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

 The prophet or receiver of a dream 12:32-13:5

The last verse of chapter 12 in the English Bible is the first verse of chapter 13 in the Hebrew Bible. It introduces what follows.

God permitted prophets (people who claimed to have direct revelation from God or to speak for God or who praised God) to arise in Israel and perform miracles (v. 1) even though they advocated apostasy from Yahweh. The primary meaning of "prophet"(Heb. nabi') is "proclaimer"or "forthteller"(cf. Exod. 4:15-16; 7:1)¹⁵²A prophet was, then, a spokesman for God who represented Him before other people.¹⁵³God permitted prophets to utter false prophecies to test His people's love (v. 3). The test of a false prophet was his or her fidelity to the Mosaic Covenant. If he led the people away from God, the civil authorities were to put him to death (v. 5). Some false prophets would foretell the future since they received information from the evil spirit world (e.g., diviners, soothsayers, etc.). Some of them could even perform signs and wonders (supernatural acts) to substantiate their claim that their power came from God. Enticement to idolatry was a very serious crime in Israel.

 The relative or friend 13:6-11

It was not just religious leaders who suffered for this crime. The authorities were to execute any Israelite who sought to lead others into idolatry. Moses set forth the deterrent value of capital punishment as a reason for its practice (v. 11; cf. 17:13).

 The town 13:12-18

The closest example of this ever happening in Israel that Scripture records occurs in Judges 20 in the case of Gibeah, a city in Benjamin. The circumstances were not exactly the same, but the other Israelites did discipline this town because of its gross sinfulness.

"This doom, which goes contrary to the common practice of rebuilding towns on the ruins of the site, as the stratigraphic remains of tells in the Middle East plainly show, indicates how serious the Lord considered any defection from him."¹⁵⁴

Achan (Josh. 7) was an Israelite who violated God's command to take nothing "under the ban"(v. 17). Ai was not an Israelite town when Achan committed his sin, but God's dealings with Achan show how important the observance of this law was.

"Of all potential crimes in ancient Israel, the one described in this chapter was the most dangerous in terms of its broader ramifications: to attempt deliberately to undermine allegiance to God was the worst form of subversive activity, in that it eroded the constitutional basis of the potential nation, Israel. In its implications, the crime would be equivalent to treason or espionage in time of war."¹⁵⁵

Agitation that promoted sedition received careful attention and strict penalties in other ancient Near Eastern political treaties as well as in the Deuteronomic Code.¹⁵⁶

God's people need to be aware of the serious danger of idolatry and deal with it in their midst. The Israelites were to execute those among them who engaged in spiritually seditious activities. Christians are to separate from false teachers except for purposes of evangelism and instruction (cf. 2 Tim. 3:13-17; 2 Pet. 2:1-3; 3:17-18; 2 John 9-11; Jude 17-25).