sheet would be proof she was actually married to another...that she had intercourse (was married) before the "marriage" (to the accusing "husband") in question. The man had unintentionally committed adultery. This section was critical to understanding Jesus' answers to the Pharisees relative to Marriage, divorce, and putting away. Again, the husband could have divorced her according to the Law (see Deuteronomy 24 below)...)
22 If a man be found lying with a woman married to a husband, then they shall both of them die, the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away the evil from Israel.
(We just covered the case of intercourse before "marriage." This covered the case of intercourse with other people after Marriage. If a man laid with a married woman, they both shall die. This was adultery.)
23 If there be a damsel that is a virgin betrothed unto a husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her;
24 then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them to death with stones; the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city; and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbor's wife: so thou shalt put away the evil from the midst of thee.
(If a man laid with a virgin that was betrothed while they were around people (in the city), and she did not cry out, they both were stoned to death. Again, virgins could be betrothed, considered to be a wife, and not yet have consummated the Marriage covenant.)
25 But if the man find the damsel that is betrothed in the field, and the man force her, and lie with her; then the man only that lay with her shall die:
(If a man forced himself on a woman while there were no people around (ie. in a field), then only the man would die.)
26 but unto the damsel thou shalt do nothing; there is in the damsel no sin worthy of death: for as when a man riseth against his neighbor, and slayeth him, even so is this matter;
27 for he found her in the field, the betrothed damsel cried, and there was none to save her.
(This was rape and was a similar matter than that of murder.)
28 If a man find a damsel that is a virgin, that is not betrothed, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found;
29 then the man that lay with her shall give unto the damsel's father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife, because he hath humbled her; he may not put her away all his days.
(If a man found a virgin who was not betrothed and laid with her, they were married (consensual sexual intercourse is Marriage). He had to give fifty shekels of silver to her father, and he could not put her away all his days because he had humbled her.)
30 A man shall not take his father's wife, and shall not uncover his father's skirt.
(According to Genesis 35:22, Reuben laid with his father’s concubine who would eventually become his father's wife, but this happened before the Law was instituted.)
Deuteronomy 23
(This chapter covered more miscellaneous laws)
1 He that is wounded in the stones, or hath his privy member cut off, shall not enter into the assembly of Jehovah.
(Eunuchs were forbidden from entering the "assembly of Jehovah," also referred to as "the congregation of the Lord.")
2 A bastard shall not enter into the assembly of Jehovah; even to the tenth generation shall none of his enter into the assembly of Jehovah.
(A bastard could not enter the congregation of the Lord, even for ten generations. Ruth 4:18-24 documented the ten generations from Perez to David. Perez was the bastard son of Judah and Tamar from Genesis 38:29. This was why David could not build the temple. He was the tenth generation from a bastard. Solomon was the eleventh generation and could build the temple.)
3 An Ammonite or a Moabite shall not enter into the assembly of Jehovah; even to the tenth generation shall none belonging to them enter into the assembly of Jehovah for ever:
4 because they met you not with bread and with water in the way, when ye came forth out of Egypt, and because they hired against thee Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse thee.
(No person who belonged to Ammon or Moab could enter the assembly of God. One reason was because they hired Balaam to curse the Israelites. Remember, Ammon and Moab were Lot's sons.)
5 Nevertheless Jehovah thy God would not hearken unto Balaam; but Jehovah thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because Jehovah thy God loved thee.
6 Thou shalt not seek their peace nor their prosperity all thy days for ever.
7 Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite; for he is thy brother: thou shalt not abhor an Egyptian, because thou wast a sojourner in his land.
(Edom was from Esau. Joseph's wife was an Egyptian. Hagar (Abram's wife) was an Egyptian.)
8 The children of the third generation that are born unto them shall enter into the assembly of Jehovah.
(Verses 9-14: cleanliness in the camp.)
9 When thou goest forth in camp against thine enemies, then thou shalt keep thee from every evil thing.
10 If there be among you any man, that is not clean by reason of that which chanceth him by night, then shall he go abroad out of the camp, he shall not come within the camp:
11 but it shall be, when evening cometh on, he shall bathe himself in water; and when the sun is down, he shall come within the camp.
12 Thou shalt have a place also without the camp, whither thou shalt go forth abroad:
13 and thou shalt have a paddle among thy weapons; and it shall be, when thou sittest down abroad, thou shalt dig therewith, and shalt turn back and cover that which cometh from thee:
14 for Jehovah thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy, that he may not see an unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee.
(These directions covered the dealing with the emissions of men, both nocturnal and "bathroom" related.)
15 Thou shalt not deliver unto his master a servant that is escaped from his master unto thee:
16 he shall dwell with thee, in the midst of thee, in the place which he shall choose within one of thy gates, where it pleaseth him best: thou shalt not oppress him.
(Israel would be a place of refuge for an escaped slave from a foreign land.)
17 There shall be no prostitute of the daughters of Israel, neither shall there be a sodomite of the sons of Israel.
18 Thou shalt not bring the hire of a harlot, or the wages of a dog, into the house of Jehovah thy God for any vow: for even both these are an abomination unto Jehovah thy God.
19 Thou shalt not lend upon interest to thy brother; interest of money, interest of victuals, interest of anything that is lent upon interest:
(Israelite women were not allowed to be prostitutes. Tamar (Genesis 38:29) did this before the Law. Israelites referred to people outside of Israel as "dogs." Jesus dealt with this slang in Matthew 15:26. Since prostitutes were not in community, and "dogs" were not in community, this passage stated that only people within the Israel community could give money to God. People in community were given the privilege of investing in the work of God. Also people in community were not allowed to put interest on anything they lent to their brother (community members). People could not make money on money. They had to make money on creating something useful within community.)
20 unto a foreigner thou mayest lend upon interest; but unto thy brother thou shalt not lend upon interest, that Jehovah thy God may bless thee in all that thou puttest thy hand unto, in the land whither thou goest in to possess it.
(They could put interest on what they lent to a foreigner.)
21 When thou shalt vow a vow unto Jehovah thy God, thou shalt not be slack to pay it: for Jehovah thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee.
22 But if thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee.
23 That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt observe and do; according as thou hast vowed unto Jehovah thy God, a freewill-offering, which thou hast promised with thy mouth.
(That which was gone out from their lips they shall keep and perform: vows. God did not force a person to make a vow.)
24 When thou comest into thy neighbor's vineyard, then thou mayest eat of grapes thy fill at thine own pleasure; but thou shalt not put any in thy vessel.
25 When thou comest into thy neighbor's standing grain, then thou mayest pluck the ears with thy hand; but thou shalt not move a sickle unto thy neighbor's standing grain.
(The right to "glean" was given to travelers.)
Deuteronomy 24
(This chapter covered divorce and other various laws.)
1 When a man taketh a wife, and marrieth her, then it shall be, if she find no favor in his eyes, because he hath found some unseemly thing in her, that he shall write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house.
(Divorce was LAWFUL. The reason given for a man to divorce his wife was not specific at all: "some unseemly thing", also translated as "some uncleanness." When she was divorced, she could marry another man. She was still in community. Putting away ended the Marriage covenant and removed at least one person from community. Divorce ended the Marriage covenant and kept both spouses in community. "Putting Away" and "Divorce" were two different processes. Either spouse could put the other away because the reason was fornication (unbelief). Only the husband could divorce the wife. It was a definite and objective ending of the covenant, complete with a bill of divorcement. Basically, the husband uncleaved from the wife. The bill of divorcement was her "blood-stained sheet.")
2 And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man's wife.
(Neither divorce, nor remarriage was a sin. Why do people believe either of these are sins today?)
3 And if the latter husband hate her, and write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house; or if the latter husband die, who took her to be his wife;
4 her former husband, who sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled; for that is abomination before Jehovah: and thou shalt not cause the land to sin, which Jehovah thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.
(Here was the only sin associated with divorce and remarriage: a former husband could not remarry a previous wife IF she took another husband after their divorce. This law would have caused the husband to make sure he truly wanted to divorce his wife before he went through with it.)
5 When a man taketh a new wife, he shall not go out in the host, neither shall he be charged with any business: he shall be free at home one year, and shall cheer his wife whom he hath taken.
(When a man had a new wife, he was supposed to stay at home with her, and not go to war, for one year so he could cause his wife to "rejoice and be glad." Again, the husband cleaved to the wife. The husband served the wife. The husband divorcing the wife was really the servant choosing to serve another woman. A man married to more than one wife was someone who was willing to serve more than one woman, and the first wife (and all wives) consented to her husband serving another woman.)
6 No man shall take the mill or the upper millstone to pledge; for he taketh a man's life to pledge.
7 If a man be found stealing any of his brethren of the children of Israel, and he deal with him as a slave, or sell him; then that thief shall die: so shalt thou put away the evil from the midst of thee.
8 Take heed in the plague of leprosy, that thou observe diligently, and do according to all that the priests the Levites shall teach you: as I commanded them, so ye shall observe to do.
9 Remember what Jehovah thy God did unto Miriam, by the way as ye came forth out of Egypt.
(Selling and speaking against people (what Miriam did as recorded in Numbers 12) in community was punishable by death and leprosy, respectively.)
10 When thou dost lend thy neighbor any manner of loan, thou shalt not go into his house to fetch his pledge.
11 Thou shalt stand without, and the man to whom thou dost lend shall bring forth the pledge without unto thee.
12 And if he be a poor man, thou shalt not sleep with his pledge;
13 thou shalt surely restore to him the pledge when the sun goeth down, that he may sleep in his garment, and bless thee: and it shall be righteousness unto thee before Jehovah thy God.
(A "pledge" was like collateral.)
14 Thou shalt not oppress a hired servant that is poor and needy, whether he be of thy brethren, or of thy sojourners that are in thy land within thy gates:
15 in his day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down upon it; for he is poor, and setteth his heart upon it: lest he cry against thee unto Jehovah, and it be sin unto thee.
16 The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.
(The sins of the fathers would not be placed on their children. Every man would be put to death for his own sin.)
17 Thou shalt not wrest the justice due to the sojourner, or to the fatherless, nor take the widow's raiment to pledge;
18 but thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt, and Jehovah thy God redeemed thee thence: therefore I command thee to do this thing.
19 When thou reapest thy harvest in thy field, and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it: it shall be for the sojourner, for the fatherless, and for the widow; that Jehovah thy God may bless thee in all the work of thy hands.
20 When thou beatest thine olive-tree, thou shalt not go over the boughs again: it shall be for the sojourner, for the fatherless, and for the widow.
21 When thou gatherest the grapes of thy vineyard, thou shalt not glean it after thee: it shall be for the sojourner, for the fatherless, and for the widow.
(They were told to not glean the vineyard but to leave it for the stranger, fatherless, and widows. This was a key point to the story in Ruth 2:2.)
22 And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt: therefore I command thee to do this thing.
(This post covered God's Doctrine of Marriage, divorce, and putting away.)
Day 59
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