We are reviewing some high points of the Mosaic legislation recorded in Deuteronomy. As my Bible is laid out, it takes me 1 minute to read 1 column. So, to read chapters 19-21, it would take about 7 minutes. I encourage you to read the text as we present some thoughts.
Chapter 19 begins with a discussion of the cities of refuge. Israel was to appoint potentially six cities to be places of refuge where a man can flee if he accidentally killed someone (vs 4). Joshua 20 describes Joshua fulfilling this very mandate. On the other hand, cold-blooded murderers were to be put to death (19:12). In fact, the Scriptures say Israel was “not to pity” those murderers! In Deuteronomy, five times God tells Israel not to “pity” certain individuals who were to be stoned to death. It seems to me, that pity was in the context of allowing pity to overrule God’s command to put them to death. Thirty-five crimes were punishable by death under the law of Moses.
Israel was to respect the boundary markers of each other’s property (19:14). Clearly, God believed in private ownership of property and land! That is consistent with capitalism, but inconsistent with socialism and communism.
In the court of law, a single witness was not sufficient (19:15); there must be two or three witnesses, a principle God has chosen to reiterate in the New Covenant (2 Cor. 13:1; 1 Tim. 5:19). A false accuser was to be punished in the way he wanted the accused to be punished (19:19). That law, if followed, would have put Jesus’ accusers on the cross rather than Christ Himself! In the eyes of God, the death penalty was a deterrent to further crimes (19:20-21).
Chapter 20 dealt with going to war. The priest was to encourage the people not to fear but to realize God was leading them into battle (20:4). Certain individuals were exempt from military service: new homeowners, new farmers, newlyweds, and those fearful (20:5-8). Israel was to offer a city terms of peace first (20:10). If the city refused, then Israel was to kill all the men. Women, children, and animals could be taken by Israel (20:14). Yet this offer of peace did not extend to the Canaanites themselves. They were to be exterminated (20:17; 7:4; 9:4).
So, what about the accusation that God sanctioned genocide? Here I offer just a few thoughts. Israel deserved the same fate (9:5). It was by God’s grace that God did not wipe out Israel! Canaan had lived in sin, with the opportunity to repent, for hundreds of years (compare Gen. 15:16). Rahab is an example of one who did repent and was spared death. Israel itself needed to stay faithful to God (20:18). The plan of God depended on a monotheistic Israel. So, God’s higher plan allowed the killing of the Canaanites. God (alone!) has the power of life and death in His hands.
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Fruit trees were not to be destroyed (20:19-20) just as mother birds were to be left alone (22:6-7). So, there are some environmental concerns in the Mosaic legislation, as it impacts the health and well-being of humankind.
Finally, in chapter 21, we see that if a man was killed but the murderer was not known, the elders of the closest city to the incident was to offer a heifer and swear that they were not involved either directly or as accessories. In that way, they would “remove the guilt of innocent blood from [their] midst” (21:9).
A female POW could become the wife of an Israelite but she must get rid of all signs of her former, pagan life (21:13) and given one month to mourn her parents. She could not become a slave of another nor could she be mistreated (21:14).
The firstborn son, whether the son of a “loved” wife or an “unloved” wife, was to receive a double portion of the inheritance (21:17). Stubborn and rebellious sons could be put to death (21:21). Finally, if a corpse was hung on a tree, it was to be buried on the same day. Such a one was cursed by God. It seems from Galatians 3 that this passage gave Saul of Tarsus a difficult time in accepting Jesus as the Messiah. If He was hung on the tree, this meant He was cursed by God! How could He be the Savior? But, Saul came to understand that He was cursed for us (Gal. 3:13)!
I pray you are gaining knowledge and a stronger faith by walking through Deuteronomy with me.
Paul Holland
