CHAPTER 21:
My husband called me this morning in a frustrated fit. He was stuck in traffic due to an accident. The traffic wasn’t the problem, though. It was the disrespectful people driving that made him so angry. Traffic was bumper to bumper and at a standstill, so some people decided they would use the emergency lane to get ahead. Eventually the emergency lane was as full as the others – so full that the rescue vehicles could not get through. The traffic was on a bridge with no shoulder to use get out of the way. There was no way for the EMS to get to the accident. After a while, my husband saw a helicopter coming in for a landing. It was the only way to get to the people who needed help. Can you imagine? People were so busy worried about themselves, they couldn’t take a moment to let rescue vehicles get to where someone needed their help. It made my husband mad. It makes me sad to think there is that much disrespect and selfishness out there.
God expected respect among His people. He even outlined some of the ways He wanted the Israelites to respect one another. Deuteronomy 21 has 5 scenarios where respect for others was important.
Read Deuteronomy 21:1-9.
If a person was found murdered outside of a city and no one knew who killed him, how would they decide which city to take care of it?
What were the elders of the city to do?
Why were they to get rid of the guilt for this crime?
How does this law show respect?
All of this sounds really strange to my 21st century ears. This law about an unsolved homicide is not found anywhere else in the Pentateuch, but isn’t it interesting that God demands retribution for murder even when the criminal is not found? He does not allow the crime to just be dropped. That life matters to Him.
Read Deuteronomy 21:10-14.
What was required to be done if a man desired to take a captive woman as his wife?
What happened if she did not please him?
What was the man NOT allowed to do?
How does this law show respect for the captive woman?
Read Deuteronomy 21:15-17.
It is important to note here that the phrase “If a man has two wives” is translated in Hebrew as “has had two wives,” meaning the first wife was deceased and the man had remarried. Moses is not condoning bigamy.
Why was the first son to retain the expected double portion of inheritance?
Who does this law respect?
How is the first son respected?
Read Deuteronomy 21:18-21.
Who is supposed to be respected in this scenario?
What happens in parents are not respected?
If a child does not respect their parents and the parents are obviously trying to teach the child the right way to behave, what does that say about the child?
Would fear of this law keep children in line? Why or why not?
This harkens back to Exodus 20:12 and the 5th commandment: honor your father and mother. Long term sin patterns of incorrigible disobedience were beyond hope. That was the idea, at least. Although for the men of the town to do the stoning, it must mean this is not a child. This is an adult man who is not doing his part, has been given time after time to repent and correct his behavior and is obviously choosing not to take the help offered. Although, I can totally see myself telling my eighteen year old son, “Hey! You better straighten up. Deuteronomy 21 gives me permission to stone you if you misbehave.” All jokes aside, there is more to respecting your parents than just paying attention when you are little. Continued respect – for their name, for their feelings, for their belongings - was expected.
Read Deuteronomy 21:22-23.
How was a criminal respected, even after death?
These verse obviously foreshadow the death of Jesus on the cross. He was not left on the cross after dark. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus took his body and buried it before sunset (John 19:38-42). Paul also mentions these verses from Deuteronomy 21 in Galatians.
Read Galatians 3:10-14.
Who was the curse on the tree?
We are redeemed from the ________________ of the Law because Jesus became the ___________ for us.
Why was it important that Jesus do this?
Without Jesus, we would only be justified by our perfect obedience to the Law. However, our sinful nature keeps up from perfection. There is no way for us to be found not guilty before God in our own efforts. We have all used His name in a disrespectful way, dishonored our parents, stolen a little something along the way, looked at someone in lust, and coveted the possessions of our neighbors. We are all sinners at heart. It is only because the perfect Son of God gave his life on a tree to pay our sin debt that sets us free from this Law. It is our faith in Jesus that justifies us before God. The righteous man shall live by faith! Thank you, Jesus for making the way.
According the Jesus, the greatest commandment is to love the LORD will all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and the love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:34-40). This starts with R-E-S-P-E-C-T. You cannot love when you are always disrespecting. Why? Because respect comes from the heart. It comes from a place of value. If you do not value the other person, you will inevitably feel contempt or hatred or just nothing. We are called to fear our God because He is the creator of all things and deserves our respect. He, in turn, calls us to respect others by treating them as we treat ourselves. The world could use a little more respect nowadays, a little more love. It starts with obedience to Christ.
Lesson to Remember: God provides the way. Jesus is our righteousness and we are only right before God because of our faith in him.
A Way to Walk: Learn to fear the LORD and walk in obedience to Him. Reach out to others with the respect due to someone who is created in His image.
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