B. An exposition of selected covenant laws 12-25

Moses' homiletical exposition of the law of Israel that follows explains reasons for the covenant laws that arose from the Ten Commandments. This address concludes with directions for celebrating and confirming the covenant (26:1-15). The section contains a mixture of laws previously revealed to the Israelites and other laws not previously revealed in the code given at Sinai (Exod. 20:1-23:19). This is instruction preached rather than codified as comprehensive legislation.

"The specific laws in this section were given to help the people subordinate every area of their lives to the LORD, and to help them eradicate whatever might threaten that pure devotion."¹⁴³

"Placement of the instruction about worship at the sanctuary in first position indicates clearly its priority for Deuteronomy, which assumes that the starting point for the proper, full, and exclusive love of the Lord (the primary demand of the first and second commandments and the Shema) is found in the way Israel carries out the activities of worship."¹⁴⁴

There is an obvious general movement from laws dealing with Israel's religious life (12:1-16:17) to those affecting her civil life (16:18-22:8) and finally to those touching personal life (22:9-26:15).

Two writers suggested the following outlines for these chapters.¹⁴⁵

Commandment

Merrill

Kaufman

Description

1

12:1-31

ch. 12

Fidelity

2

12:32-13:18

ch. 12

Worship

3

14:1-21

13:1-14:27

Name of God

4

14:22-16:17

14:28-16:17

Sabbath

5

16:18-18:22

16:18-18:22

Authority

6

19:1-22:8

19:1-22:8

Murder

7

22:9-23:18

22:9-23:19

Adultery

8

23:19-24:7

23:20-24:7

Theft

9

24:8-25:4

24:8-25:4

False witness

10

25:5-19

25:5-16

Coveting

". . . the entire second discourse of Moses (Deut. 5-26) is a single literary unit that convincingly demonstrates that the moral law informs the statutes, judgments . . . and commands of God."¹⁴⁶

In contrast with the Book of the Covenant (Exod. 20-23), the Deuteronomic Code, as some scholars prefer to call this section (chs. 12-26), is a popular exposition rather than a formal legal code. Its purpose was to explain to the generation entering the land all the laws that needed clarification, emphasis, and application, in view of Israel's imminent entrance into Canaan. These laws reflect a centralized, monarchical society.

The value of this section of Scripture to the Christian today lies primarily in its revelation of the heart, mind, and will of God. The modern student of these chapters should look for this kind of insight here.

 1. Laws arising from the first commandment 12:1-31

The first commandment is, "You shall have no other gods before me"(5:7). The legislation that follows deals with worshipping Yahweh exclusively.

 2. Laws arising from the second commandment 12:32-13:18

The second commandment is, "You shall not make for yourself an image or any likeness . . . [to] worship them or serve them . . ."(5:8-10). The writer mentioned three different cases in this section.

"In the ancient suzerainty treaties it was required of the vassal that he must not connive at evil words spoken against the suzerain, whether they amounted to an affront or to a conspiracy. The vassal must report the insult or the fomenting of revolt. In case of active rebellion, he must undertake military measures against the offenders. Moreover, he must manifest fidelity to his lord in such cases no matter who the rebel might be, whether prince or nearest relative. All of this finds its formal counterpart in Deuteronomy 13."¹⁵¹

 3. Laws arising from the third commandment 14:1-21

The third commandment is, "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain"(5:11). This section of laws deals with the exclusiveness of the Lord and His worship as this pertains to Israel's separation from all other nations. The theme of refraining from Canaanite practices continues in this chapter. However here it is not the obviously idolatrous practices but the more subtle ones associated with Canaanite religion that Moses proscribed. The whole chapter deals with eating. The Hebrew verb bal(eat) occurs in verse 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 19, 20, 21, 23, 26, and 29.

14:1-2 Because the Israelites were God's sons (v. 1; i.e., because of their special intimate relationship with Yahweh) they were to eat and act as He directed here (cf. 1:31; 8:5). This the first of two affirmations of Israel being God's special possession, His chosen people, in Deuteronomy (cf. 26:18).¹⁵⁷

Self-mutilation and shaving the forehead were pagan practices associated with idolatry. The Canaanites did these things to express passionate sorrow for the dead. Laceration may have been a seasonal rite in the Baal fertility cults as well.¹⁵⁸

"The external appearance of the people should reflect their internal status as the chosen and holy people of God."¹⁵⁹

14:3-21 The diet of the Canaanites also had connection with their religion. Perhaps some of what God forbade would have been unhealthful for the Israelites to eat (cf. Lev. 11).¹⁶⁰However the main reason for the prohibitions seems to have been that certain animals did not conform to what the Israelites considered normal.¹⁶¹

One characteristic of all the forbidden birds, despite the imprecision of the names that describe them, seems to be that they all consumed carrion.¹⁶²

"The ceremonial custom of boiling a kid in its mother's milk is known from the ancient Canaanite tablets found at Ugarit [i.e., the Ras Shamra Tablets]. Such a rite was superstitiously observed by the Canaanites, hoping that through magical acts they could increase fertility and productivity (14:21; Ex. 23:19; 34:26)."¹⁶³

". . . various Canaanite cults regularly engaged in the practices of seething a kid in its mother's milk as a fertility rite of sympathetic magic intended to coerce the deity into granting fertility to the wives, fields, and flocks of the cults' adherents. Such rites of sympathetic magic worked' on the premise that the gods were in some way part of and subject to the same natural created order that human beings also inhabited. By finding the common natural connection points, human beings could push the right buttons' and thus manipulate the gods . . .

"Israelites do not, through an act of sympathetic magic, try to coercethe deity into blessing them with fertility for the year to come; but instead, afterthe year's crops have been harvested and whether that year's harvest has been fruitful or not, Israelites bring a tithe to God as an act of gratitude[cf. vv. 22-29]."¹⁶⁴

Another view is that this prohibition taught the Israelites not to use what promotes life, milk, to destroy life.¹⁶⁵

In the present dispensation all foods are clean (Mark 7:19; Acts 10:15; Rom. 14:14; et al.). However we too should avoid foods that are unhealthful since our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit. Moreover we should avoid practices that may lead us away from God's will or appear to others that we have departed from God's will.

 4. Laws arising from the fourth commandment 14:22-16:17

The fourth commandment is, "Observe the Sabbath day to keep it holy"(5:12). The reason for observing the Sabbath day was Yahweh's redemption of Israel from bondage in Egypt and His consequent adoption of the Israelites as His chosen people (5:15). In the ancient Near East nations expressed their gratitude, loyalty, and worship to their sovereign by bringing him offerings periodically. What follows in this section is the laws concerning how Israel was to do this.

 5. Laws arising from the fifth commandment 16:18-18:22

The fifth commandment is, "Honor your father and your mother"(5:16). What follows is legislation that advocates respecting authority figures in the nation, which was an extended family.

"With the regency of Yahweh and the proper protocol by which He had to be approached having been established, the covenant text then addresses the human leaders who serve Him and exercise authority over the nation at large."¹⁸⁵

"Just as in its religious worship the Israelitish nation was to show itself to be the holy nation of Jehovah, so was it in its political relations also. This thought forms the link between the laws already given and those which follow."¹⁸⁶

 6. Laws arising from the sixth commandment 19:1-22:8

The sixth commandment is, "You shall not murder"(5:17). The representative laws in this chapter all protected people who were vulnerable for one reason or another. Civil law is in view.

 7. Laws arising from the seventh commandment 22:9-23:18

The seventh commandment is, "You shall not commit adultery"(5:18).

"Known elsewhere in the ancient Near East as the Great Sin,' adultery epitomizes all that impurity means, whether in family, social, political, or religious life."²⁴⁶

 8. Laws arising from the eighth commandment 23:19-24:7

The eighth commandment is, "You shall not steal"(5:19). All these laws have some connection with respecting the possessions of others.

"Respect was to be shown to all those dignified by the status of covenant servant to the Lord. This section of stipulations was designed to guarantee this sanctity of the theocratic citizen by regulations which assured peace, prosperity, and liberty within the covenant commitment to all God's people, but especially to those classes whose welfare was jeopardized by various circumstances."²⁶⁴

 9. Laws arising from the ninth commandment 24:8-25:19

The ninth commandment is, "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor"(5:20). There may be a deliberate descending order of heirarchy in the list of offended parties in this section beginning with the highest to the lowest.²⁷⁴

 10. Laws arising from the tenth commandment 25:5-19

The tenth commandment is, "You shall not covet . . . anything that belongs to your neighbor"(5:21). The four laws in this section all deal with desire or intention as opposed to deed.