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08/18/2019
The Bible Jesus Read: Justice and Justice Alone
Deuteronomy 16:8-21:9
1. Judges (16:18-20) : Why are lawyer jokes a thing? I don’t think they were in ancient Israel. Why do we degrade what should be an honorable and noble calling? It could be the difference in qualifications for office. Lawyers today have to pass the Bar. What qualifications were expected of Israelite judges (16:18-20)? Think of a few other contemporary professions (teacher, engineer, police officer, etc.) and craft a Deuteronomy-like set of qualifications for each.
2. Kings (17:14-20) : As with the other offices, Moses’ intention in addressing kings here is not to give a full description of the king’s responsibilities. Instead, he focuses on matters of temptation. What temptations will the king face, and what antidote does Moses offer for these temptations? How did Israel’s greatest king, Solomon, respond to these temptations (compare Deut. 17:16-17 with 1 Kings 10:14-11:8) and what happened as a result? How does this story illuminate humanity’s need for a king who is just and humanity’s responsibility to heed the words of Paul in 1 Tim. 2:1-2?
3. Prophets (18:15-22) : Moses is a pretty big deal. The weight of responsibility God gave that man and the frequency of divine revelations he received is unparalleled in both the Old and New Testaments. But, like John the Baptist, Moses taught Israel to look beyond himself to “a prophet like me” (Deut. 18:15, 18). This prophet, we now know, is Jesus (John 6:14; 7:40). What does Moses’ description of this “prophet like me” teach us about Jesus? List as many attributes, roles, responsibilities, experiences Deuteronomy 18:15-22 and 34:10-12 teach us this coming prophet should have.
4. War (20) : This chapter divides into three sections. The first and third sections (20:1-9 and 20:19-20) prescribe laws for warfare in all contexts, while the second section distinguishes between war against peoples far away (20:10-15) and war against peoples close by (20:16-18). Was Israel to be an imperialistic society (think in terms of Promised Land v.s. ‘Land Not Promised’)? While the destruction that the Lord authorizes in this passage may alarm us, the purpose here is to curb sin and injustice. How do these laws curb sin and injustice?
