Bible Study Outline
"Moses' Second Address: Miscellaneous Laws - Part II "
Deuteronomy 24:1-22
Lesson 25

These Studies was written and submitted by: Joseph M. Willmouth, Pastor of Trinity Bible Church in Biloxi, Mississippi 39532. This contributed article is copyright protected, and the sole property of the contributing author.  It may be freely copied and used provided the above credits are included. Document expiration: indefinite.

I. Divorce And Remarriage (24:1-4).
1. Divorce was widespread in the ancient Near East so God's law was given to help regulate the existing practice.

A. God hates divorce (Mal.2:16).

1) God hates divorce, but not the divorced person.

2) God hates the sin, but loves the sinner and has provided a way out of our sinful condition through His Son Jesus Christ.

B. Sin is involved in all divorce (Matt.19:7-8).

C. God's original intent was for a man and a woman to be married for life (Gen.2:18-25).

1) Since marriage is a physical union, "one flesh," only a physical reason can dissolve it.

A) Death of a spouse ends that marriage (Rom.7:1-3; 1 Cor.7:39).

B) Adultery (Deut. 22:22; Lev.20:10; Matt.5:32).

2) Notice that the Law of Moses did not allow divorce for adultery or premarital sex because the guilty parties were to be put to death for their sin

A) We are not told how they are to be put to death.

B) In Mesopotamia an adulterous couple was bound and thrown into the water (Code of Hammurabi. Law 129), though no extant court records from Mesopotamia indicate that this penalty was ever enforced.

C) During the time of Christ, it was interpreted that the penalty for adultery was death by stoning (John 8:5).

D) Later Rabbinic tradition prescribed death by strangulation.

D. The word, "divorcement," comes from the Hebrew word, "keriythuwth" {ker-ee-thooth'} which means "a cutting off."

1) This carries with it the idea of breaking the marriage covenant.

2) Marriage was established by a formal legal covenant, and a formal legal document was required to dissolve marriage.

A. Jewish commentators have had differing opinions about what things are covered by "something indecent."

- "uncleanness" Hebrew: "ervah"{er-vaw'}; nakedness, shame, uncleanness, disgrace.

B. Something less than adultery must be meant here, since the punishment for adultery is death (22:22-27; Lev 20:10).

C. During the time of Christ there when two basic schools of thought on this.

1) The rabbinical school of Hillel took a very broad view of this verse and interpreted it to mean "anything that displeased the husband."

A) Such as appearing in public with disheveled hair, spinning and exposing her arms in public, conversing indiscriminately with men, speaking disrespectfully of her husband's parents in his presence, or spoiling a dish for him.

B) These women only got one chance.

2) The rabbinical school of Rabbi Shammai took the narrow view that this meant some kind of sexual sin (i.e., she was unfaithful to her husband).

3) Christ didn't define this but made it clear that the Mosaic Law of divorce was a concession and not a command because of the hardness of man's hearts.

A) However, Christ did seem to indicate that divorce was permitted if one of the spouses committed adultery.

B) The assumption is that the innocent spouse was free to remarry.

C) Paul, in 1 Corinthians 7:15 implies that a Christian who's unsaved spouse divorces them then they are allowed to remarry.

D. The divorce procedures were simple, once the husband found grounds for a divorce then he was to write the wife a bill of divorcement, give it to her, and send her out of the house.

1) The Hebrew divorce was intended to protect the wife.

2) In ancient civilizations the women were second-class citizens, where women were bought, sold and traded like animals.

3) The bill of divorcement mentioned here actually protected the woman and released her from further domestic obligations in the man's house.

A) She was awarded financial protection since there custom required the husband who divorced his wife to return her dowry and give her a portion of his own estate equal to that dowry.

B) She left the marriage with twice the lands, property, or money that she brought into the marriage.

4) This required procedure for divorce is not given elsewhere but is referred to by Jeremiah (Jer 3:1) and Jesus (Matt 5:31-32).

E. The instructions on divorce in this chapter in no way indicates that God commanded divorce, but rather, He condoned divorce in certain circumstances and gave guidelines to control a problem that was evident before Deuteronomy was written.

A. First note that this passage doesn't teach that remarriage is a sin.

B. If something happened where the former spouse wanted to remarry his wife God did not permit it because it would be tantamount to a legal adultery and therefore detestable to the Lord.

1) The purpose of this law seems to be to prevent frivolous divorces.

2) God wanted the sanctity of marriage to be maintained.

II. Exemption From War For Newly Married Man (24:5).
1. In 20:7 a man engaged to a woman is exempt from military duty.

2. Here exemption is extended to the newly married and lasts for one year (v.5).

A. No doubt this is because in war he might be killed (20:7).

B. Other conscriptions of like kind are not to be laid on him either.

C. Happy family life and family continuity were held in great respect in the Mosaic economy.

Application: God is a compassionate, a God of life and He is concerned for the health of a marriage. For this reason He chose to protect newlyweds for a year so that emotional well-being of the couple could be established.
 

III. Showing Concern For Others (24:6-22).
1. Illegal Pledges (v.6).

A. No one is to take as a pledge a hand mill or an upper millstone as security for a loan.

B. These were central to the grinding of bread and thus his livelihood.

1) The family's life was involved.

2) If they gave the upper millstone - the easily carried part - the lower millstone by itself could not grind grain.

C. Breaches of this commandment are reproved in Amos 2:8; Job 22:6; Prov 20:16; 22:27; 27:13.

A. Apparently kidnaping was common in the ancient Near East.

- It was mentioned in the law codes of Mesopotamia and the Hittite empire.

B. Since the kidnapper was depriving his victim of his freedom, by taking him as a slave or selling him, the kidnapper was to be punished by death.

1) This was because in effect he had taken the victim's life.

2) By putting the kidnapper to death it would help prevent others from doing this evil act also.

A. The word "leprosy" (tsara'ath {tsaw-rah'-ath}; leprosy, malignant skin disease ) used here in this verse refers to a broad range of skin diseases, and not just exclusively to leprosy.

B. The Israelites were warned to obey what the priests would teach them concerning God's laws.

- Miriam is used as an example because she rebelled against Moses and as a result brought leprosy upon herself as a punishment (Numbers 12:10).

A. When a loan is made to a neighbor the person making the loan was to leave it to the borrower as to what to give as a pledge (v.10-11).

- The lender was to leave the neighbor's house so that he wouldn't pressure the borrower into giving something as a pledge that might be indispensable to him.

B. If the neighbor is so poor that his coat has to be given as security, the cloak must be returned to him by sunset (vv.12-13; Ex.22:26-27; Job 22:6).

1) The cloak served as his bedclothes at night as well as his outer garment during the day.

2) God will approve this act as a righteous one, and the debtor will thank his creditor (6:25).

A. If an Israelite hired someone who was poor, whether a another Israelite or a foreigner, they were not to "oppress" them by withholding their pay.

1) "Oppress" ('ashaq {aw-shak'}) to press upon, oppress, defraud, violate, deceive, defraud.

2) They were not take advantage of the poor workingman living in any Israelite town

B. The wages were to be paid each day because the worker expected it to cover his daily expenses (v.15).

1) The term, "he is poor and sets his heart on it" seems to indicate that he needed to be paid each day in order to provide food for himself and his family.

2) It would be easy for a wealthy employer to withhold wages, because he is not in need of anything.

A. Family members were not to suffer the punishment of death for crimes in which they had no share in.

B. Every one was to be punished simply for his own sin.

C. This command was important, to prevent an unwarrantable and abusive application of the law

1) It was a common thing among the heathen nations -e.g., the Persians, Macedonians, and others - for the children and families of criminals to be also put to death (cf. Est 9:13-14; Herod. iii. 19; Ammian Marcell. xxiii. 6; Curtius, vi. 11, 20, etc.).

2) An example of the carrying out of this law is to be found in 2 Kings 14:6; 2 Chron 25:4.

A. Needy people were to be treated with love and justice, especially in light of Israel's former oppression by Pharaoh and her deliverance from Egypt (vv.17-18).

1) Concern for the underprivileged, a concern that appears again and again in Deuteronomy (10:18-19; 14:29; 16:11; 24:6, 10-15 as well as the rest of this chapter), is based on Exodus 22:21-24; 23:6, 9; and Leviticus 19:9-10; 23:22.

2) Israel's slavery in Egypt should have made the people sensitive to the needs of the less fortunate.

B. The fields, olive trees and vineyards were not to be picked clean so that the poor and needy could glean from them (vv.19-21).

1) The overlooked sheaf of grain was to be left for the underprivileged so that the Lord's blessing may rest on the owner's endeavors (v.19).

2) Olive trees were to be beaten with poles only once during the harvest so that the remaining olives were for the foreigner, the widow, and the orphan (v.20).

3) During the grape harvest the vines were to be gone over only once so that the needy could have the remainder (v.21).

C. Underlying these rules for the Israelite's noble behavior is a concern for the disadvantaged and the underprivileged since they themselves had once been in the same condition and were redeemed from Egypt (v.22).

Application: These various laws all deal with the society's treatment of the poor. God made certain that Israel's care for the needy was not "full of holes." The law throughout this chapter not only protects the poor, but it also protect the rich because failure on their part to protect the poor brought judgment upon the wealthy. Israel's own past captivity and oppression under the Egyptians serves as a continual reminder to them to be generous to the less fortunate.
 

I. Punishing Criminals (25:1-3).
1. If there is a controversy between men, and they are to go before a judge to determine who is right (v.1).

2. If the guilty party is found to be deserving of punishment, then he is to be beaten in the presence of the Judge (vv.2-3).

A. The presiding judge was to see that the penalty was carried out justly (v.2a).

B. The dignity of the guilty man was preserved to a degree by not allowing him to beaten more than he deserved (vv.2b-3).

1) He was probably beaten with a rod (Ex.21:20).

2) The maximum amount of blows that he could receive was 40.

A) To beat him too little would be to minimize the offense, but to beat him too much would be inhumane and thus "degrade" him.

B) Later the Jews made it thirty-nine so as not to accidentally go over the legal number (2 Cor.11:24).

C) Compare this to the Gentile law concerning punishment.

(1) The Code of Hammurabi (Law 202) permitted 60 lashes.

(2) Later under Assyrian laws they permitted between 40 to 50 lashes.

Application: The purpose of this passage is not trying to promote corporal punishment, but to limit it. God is merciful even to those who deserve their punishment by giving them no more than what they deserve and by allowing them their dignity even when they find themselves in an undignified position.
 

II. The Fair Treatment Of Work Animals (25:4).
1. Work animals must be treated with kindness.

2. They are to be worked with their need of food in mind.

A. In the threshing process oxen or other heavy animals (especially donkeys) were led around a threshing floor, sometimes harnessed to a central pivot.

1) The stalks of grain were laid on the floor, and the hooves of the animals and sometimes a sledge drawn by animals would separate the kernels from the stalks and hulls (Isa 28:28; 41:15; Hos 10:11).

2) These animals helped a person earn their living so they should be treated with kindness.

B. While this law concerned threshing animals here in the Old Testament, the apostle Paul twice quoted it to illustrate that this law can be applied to human beings also, i.e., support of ministers of the gospel (1 Cor 9:9-10; 1 Tim 5:18).

III. Levirate Marriage (25:5-10).
1. Levirate (lee'-ver-it; from the Latin word "levir"); a husband's brother, i.e., brother-in-law.

2. In only one kind of circumstance was marriage permitted to a close relative; marriage to a divorced or widowed sister-in-law was forbidden (Lev.18:16) except under the conditions set forth here (vv.5-6).

A. The brother must have been living together (i.e., they inherited their father's property jointly), and The deceased brother must have died without a son.

1) living together didn't demand a common house but only that the brothers lived near each other (Gen.13:6).

2) The wife, therefore, wasn't a stranger to her brother-in-law.

3) If the couple were not childless, there would be no need for the second marriage because it is forbidden to marry if they had children (Ruth 4:1-6).

B. If both of these conditions existed then this type of marriage was to take place.

C. This type of marriage would provide a male heir who in turn could care for the parents in their old age and prevent the alienation of family property.

- The first born son of this marriage was given the deceased brother's name, thus the family name would continue and dead brother's estate would belong to him.

A. The elders were to reason with the man.

B. If the man still refuses to marry his sister-in-law then she could hold him up to public shame and disapproval before the elders

1) She was to remove one of his sandals, spit in (or before) his face (Num.12:14), and denounce him as one who would not build up his brother's family line (v. 9).

A) To put your foot down on land or cast your shoe on it meant to claim it for yourself (Gen.13:17; Josh.10:24; Psa.60:8; 108:9).

B) Taking off your shoe meant to relinquish any claim to the property.

C) To get your shoes back was to be reinstated in society (2 Chron.28:15; Luke 15:22).

2) His family line would then be known as "The Family of the Unsandaled," or "The House of the Barefooted One" (v.10).

A) Only the poor, mourners, and prisoners of war went barefoot (Isa.20:2-4; Micah 1:8; Luke 15:22).

B) This procedure is given as law only here, but the narratives in Genesis 38 and Ruth 4 indicate similar if not the same practice.

C) By refusing to honor his dead brother, the man brought dishonor on himself and his family.

IV. Improperly Stopping A Fight (25:11-12).
1. If two men are in a fight and the wife of one of them seeks to stop the fight by grabbing the other man's genitals she is to have her hand cut off.

2. This is the only instance in the Law where physical mutilation served as punishment for an offense.

A. This command was probably intended to protect both womanly modesty and the capacity of a man to produce children.

B. The penalty would certainly restrain anyone from doing such a thing.

Application: While it's understandable that a wife would want her husband to win in a fight, but she was not to interfere in such a way that is shameful, unfair, or grossly offensive. This law illustrates, in general terms, that the end does not justify the means.
 

V. Weights And Measures (25:13-16).
1. An Israelite was to be totally honest in any commercial dealing (vv.13-14; Lev 19:35-37).

A. The theme of weights, measures and scales is a common in the Old Testament (Prov.11:1; 16:11; 20:10, 23; Amos 8:5; Mic.6:11; Hos.12:7).

B. The customer was at the mercy of the vendor who could easily use heavy weights for buying and small ones for selling.

1) The phrase "differing weights" (v.13) is stone and stone, a Hebrew way of indicating variety.

2) This is made more specific by adding "heavy" and "light."

A) A large stone for buying (to acquire more for one's money) and a small stone for selling (to give less) were unlawful.

B) Royal standards for these weights were fixed during the reign of David (2 Sam.14:26).

3) Weights were carried in a bag for transactions anywhere.

C. Neither were the people to have differing quantitative measures in their homes (v.14).

- These are also specified--"one large, one small."

A. Those who dealt honestly with others would be blessed by God with long life in the promised land (v.15).

B. Those who dealt dishonestly with others were an abomination (repulsive, detestable) to the Lord (v.16).

Application: Honestly in business is essential to the public good and it is a way of proclaiming one's faith in the Lord's ability to support him and give him long life. To do otherwise says that we cannot trust the Lord, which is another way of saying that God is a liar. This shows a total lack of faith.
 

VI. The Destruction Of The Amalekites (25:17-19).
1. The Amalekites.

A. They were a nomadic, marauding desert tribe ranging from Sinai northward to upper Arabia (1 Sam.15:7; 27:8).

B. Their genealogy is traced to Amalek, the son of Eliphaz and his concubine Timna, and his grandfather was Esau (Gen.36:12-16, 1 Chron.1:36).

A. When the Israelites were at Rephidim early in the Exodus, they were attacked by the Amalekites (Exod 17:8-16).

1) The Israelites eventually won those battles because Aaron and Hur upheld Moses' hands--"lifted up to the throne of the LORD" (Exod 17:16).

2) Later, after Israel rejected the directive of the Lord to enter Canaan from the south, in an abortive war Israel suffered defeat at the hands of the Amalekites and the Canaanites (Num 14:39-45).

3) Now Moses reminded them that the Amalekites attacked the "weary and worn" stragglers (v.18).

- Nowhere else is this experience mentioned; so it most probably refers to a more common harassment than that of the definite battles at Rephidim and Hormah.

B. The reminder in verse 19, comes quite properly in this series of directives that were to prepare the Israelites for entrance into Canaan.

1) Since the Amalekites had shown no mercy to Israel, they were to receive none.

2) More that 400 years later David defeated the Amalekites (2 Sam.1:1), but they were not completely wiped out until about another 300 years later during Hezekiah's day (1 Chron.4:41-43).

Application: Moses in Deuteronomy spoke of the Lord as a God of love, with concern not only for his people but for others--even for animals. Yet the Amalekites and the nations of Canaan were to be rigorously destroyed. This destruction rests on the same basis as the destruction of the pre-Noahic people (Gen 6:5-7) and the people of Sodom and Gomorra (Gen 18:20-21; 19:24-25). Their incorrigible wickedness was such that annihilation was necessary -- The Expositor's Bible Commentary.
 

I. First Fruits (vv.1-11).

1. When the nation of Israel were settled in the land they were to observe First Fruits (vv.1-4).

A. Each leader of a family was to take in a basket some of the first produce of the soil to the place the Lord would choose to locate the tabernacle (v. 2).

B. Each man was to make a declaration before the officiating priest (v.3).

1) This declaration was a testimony to the Lord's faithfulness in bringing the nation into the land that He had promised them.

2) What they declared basically meant, "I have received my part of the land as an inheritance according to the promise of God." (The Expositor's Bible Commentary)

3) Some believe that this offering refers to an initial offering to be made after the first harvest in the new land since the first statement of the declaration is not fitting for annual repetition (see Ex.23:19; 34:26; Lev.19:23-25 for the annual celebration of First Fruits).

C. The landowner then was to present to the priest a basket of produce as a token of the land's fruitfulness, and the priest was to set the basket down in front of the altar (v.4).

- Since only priests were allowed in the tabernacle, the altar spoken of must be the altar of sacrifice outside the tent.

A. God's faithfulness in the wandering Aramean (air'uh-mee'uhn; this is a reference to Jacob who was the ancestor of all the Israelites; v.5).

1) After Abraham was called by God he left Ur and settled in Haran (a city in Aram in upper Mesopotamia - Gen.22:21) for a while before he moved on to Canaan.

2) Abraham had relatives who stayed in Haran and later became known as Arameans.

3) Both Isaac and Jacob married women from this Aramean branch of the family, so Jacob could also be called an Aramean.

B. God was faithful to hear the Israelites cries when they salves in Israel and delivered them (vv.6-8).

C. And God would continue to be faithful in giving them the promised land also (v.9).

D. Because of all that God did they were to offer to Him the first produce of the land of milk and honey (v.10).

Application: The giving of the first of everything to the Lord was an acknowledgment that God was the source and owner of everything that the people possessed. When God blesses us we should not forget to give Him the praise He deserves. Plus we as Christians should never forget where God brought us out of , i.e., enslaved to sin.
 

II. The Three Year Tithe (vv.12-15).

1. This tithe may have also been a one time offering made after Israel's first three years in the land, if not then it would be associated with the tithe in 14:28-29.

A. According to 14:28-29, a tithe was to be made every three years and they were to be brought to local city centers where they were stored for the use of the Levites, the aliens, and the poor.

- This tithe was probably presented in the donor's town because it would be logistically wasteful to carry these tithes to a central sanctuary and then return them to the towns from which they came and there distribute them to the Levites, the aliens, the fatherless, and the widows (The Expositor's Bible Commentary).

B. The giving of tithes was to come the third year and the sixth year

1) After the sixth year, the sabbatical year was observed as a year when the fields lay fallow, after which the cycle commenced again.

2) The Jewish rabbis have usually held that there were three tithes:

A) For the priests and Levites

B) For the communal meals

C) Every third year for the Levites, aliens, fatherless, and widows.

A. First there was to be a positive statement confirming their obedience to the Lord's commands (v.13).

B. Second, they were to make a statement about not violating God's commandments (v.14).

1) He had not eaten any of it while in mourning.

A) The participant in mourning would be unclean as the next situations also attest.

B) The tenth was not removed when the donor was unclean for any reason.

2) Neither was any of the food ever offered to the dead.

A) Whether this refers to putting food in the grave with the dead body or to being given to relatives for their sustenance during the mourning period or even to being sold to defray the expenses of a funeral, the donor was not guilty of any improper use of the sacred portion that took place when he could be considered ritually unclean.

B) Putting food in a grave with a dead body was a common Egyptian and Canaanite practice, which is most likely what the Israelites were not to emulate.

C. Lastly, they prayed for a blessing upon the people and their land, which emphasized their dependence upon the Lord's grace (v.15)..

Application: Both the giving of this tithe by the donor and the reception of it by the Levite or underprivileged were spiritual acts, and the tithe itself was to be recognized as holy. This sacred tithe was not looked upon as merely a secular tax for the welfare of the poor but it was an act inspired by the Lord. Giving in the New Testament is always an act of love and worship to the Lord for that grace that He showed to us (1 Cor.16:1-4; 2 Cor.8:1-9:15).
 

III. Declaration Of Commitment (vv.16-19).

1. This chapter ends with an exhortation to adhere carefully to the stipulations of the covenant treaty the Lord has given to the Israelites, so this section can be viewed as a formal ratification of the covenant.

2. Moses calls for the total obedience of the Israelites to God (vv.16-17).

- Israel accepted and affirmed her covenantal responsibilities in these verses.

3. The Lord acknowledged His obligation to Israel (vv.18-19).

- The Lord affirmed His promise to exalt an obedient Israel over all the nations of the earth.

Application: Israel was a holy people because God had set them apart from the other nations, not because there was any intrinsic value or merit, but because of who God is. It is the same way today with Christians. We are saved today only by the merit and value of who Christ is and He completed work upon the cross and the resurrection (Rom.3:10; 3:23; 5:12; 6:23; 5:18; 10:9-13). Likewise just as Israel was to be obedient, the evidence of a believer today is their obedience to the Lord (1 John 2:3-5; Matt. 7:24-27).