Doing justly

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PrayerDeuteronomy

Hymn - Deuteronomy

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Reading

Deuteronomy 25 ESV

“If there is a dispute between men and they come into court and the judges decide between them, acquitting the innocent and condemning the guilty, then if the guilty man deserves to be beaten, the judge shall cause him to lie down and be beaten in his presence with a number of stripes in proportion to his offense. Forty stripes may be given him, but not more, lest, if one should go on to beat him with more stripes than these, your brother be degraded in your sight. “You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain. “If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the dead man shall not be married outside the family to a stranger. Her husband’s brother shall go in to her and take her as his wife and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her. And the first son whom she bears shall succeed to the name of his dead brother, that his name may not be blotted out of Israel. And if the man does not wish to take his brother’s wife, then his brother’s wife shall go up to the gate to the elders and say, ‘My husband’s brother refuses to perpetuate his brother’s name in Israel; he will not perform the duty of a husband’s brother to me.’ Then the elders of his city shall call him and speak to him, and if he persists, saying, ‘I do not wish to take her,’ then his brother’s wife shall go up to him in the presence of the elders and pull his sandal off his foot and spit in his face. And she shall answer and say, ‘So shall it be done to the man who does not build up his brother’s house.’ And the name of his house shall be called in Israel, ‘The house of him who had his sandal pulled off.’ “When men fight with one another and the wife of the one draws near to rescue her husband from the hand of him who is beating him and puts out her hand and seizes him by the private parts, then you shall cut off her hand. Your eye shall have no pity. “You shall not have in your bag two kinds of weights, a large and a small. You shall not have in your house two kinds of measures, a large and a small. A full and fair weight you shall have, a full and fair measure you shall have, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. For all who do such things, all who act dishonestly, are an abomination to the Lord your God. “Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you came out of Egypt, how he attacked you on the way when you were faint and weary, and cut off your tail, those who were lagging behind you, and he did not fear God. Therefore when the Lord your God has given you rest from all your enemies around you, in the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance to possess, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven; you shall not forget.

Sermon

Theme of Chapter: Act Justly

Judges are to act justly

Punishment but be proprotional and not excessive

Animals deserve to be treated justly

Wifes must act justly

Trade must be just and fair

Amalek must receive what it deserves

Limiting Punishment (v1-4)

Deuteronomy 25:1–4 ESV

“If there is a dispute between men and they come into court and the judges decide between them, acquitting the innocent and condemning the guilty, then if the guilty man deserves to be beaten, the judge shall cause him to lie down and be beaten in his presence with a number of stripes in proportion to his offense. Forty stripes may be given him, but not more, lest, if one should go on to beat him with more stripes than these, your brother be degraded in your sight. “You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain.

Ancient World / Other Nations:

Beatings as punishment were common and sometimes resulted in death

Egypt was unique in imprisonment provision

God’s Law:

corporal punishment was permiited, but limited to 40 lashes

Quran: 50-80 lashes

only after an impartial judge and ruled

the number of stripes was to be proportional to the offence

the guilty is called a ‘brother’

the punishment should not degrade them

Jews limited it to 39 lashes:

2 Corinthians 11:24 “Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one.”

Degrading was treating people like animals

yet even animals must be treated justly

“You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain.”

If God is concerned about oxen should be able to eat from what they are doing

then how much more concerned is he that those who labour of the gospel should be bale to live from their work?

Maintaining an Inheritance (v5-10)

Deuteronomy 25:5–10 ESV

“If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the dead man shall not be married outside the family to a stranger. Her husband’s brother shall go in to her and take her as his wife and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her. And the first son whom she bears shall succeed to the name of his dead brother, that his name may not be blotted out of Israel. And if the man does not wish to take his brother’s wife, then his brother’s wife shall go up to the gate to the elders and say, ‘My husband’s brother refuses to perpetuate his brother’s name in Israel; he will not perform the duty of a husband’s brother to me.’ Then the elders of his city shall call him and speak to him, and if he persists, saying, ‘I do not wish to take her,’ then his brother’s wife shall go up to him in the presence of the elders and pull his sandal off his foot and spit in his face. And she shall answer and say, ‘So shall it be done to the man who does not build up his brother’s house.’ And the name of his house shall be called in Israel, ‘The house of him who had his sandal pulled off.’

This section sounds odd or even wrong in our culture

Ancient time:

The death of a brother without an heir would result in the loss of the inheritance

The wife would be made desolate, without provision

She would have to leave the family land, try and find a new husband or return to her parents, and she would face an uncertain and difficult future

To refuse the command could be due to wanting to keep the inheritance for himself

At the very least it would show he despised his brother

Acting Justly (v11-16)

Deuteronomy 25:11–16 ESV

“When men fight with one another and the wife of the one draws near to rescue her husband from the hand of him who is beating him and puts out her hand and seizes him by the private parts, then you shall cut off her hand. Your eye shall have no pity. “You shall not have in your bag two kinds of weights, a large and a small. You shall not have in your house two kinds of measures, a large and a small. A full and fair weight you shall have, a full and fair measure you shall have, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. For all who do such things, all who act dishonestly, are an abomination to the Lord your God.

The wife in breaking ip a fight shall not seize the man by the groin

she could injure him and prevent him fathering a child

her hand to be cut off

normally for a wife to intervene was not to be contemplated

ancient times: removing a body part was common punishment

Full and fair measures

Not have two kinds of weights (large and small)

Not have two kinds of measures (large and small)

All who act dishonestly, are an abomination to the Lord your God

Reason: That the days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you

Amalek’s Deserts (v17-19)

Deuteronomy 25:17–19 ESV

“Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you came out of Egypt, how he attacked you on the way when you were faint and weary, and cut off your tail, those who were lagging behind you, and he did not fear God. Therefore when the Lord your God has given you rest from all your enemies around you, in the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance to possess, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven; you shall not forget.

Amalek attacked you when you were faint and wearing

He attacked those who were slower and weaker

Sick, elderly, and women with young children

He did not fear God

Only utterly Godless people behave in such a way

God has given you the victory and rest from your enemies

You shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven, you shall not forget.

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Q&A

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Closing Prayer

Doxology