07 March
Bible in 365 Days
Deuteronomy 24-27
Deuteronomy 24
Where the providence of God, or his own wrong choice in marriage, has allotted to the believer a trial instead of a help meet; he will from his heart prefer bearing the burden to such relief as tends to sin, confusion, and misery. Divine grace will sanctify this burden, support under it, and teach so to behave, as will gradually render it more tolerable.
It is of great consequence that love be kept up between husband and wife; that they carefully avoid every thing which might make them strange one to another. Man-stealing was a capital crime, which could not be settled, as other thefts, by restitution. The laws concerning leprosy must be carefully observed. Thus all who feel their consciences under guilt and wrath, must not cover it, or endeavour to shake off their convictions; but by repentance, and prayer, and humble confession, take the way to peace and pardon. Some orders are given about pledges for money lent. This teaches us to consult the comfort and subsistence of others, as much as our own advantage. Let the poor debtor sleep in his own raiment, and praise God for thy kindness to him. Poor debtors ought to feel more than commonly they do, the goodness of creditors who do not take all the advantage of the law against them, nor should this ever be looked upon as weakness.
It is not hard to prove that purity, piety, justice, mercy, fair conduct, kindness to the poor and destitute, consideration for them, and generosity of spirit, are pleasing to God, and becoming in his redeemed people. The difficulty is to attend to them in our daily walk and conversation.
Deuteronomy 25
This chapter is a continuation of the two previous ones in giving varied instructions.
Punishments were to be righteously administered and were never to be excessive. It is interesting to notice what excessive punishment is to the mind of God. It is anything which makes our brother appear vile in our sight. Perhaps no word of these varied instructions reveals more clearly than this the divine sense of the rights of personality.
The next word was concerned with the wrong of muzzling the ox that treadeth out the corn. It would seem that whereas undoubtedly this was applicable first to animals, it also had a spiritual significance. At least it was so referred to by Paul (see 1 Corinthians 9:810).
The law of the kinsman redeemer, which provided for the perpetuation of the line of descent in Israel of one dying without issue was enunciated at this time. Just measures were insisted upon and the people were solemnly warned to maintain their antagonism to Amalek.
Moses' very lack of system or order in setting forth these sundry laws is in itself suggestive. It would seem to say to us that we may approach life in any of its activities or relationships, knowing that God is always interested; and, more, that He has a purpose and a method which it is our business to discover and obey.
Deuteronomy 26
Here we have the final movement in the second of these great farewell discourses of Moses. In it the lawgiver lifted his eyes and looked at the land to be possessed, and proceeded to tell the people how they were to worship in the new land.
The first recognition and act of worship necessarily is that of approach to God. Therefore they were instructed to go to the place of worship with the first fruits of the land. Then a formal confession of a threefold nature was to be made; first, the fact of possession was to be stated; second, the helpless origin of the nation was to be remembered: "A Syrian ready to perish was my father"; and, finally, the people's possession of the land was to be acknowledged as the work of Jehovah alone.
With such confession, offerings were to be presented to the Lord and the people to rejoice together.
Then followed a recognition of the other side of worship, which is the true and outward expression of the first. Gifts were to be bestowed on men, the Levites, the strangers, the fatherless, and the widow.
This having been done, prayer again was to be offered to God in which the gifts bestowed on men are spoken of as dedicated to Him.
All this is most suggestive, as it teaches us that our worship can be perfected only in service to our fellow men. The discourse ended with words that reminded the people of their relationship to God. Of the nation it was affirmed, "Thou hast avouched Jehovah this day to be thy God." Of Jehovah it was affirmed, "Jehovah hath avouched thee this day to be a people for His own possession".
Deuteronomy 27
We have here the record of something distinctive and arresting. Immediately after the close of the second discourse containing a r6sum6 I of laws, Moses and the elders commanded the people that after they entered the land they were to erect on Mount Ebal stones that were to be covered with plaster and have inscribed on them the words of the Law, the reference to the Law there undoubtedly being to the Ten Commandments. Moreover, they were to build an altar on the same mountain
The action was suggestive. The law insisted on the necessity for obedience, while the altar spoke of the only method of approach to God consequent on disobedience.
Following these instructions, Moses and the Levites charged the people that after they entered on the land there was to be a formal pronouncement of blessing and cursing. The blessings were to be uttered from Mount Gerizim by the children of Leah and Rachael; the cursing from Mount Ebal by the children of the bondwomen. It is noticeable here that the blessings pronounced are not enumerated, but only the curses.
