Year 1, Week 22, Day 2 Bible Reading Observations

Year 1, Week 22, Day 2

I have a brief observation for today’s reading of Deuteronomy 21-22.

Today’s reading continues the re-presentation of the Mosaic Law. The new generation of Israelites, who are about to enter the Promised Land, are given afresh the statues for living as the LORD’s covenant people. Like a part of the previous day’s reading, today’s reading continues unfolding instructions pertaining to the sixth commandment: “You shall not murder” (Deuteronomy 5:17). The respect for life has many practical applications. Deuteronomy 21 discusses the handling of situations connected with life and death, while Deuteronomy 22 opens with explorations on how to protect life, but concludes with matters pertaining to the seventh commandments: “And you shall not commit adultery” (Deuteronomy 5:18).

What struck me in today’s reading was the LORD’s desire that His people value life as they dwelled in the Land: “Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:3-4). Life in the Land was to be about life and peace, blessings and joy. The Land was not to be a place of death, but life. However, murderers and other lawbreakers defiled the Land, both in the sinful acts that they committed but also through the capital punishment that they received: “You shall not defile your land that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance.” (Deuteronomy 21:23b). Sin and its consequences as well as its just punishments would defile the Land. Thus, when capital punishment was administered, it was to be done in a quick and humane fashion: “And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God.” (Deuteronomy 21:22-23a). Hanging from a tree was quick and removing the body from the tree before evening was humane. But the nature of these actions also upheld the Land as being primarily a place of life, not death. Since death defiled the Land, a just execution and the completion of such as to be done expeditiously. 

The Apostle Paul applies Moses’ word about hanging on a tree as a symbol of being cursed by God, and applies it to the work of Christ on the Cross: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree” (Galatians 3:13). Jesus bears the curse of God’s wrath while on the Cross. On the Cross, the innocent and perfectly righteous Son of God substituted Himself for by receiving the condemnation of His people’s sins: “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.” (1 Peter 2:24). Christ exchanged our sin with His righteousness: “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21). The ones who should have been hanged on a tree symbolizing God’s curse, now, through trusting in Christ, are fully blessed: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 1:3).

One example of the kind of person who would have been a candidate for hanging from a cursed tree would have been a rebellious son: “If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father…then his father…take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gate…and…say to the elders of his city, ‘This our son is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice” (Deuteronomy 21:18-20). Under the terms of the Old Covenant, a son who resisted his father’s instructions would be handed over to the elders of the city. The city elders would condemn him: “Then all the men of the city shall stone him to death with stones. So you shall purge the evil from your midst, and all Israel shall hear, and fear.” (Deuteronomy 21:21). These instructions preceded the matter of the cursed man hanging on a tree. As we might be tempted to inquire what kind of father would hand his son over to the elders of the city knowing that he would be put to death, we should realize that this same matter surfaces with God the Father. God handed His Son over to be put to death. However, in this case, the Father did not hand over a rebellious Son to die; the Father handed over His perfect, beloved Son to die. The Father sent Son who did not deserve to die to lay down His life so that sinners who deserve death would be given life: "but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8).

What struck you in today’s reading? What questions were prompted from today’s reading?

Pastor Joe