DEUTERONOMY Lesson 8
DISCUSSION CHPTS. 19-20, INTRO TO CHAPTS. 21-22
OPEN WITH PRAYER
OPENING:
Pass out Prayer Request Cards. Fill them out and pass them
INTRODUCTION TO CHAPTERS 19-20
Many people skip, pass over or have their eyes glaze when they read, if they read, many of the following chapters. These chapters do not seem to be relevant to today. They seem to have been written for a time when life was simpler and more cruel. Yet, if we look at the principles behind the rules, we see issues that touch our lives and should influence our voting. The two chapters for next week address some of the government’s responsibilities. While the priests, the tribe of Levi, were designated by God to be the final court, the judges were appointed by the people. (Deu. 16:18)
CHAPTER 19 Deals again with the court system, what is do be done when innocent blood is shed and when there are false witnesses.
CHAPTER 20 Tells them/us how to conduct themselves in war. We have much to learn from these chapters in our everyday lives.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS, CHAPTERS 19-20
1. Read Lev. 24:17-21. Nowhere are we told who is to carry out the judgment. Do these verses encourage or condone personal vengeance? Would these verses lead to enduring family feuds? Describe the difference between how they would understand these verse with only the information they had at that time versus understanding these verses in light of Deu. 19:1-7, verses understanding these scriptures in light of Matt. 5:21-22 and Matt. 5:38-42. In what context should we view these commandments?
2. Read Ch. 19:1-7 and Num. 35:12-27.
a. What is the distinction God makes between premeditation and accidental death? Does our court system make the same distinction?
b. The cities of refuge were to protect the person and family of the person who killed accidentally. They were also to protect the whole community. How does providing a safe place for the one who killed innocently protect the community? (19:10)
c. Is our constitutional right to an impartial trial by our peers to safeguard a person mistakenly being convicted? Does it work? Have you ever been part of a jury selection? Have you ever sat on a jury?
3. The rules of evidence, given for capital cases in 17:6, are expanded in 19:16 to include any accusation of wrongdoing. What does God require of the judges whom the Israelites chose? (6:18-20, 19:18) Is there any difference between what He requires of the judges then and what we should look for in a judge today?
4. In 19:8-9 God tells the Israelites to establish and addition 3 cities, 9 in all on what condition? They obviously failed. Is He asking anything different of them in vs. 9 than He asks of us today?
5. Why does God keep reminding them of their former slavery and that He saved them? (20:1-4) What are some of the ways God reminds you that He saved you? When you remember, what reaction do you have?
6. Read Deu. 20:1-4. When will you, or do you need to put on THIS armor of God?
7. Why does He send away all who are afraid? (20:8) What events of history show that fear is contagious and the results can be catastrophic?
8. There are two reasons why God commands that any man departs who has a new house and has not dedicated it, any man who has planted a vineyard and has not begun to use its fruit, and any man engaged to but not married to a woman.
a. The world would assemble as many men as possible to fight, but not God. Read Jdg 7:1-8. What is the reason given here?
b. The other reason is just logical. If a man’s heart and mind are not on the fighting, will he make a good soldier? Could this be why the military discourages enlisted men from marrying?
9. Read (Deu. 20:10-15) What instructions does God give concerning how to deal with the cities that were far away? It sounds like a terrible choice.
Read Ex. 21:26, Ex 23:12. Which would you choose?
10. List the peoples the Israelites were to destroy.
11. Why did God have them destroy utterly those listed in verse 17? (Read Gen. 9:18-27)
12. Did they obey God in this? (Read Jdg 3:1-5)
INTRODUCTION TO CHAPTERS 21-22
CHAPTER 21 There are three sets of commandments in Chapter 21 that are all foreign to us. The first is what to do about a body found murdered outside any town. The second concerns the taking and treatment of a woman from a tribe they have captured. The third involves the punishment of a rebellious son. Again, if we look at the principles behind the commandments, we see the applications for our lives, lives that are so very different from those of Moses.
CHAPTER 22 contains commandments, some of which touch our lives as they are written, others may seem confusing, still others give us a glimpse into a culture far different than our own.
ASSIGNMENT FOR WEEK 10, CHAPTERS 21-22
1. Summarize the scenario described in 21:1-8.
2. What reasons would the elders need to ask for forgiveness for this murder of which they had no part?
3. We use the expression today, “I wash my hands of the matter” as a way to say we will have nothing more to do with it. That is not the meaning in Deu. 6-8. Read Matt. 27:24. Does Deu. 21:-8 shed light on Pilate’s actions?
4. The laws of taking a captive woman were for those tribes and people outside the area God had given them. Those inside the boundaries were to be killed. In verses 10-14 is described how a man who took a woman captive had to treat her. How was she to be treated? What changes were required of the woman? Were you surprised by these commandments? How did the world expect conquered peoples to act, to be treated?
5. Ch. 21:15-17 gives commandments to men who have more than one wife. The scene could be describing Jacob with Joseph and Benjamin, favoring the children of a favored wife. What does Jesus say about God apparently accepting that men might have more than one wife? (Matt. 19:3-8)
6. The treatment of a rebellious son, as in 21:18-21, seems incredibly harsh. As far as we know, no son has ever been ever stoned for stubbornness. In addition to stubbornness and general rebelliousness, of what must the son be guilty (vs. 20)?
7. Nine times in Deuteronomy God says that the people must take drastic action, usually kill someone, in order to “Purge (or remove) the evil from your midst”. In addition to being punishment, what effect is killing the person doing evil to have? (Deu. 17:13, 19: 20, 21:21). Furthermore, if the person is allowed to live, even if as an exile, what message does that give to others? In the world in which we now live, does this pertain to the evil in the world, like the likes of Osama Ben Laden or Sadam Hussein? How does this pertain to us in the church? (See Matt. 18:15-17)
8. A very simple principle is in Ch. 22:1-4, “If you found it, it isn’t yours. Don’t keep it if you can find the owner.” Apply Rom. 13:8-9 to Deu. 22:1-4.
9. The law in Deu. 22:5 was to discourage homosexuality and transvestism. Despite there being unisex clothes (sweatshirts, t-shirts, jackets), most clothes are still tailored for either men or women. In general, what is the connection between how a person dresses and how he/she behaves? Does it bother you when people wear shorts to Sunday service?
10. In Ex. 23:19, 34:26 and Deu. 14:21 we are told not to cook a goat in its mother’s milk. In Lev. 22:27-28 God commands that when a calf or goat is born it must remain with it’s mother seven days. With a cow or ewe, the young and the mother cannot be killed on the same day. Here, in verses 6-7, we are told we cannot take the mother and child both. Taken together, what does it tell us about God and his concern for His creation?
11. Whose responsibility is it, in God’s eyes, if someone gets hurt at your house when you could have done something to prevent it? What do you think of the need for liability insurance in this country? (22:8)
12. Ch. 22:13-30 deal with sexual relations. What do these verses say about what God knows about man’s heart?
13.What does Ch. 22:22 say? What does that tell you about the situation in Jn 8:1-11?