This is our 4th examination of the book of Deuteronomy (See also the 27th, 28th, and 29th posts in this series).
10.Justice
The Hebrew words Tzedek, Mishpat, and Din, are used to define righteousness, judgment, and abiding by the law. (See https://MyJewishLearning.com)
In English, ‘justice’ refers to the quality of being fair and reasonable, or the administration of the law or authority in maintaining it, by a judge or magistrate.
God is a just God. Given that He wants us to emulate Him through our obedience, He commands that we practice justice.
“Appoint judges and officials for your tribes in all your towns the Lord your God is giving you. They are to judge the people with righteous judgment. Do not deny justice or show partiality to anyone. Do not accept a bribe, for it blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous. Pursue justice and justice alone, so that you will live and possess the land the Lord your God is giving you.” Dt. 16:18 – 20. CSB
So, the judges must be incorruptible. Their practice of justice is solely to seek the truth. Indeed, it was such an important endeavor, that their very ability to thrive and remain in the Promised Land depended upon it.
Jehovah gives us an example of the administration of justice regarding idol worship. (See Dt. 17:17:2 – 5). If the suspected individual publicly performed this within the confines of Canaan (Israel), and the transgression was thoroughly investigated, he or she was to be stoned to death. Why? Because that individual broke God’s covenant with His children – violating the first and the second of the Ten Commandments.
However, our compassionate and merciful God demanded that this ‘execution’ adhere to certain parameters so that true justice takes place.
The one condemned to die is to be executed on the testimony of two or three witnesses. No one is to be executed on the testimony of a single witness. The witnesses’ hands are to be the first in putting him to death, and after that, the hands of all the people. You must purge the evil from you. Dt. 17:6, 7. CSB
Why was this sequence important? Having the witnesses strike the first blow would give them pause, lest they were revealed later as false witnesses, whereby they would have committed murder, and be executed themselves.
The reason to have all the people to join in the execution, is so that this sentence would not be taken lightly. It would drive home to the executioners the realization of the seriousness of their collusion in the application of the fatal punishment.
God is omniscient and exists outside of time. Thus, He can see all things happening at once. Although He wanted to be the only ‘King’ of Israel, Jehovah knew eventually the Israelites would choose human kings, (beginning with King Saul)[1] so that they could emulate the neighboring nations.
Thus, to prepare His children’s descendants, He revealed to this generation, how to choose a ‘just’ king:
“You are about to enter the land the Lord your God is giving you. When you take it over and settle there, you may think, ‘We should select a king to rule over us like the other nations around us.’If this happens, be sure to select as king the man the Lord your God chooses. You must appoint a fellow Israelite; he may not be a foreigner.
“The king must not build up a large stable of horses for himself or send his people to Egypt to buy horses, for the Lord has told you, ‘You must never return to Egypt.’ The king must not take many wives for himself, because they will turn his heart away from the Lord. And he must not accumulate large amounts of wealth in silver and gold for himself.
“When he sits on the throne as king, he must copy for himself this body of instruction on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. He must always keep that copy with him and read it daily as long as he lives. That way he will learn to fear the Lord his God by obeying all the terms of these instructions and decrees.This regular reading will prevent him from becoming proud and acting as if he is above his fellow citizens. It will also prevent him from turning away from these commands in the smallest way. And it will ensure that he and his descendants will reign for many generations in Israel.” Dt. 17:14 – 20. NLT
In short, the king must be a God-chosen Israelite, who does not accumulate horses to amass a large army, with which he might use to oppress his own people, and to refrain from accumulating large amounts of money that might separate him from God.
The king also had an obligation to copy and learn the book of the law (Deuteronomy) to live by, and to administer its principles in his rule.
11.No black magic allowed:
We have previously seen that Moses has warned the Israelites about emulating any of the pagan practices of the Canaanites.
Once again, God addresses them, adding a proscription against sorcery:
“…do not let your people practice fortune-telling, or use sorcery, or interpret omens, or engage in witchcraft, or cast spells, or function as mediums or psychics, or call forth the spirits of the dead.” Dt. 18:10, 11. NLT
Why? Because it is an attempt to determine the future, when only Jehovah knows that. And He wants His children to depend upon Him as that only true source that He is.
12.Raising true prophets:
How can God’s children discern what lies ahead in time? Moses tells us:
“The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him.” Dt. 18:15 NLT
Moses continues speaking for Jehovah:
I will raise up a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites. I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell the people everything I command him. I will personally deal with anyone who will not listen to the messages the prophet proclaims on my behalf. Dt. 18:18, 19. NLT
So, God leaves nothing to chance. He will send prophets to His children to speak for Him after Moses’ death. The Hebrews believe that the sending of the His prophets ended with the advent of the prophet Malachi, in 450 B.C.
There is no mention of a final messianic redeemer in the Torah. However, the belief that there is one to come, was fostered by future Jewish sects. Someone who would reconstruct the Temple in Jerusalem, bring about everlasting peace, and redeem the Jews and resurrect their dead. (See Jewish Messianism: https://MyJewishLearning.com).
The only distinct reference in the Old Testament is found in the book of the prophet Daniel:
While I was still speaking and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God in behalf of the holy mountain of my God, while I was still speaking in prayer and extremely exhausted, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me about the time of the evening sacrifice. He instructed me and he talked with me and said, “O Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and wisdom and understanding. At the beginning of your supplications, the command [to give you an answer] was issued, and I have come to tell you, for you are highly regarded and greatly beloved. Therefore consider the message and begin to understand the [meaning of the] vision.
“Seventy weeks [of years, or 490 years] have been decreed for your people and for your holy city (Jerusalem), to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make atonement (reconciliation) for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness (right-standing with God), to seal up vision and prophecy and prophet, and to anoint the Most Holy Place. So you are to know and understand that from the issuance of the command to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until [the coming of] the Messiah (the Anointed One), the Prince, there will be seven weeks [of years] and sixty-two weeks [of years]; it will be built again, with [a city] plaza and moat, even in times of trouble.” Dan. 9:20 – 25. AMP
In the Christian view, the final prophet culminated in Jesus Christ the Messiah:
“…God was fulfilling what all the prophets had foretold about the Messiah…Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord, and he will again send you Jesus, your appointed Messiah. For he must remain in heaven until the time for the final restoration of all things, as God promised long ago through his holy prophets. Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among your own people. Listen carefully to everything he tells you.’ Then Moses said, ‘Anyone who will not listen to that Prophet will be completely cut off from God’s people.’ “ Acts 3:18 – 23. NLT
God, having spoken to the fathers long ago in [the voices and writings of] the prophets in many separate revelations [each of which set forth a portion of the truth], and in many ways, has in these last days spoken [with finality] to us in [the person of One who is by His character and nature] His Son [namely Jesus] … Heb. 1:1,2. AMP
Stay tuned for more of the wisdom of God for living the best life…
Goodnight and God bless.
[1] 1 Sam. 9:1 – 10:27.