Deuteronomy 19-21
In today's Bible in a Year reading we continue with Moses' second sermon to the people, concerning when they are to go into the promised land.
Today we get:
- More manslayer stuff
- Witness rules
- Objector status
- Booty rules
- Innocent blood
- More booty
- Family law
Deuteronomy 19
In the promised land:
2 Thou shalt separate three cities for thee in the midst of thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it.
Remember, there are also three cities on this side of Jordan that will also be the manslayer cities.
4 And this is the case of the slayer, which shall flee thither, that he may live: Whoso killeth his neighbour ignorantly, whom he hated not in time past;
They are only for accidental killings, and not intentional murder.
For example...
5 As when a man goeth into the wood with his neighbour to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slippeth from the helve, and lighteth upon his neighbour, that he die; he shall flee unto one of those cities, and live:
Say you and your buddy are out chopping wood; and the head of the axe flies off, and hits your buddy and he dies, then you would run off to the manslayer city.
If you just sort of hacked him up with a chainsaw, then you wouldn't get to go there.
11 But if any man hate his neighbour, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him mortally that he die, and fleeth into one of these cities:
In that case, the elders of the city will deliver the killer to the avenger, and then they all stone him.
15 One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.
Two witnesses are required for a death penalty case.
If the witness is false (remember THOU SHALT NOT) then the person who lied under oath, gets whatever the penalty would have been. Perjury is a SERIOUS offense.
18 And the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and hath testified falsely against his brother;
19 Then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother: so shalt thou put the evil away from among you.
Perjury in a death penalty case, results in the death penalty.
Deuteronomy 20
When you go to battle, the priest gets to ask if everyman wants to be there.
The following people don't have to fight, and indeed are encouraged to NOT fight.
1. A man who builds a new house. (Deut. 20:5)
2. A man who plants a new vineyard. (Deut. 20:6)
3. A man with a new wife. (Deut. 20:7)
4. Anyone who is afraid. (Deut. 20:8)
The people who are afraid get to leave so they don't spread their fear to the people who aren't chickensh....
When you come to a city, you get to offer to let them surrender, and become slaves. If they refuse, you kill all the men.
13 And when the LORD thy God hath delivered it into thine hands, thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword:
Everything else is fair game for keeping.
14 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.
That's the rule for foreign wars. For fighting the people who pre-stole (like the injuns did USA) the promised land, they get to be totally destroyed.
17 But thou shalt utterly destroy them; namely, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee:
Kill them all, so they don't try to tempt you to follow their gods.
18 That they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods; so should ye sin against the LORD your God.
Also, when you siege a city, only cut down non-fruit trees. Don't use any trees that make meat.
Deuteronomy 21
If you find a person who was killed in the field and you don't know how he died, the elders are to behead a heifer, the Levites are to bless him, and the men are to wash their hands of the matter.
When you go to war (and win) and see one of the girls is a hottie, and you want her for your wife.
12 Then thou shalt bring her home to thine house, and she shall shave her head, and pare her nails;
13 And she shall put the raiment of her captivity from off her, and shall remain in thine house, and bewail her father and her mother a full month: and after that thou shalt go in unto her, and be her husband, and she shall be thy wife.
Let her mourn for a month for you guys killing her family, and then go in unto her.
If you don't like her after, let her go, but you can't sell her.
If you have two wives and like one more than the other, and the one you don't like as much bears your firstborn, you still have to give him the double share.
18 If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them:
STONE DISOBEDIENT CHILDREN!
Deuteronomy 21:18-21 gift apparel available from the gift shop; buy your today!
21 And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear.
If a man is put to death and hangs from a tree, he can't hang overnight.
23 His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God that thy land be not defiled, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.
Technically, Jesus wasn't hanged from the cross. He was nailed to it. So He wasn't accursed of God.
So what have we learned today?
1. Fruit trees don't make good siege tools.
2. If you are scared to fight, you don't have to.
3. Stone disobedient children.
4. Perjury in a death penalty case (which most are) is a sin worthy of death.
YIC
V