Please read through as much of you can as the remaining chapters of Deuteronomy. Cite here one law you think is particularly good--part of what makes Deuteronomy a fine law code. Cite also one law that you find disturbing, difficult or hard to understand--something that one might *not* (at least at first) think of as part of a particularly good law code.Remember that there is an exam coming up next Tuesday! I may be revising the study guide slightly. Be sure to check the online study guide as you prepare for the exams.
The study guide lists IDL I, II, and III as potential ID terms. The two laws you cite here would probably make good "IDL's" (Interesting Deuteronomy Laws). The selections other students choose would probably work well too.
Deuteronomy 17:14-15 is an excellent law. I don't know why the Israelites would ever want a ruler who wasn't from among their people, but specification from God is always nice. Of course you'd want a ruler who was already an Israelite, chosen by God, because that person would already be worshipping the same God as those beneath him. Lesser to that but still important, that person would be familiar with Hebrew customs and feast days, and there wouldn't be a chance for pagan practice or worship to sneak into the Israelite nation.
ReplyDeleteI found one of the hard-to-understand laws in Deuteronomy 22:9, an instruction to not plant two different kinds of seeds in the same vineyard. I suppose it's along the same lines of having clean and unclean food together, but it makes less sense when it regards plants rather than a live animal that sheds blood. It follows a similar logic, but I still don't see the point.
One law that is a good part of a law code is Deuteronomy 22:1 and 22:2 " If you see your fellow Israelite’s ox or sheep straying, do not ignore it but be sure to take it back to its owner. 2 If they do not live near you or if you do not know who owns it, take it home with you and keep it until they come looking for it. Then give it back." This is part of a good law code because it is neighborly and benefits the economy by having property protection for someone rediscovering property and someone who finds it temporarily having an extra resource.
ReplyDeleteOne Law I found disturbing was Deuteronomy 25:11/12 "If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to rescue her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, 12 you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity." It is completely barbaric. I definitely would not find this part of a good law code I find it off the walls.
- Trent Shuey
DeleteI think the law in Deuteronomy 20:19-20 about not cutting down trees for food when sieging a city is a good for avoiding unnecessary carnage in warfare. Another law about avoiding unnecessary carnage in war is their law in chapter 21 verse 10 that talks about marrying women from those they have taken captive after waiting 30 days for their mourning with a couple other caveats. It seems bad at first but compared to the common practice of raping on sight during warfare it seems merciful.
ReplyDeleteParticularly Good Law- Deuteronomy 22:25-27 “If a man comes upon and engaged girl in the open country, and the man lies with her by force, only the man who lay with her shall die, but you shall do nothing to the girl. The girl is not guilty of a capital offense, for this case is like that of a man attacking another and murdering him. He came upon her in the open; though the engaged girl cried for help, there was no one to save her.
ReplyDeleteThis is a particularly good law because even by our standards we think it to be fair that the woman is to not be punished but the man alone is to be.
Difficult to Understand- Deuteronomy 22:28-29 “If a man comes upon a virgin who is not engaged and he seizes her and lies with her, and they are discovered, the man who lay with her shall pay the girls father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife. Because he has violated her, he can never have the right to divorce her.
This one can be hard to understand because it’s easy to think that this case is very unfair to the woman but it teaches us the great importance that God sees in our relationships. He is very serious about who you sleep with and it is not taken lightly when you lie with someone, they then become your spouse in the eyes of the Lord. It also warns fathers that they should do all they can to protect their daughters.
One of the interesting laws is during Deuteronomy 17:14-20. In it, it describes how the people of Israel are allowed to choose a king, but that king must not act like other kings via hoarding wealth and displaying himself adored with gems and gold. It also states he must not go to Egypt, since God had worked hard to get them out of Egypt to start with.
ReplyDeleteAs for a disturbing law, in Deuteronomy 17:2-7, it is stated that those who are supposed to worship God but instead worship other Gods (if they are discovered) are to be stoned to death. While I can understand punishment, stoning someone to death is a very intense method of execution, and it is rather extreme. Would God truly not even want to try to convince this person to return to God? Or is he so certain that they will not return?
It is very stressful just thinking about it.
Good Law: I find the laws concerning witnesses in chapters 19, verses 15-21 to be fantastic. In the New Testament, when a woman is caught in the act of committing adultery and brought before Jesus, He says, "Let him who is without sin cast the first stone." The people who brought the woman to Jesus immediately leave. This story is often told in church to teach people not to condemn others. While this is a valuable lesson, it also misses a key aspect of the law. In the Old Testament, when someone is caught committing adultery, both the woman and the man are to be stoned together (See chapter 22: 13-30.) Conveniently, the man caught with the woman is not present. In my opinion, the Pharisees got someone to seduce this poor woman and let the guy who seduced her go. If Jesus had stoned the woman and it was revealed to be a setup, the Pharisees could have legally stoned Jesus. However, if the Pharisees had stoned the woman, they would have been stoned themselves. This law absolutely ensures that there is a harsh and severe punishment for lying in the court room. If you are trying to get someone killed in court, you are now liable. I wish our modern day perjury laws were this severe.
ReplyDeleteHard Law: The hardest law for me to understand is 20:16-20. It calls for the genocide of those in the Promised Land. I'm not going to write about whether or not I agree with it; I'm just going to provide context about the region. The land of Canaan is known for its child sacrifice, particularly in the region of Phoenicia. Carthage, a colony of Phoenicia, was well known for its child sacrifice. When the Romans invaded Carthage and leveled the city, they wrote about it. It's always been hard for me to understand this law.
Walker Larson
Dylan Schimke
ReplyDeleteThe law that I find good is at the end of chapter 19. In chapter 19 verse 15 it states, "You must not convict anyone of a crime on the testimony of only one witness. The facts of the case must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses." I think this is good because it sets a code that will help against false accusations.
The law that I find hard to understand is at the start of chapter 21. It states that if there is a dead body in a field that has no witnesses, the closest town must bring a young cow that has not been trained to a valley that has not been planted or plowed. In that valley there must be a stream, and by that stream is where they will take the young cow and break its neck as a sacrifice for God. This is weird to me because this really has nothing to do with an unsolved death, and the sacrifice of the young cow has nothing to do with the death, just a weird law.
A law that I find interesting is in chapter 17 in regards to how Kings are to act. God gives clear instructions that Kings while they may rule over the people, are not to acquire large amounts of wealth. A King is to still maintain a great fear of the Lord as well. I think this message from God can really be used as a model for anyone in a position of power. If you are chosen by the people to serve for the good of the people, then you shouldn't make yourself into a god for wealth will only distract you from your purpose of serving the people.
ReplyDeleteA law I found difficult to understand is in Chapter 20:10-14. Here God instructs his people as to how they are to treat a concurred city. God says that if the people surrendered peacefully then you are to turn them into your slaves. But if the people don't surrender then you are to kill every male and women and children and everything else are your spoils of the battle and you can do with them what you will. It is difficult at times to understand God in the Old Testament because he doesn't always reflect the loving and forgiving God of the New Testament. I do not understand why and entire city should be wiped out just because the people would not surrender. Why should the people freely hand their city over to another nation? Is there not honor in fighting to defend and ensure your city/homes survival? This is just a difficult passage for me.
One law that I particularly like is found in chapter 19 verse 15: "A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense...only on the evidence of two or three witnesses shall a charge be established."
ReplyDeleteI like this law because it prevents one person relieving their burdens against another person by accusing them of something they didn't do. When I hear laws or versions of laws like this, I always think of the Salem Witch Trials. People did not take a law like this into account when the chaos of supposed witchcraft ensued. People were accusing people left and right of witchcraft without hardly any evidence to back it up, and the court would not require multiple witnesses to arrest someone or put them to death. So, a law like this is a great one to be added into a group of people so issues of chaos and grudges (like those seen many years later) could be avoided.
Another law that caught my eye is found in chapter 21 verses 10-14: It is basically saying that if you take a group of people captive and find one of the female captives attractive, you can marry her, but she has to shave her head and lament her family that she lost for one month, and THEN you can consummate the marriage. However, if you find that you actually don't want to be married to her, you can just tell her to leave and she'll move on. Laws concerning women during this time are often very iffy being read today. The only bright side to this law is at the end because AT LEAST it admits that the woman has been humiliated, so she can't be sold into slavery or bought by another man. I think if you force a woman to go through that much mourning and physical change for YOUR sake, the least you could do is stay married to her. You're the one that wanted her in the first place, so don't just throw her out after she mourned her family and shaved her head just so you could have her.
Lauren Bland
To start with the most puzzling command, in Deuteronomy 28:68 "The Lord will send you back in ships to Egypt on a journey I said you should never make again. There you will offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but no one will buy you." Although this is a curse for disobedience it still strikes me as quite harsh. That God would send them back to slavery and the captivity that they had been in. However, God's judgement is real and he is a just God. Although there is a lot of good moral laws in here I picked Deuteronomy 24:7, "If someone is caught kidnapping a fellow Israelite and treating or selling them as a slave, the kidnapper must die. You must purge the evil from among you." I enjoy the idea of the Israelites looking out for their own. There is a family aspect to it. This is also just something all people should follow :).
ReplyDeleteAndrew Brennan
One command from Deuteronomy that I think does good is in 24:16. "Parents shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall children be put to death for their parents; only for their own crimes may persons be put to death. This is a good law to have because although family may have a strong hand in how someone becomes, the actions of people cannot be blamed on their family. Everyone has free will and the ability to see a situation and independently act upon it.
ReplyDeleteOne passage I find difficult to understand is Deuteronomy 23:2, "Those born of an illicit union shall not be admitted to the assembly of the Lord. Even to the tenth generation." I don't understand the point of alienating entire generations of people from the faith based on a sin committed by their ancestors.
Jorja Whempner
The remaining chapters of Deuteronomy continue Moses' Farewell address to the Israelites. Laying out a legal code that touches on worship, leadership, justice, warfare, and daily life. These laws are designed to shape Israel into a just, holy society under God's covenant.
ReplyDeleteOne of the best law codes comes from 24-19:22
which commands landowners to leave part of their harvest for the poor, the orphan, and the foreigner—a compassionate and socially conscious provision that promotes justice and care for the vulnerable.
Where parents are instructed to bring a rebellious son before the elders, potentially leading to his execution by stoning. While meant to uphold communal order and parental authority, this law strikes modern readers as harsh and extreme, raising questions about justice, mercy, and the value of life.
(I could of sworn I did this one but must of missed it)
There are 2 laws that I think are good laws. The first one is Deuteronomy 19:15-20. This is the law about needing more than one witness to accuse someone of a crime. This prevents a person from falsely accusing a person that they don't like of committing a crime, just to get them in trouble. The other law that I think is a good law is Deuteronomy 24:16. This talks about parents not being put to death for the crime their child commits and kids can't be put to death because of their parent's crime. This is a good law because you shouldn't be put to death for someone else's crime. The law that I find disturbing is Deuteronomy 23:2. This is the law about children from a forbidden union not being allowed to enter the assembly of the Lord, clear out to the tenth generation. This bothers me because I feel that it contradicts the law stated in Deuteronomy 24:16. I don't feel that it is fair to punish a child because of the wrongs their parents committed.
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