Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible
Numbers 13:6-11
Beware Of Treachery In The Family (Deuteronomy 13:6).
The idea of the family is used in order to demonstrate that all this even applied there. Of all people they would be the most influential on a person. But if it came to a choice between Yahweh or family, Yahweh must come first. The principle is that this be done to anyone who seeks to lead others into idolatry, even beloved wives with whom they sleep and bosom friends. Anyone who came inciting to idolatry had to be treated as a bitter enemy. It was demonstrating how seriously Yahweh took the matter.
Analysis using Moses' words:
a If your brother, the son of your mother, or your son, or your daughter, or the wife of your bosom, or your friend that is as your own soul, entice you secretly (Deuteronomy 13:6).
b Saying, “Let us go and serve other gods, which you have not known, you, nor your fathers, of the gods of the peoples that are round about you, near to you, or far off from you, from the one end of the earth even to the other end of the earth (Deuteronomy 13:7).
c You shall not consent to him, nor listen to him; nor shall your eye pity him, nor shall you spare, neither shall you conceal him, but you shall surely kill him (Deuteronomy 13:8).
c Your hand shall be first on him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people, and you shall stone him to death with stones (Deuteronomy 13:9).
b Because he has sought to draw you away from Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage (Deuteronomy 13:10).
a And all Israel shall hear, and fear, and shall not do any more any such wickedness as this is in the midst of you
Note in ‘a' that the relative seeks to draw them away secretly from Him after other gods, and in the parallel the thing is to be known openly by all Israel. In ‘b' the relative seeks to lure him away after false gods, and in the parallel they are to be put to death for seeking to draw them away from Yahweh their God, their great Deliverer. In ‘c' he was not to be pandered to in any way but was to be killed, and in the parallel he was to be stoned with stones.
‘ If your (thy) brother, the son of your mother, or your son, or your daughter, or the wife of your bosom, or your friend that is as your own soul, entice you secretly, saying, “Let us go and serve other gods, which you have not known, you, nor your fathers, of the gods of the peoples that are round about you (ye), near to you (thee), or far off from you, from the one end of the earth even to the other end of the earth,'
However close the relationship of the person (and all had a responsibility to protect their close relatives), and however dear the person might be, if they sought to entice them in secret to follow any other gods of any kind, whether gods of neighbours or gods from afar, even to the ends of the earth, they were to be put to death at the instigation of the whole people. This would, however, require witnesses, for no one in Israel could be condemned on the basis of the testimony of one person (Deuteronomy 17:6; Deuteronomy 19:15; Numbers 35:30). It does not therefore refer to just a speculative comment in private which could easily be brushed aside with a stern rebuke, but a persistent effort, even within the privacy of the family circle.
‘ You (thou) shall not consent to him, nor listen to him; nor shall your eye pity him, nor shall you spare, neither shall you conceal him, but you shall surely kill him. Your hand shall be first on him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people. And you shall stone him to death with stones, because he has sought to draw you away from Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.'
The offence is so serious that they must in no circumstances listen to them, nor must they conceal the matter, nor must they have pity. ‘You (thou) shall surely kill him.' That is, begin the procedures that will lead to his death, and take part in the execution, as would be required of a witness. This was not a requirement to kill them there and then. It was not in the end a private matter. It affected the whole community. They must denounce them and have them put to death by public execution. There must be a proper enquiry (see Deuteronomy 13:14). This was no excuse for murdering someone, followed by a claim that they had incited to idolatry. Thus it would indicate a persistent attitude witnessed by more than one person. And yet they as witnesses against them must hate the crime so much that they must be ready with the first stone. (The witnesses always had to lead the way in stoning). The offenders must be stoned with stones (because ‘untouchable') because they have sought to lead them into treachery against their Overlord Who has done so much for them.
It should be noted that this is not an instruction to seek out such people and denounce them. The point is specifically that the offenders have come to this individual to seek to entice them away from Yahweh, and have done it sufficiently publicly for there to be witnesses. They have doubly sinned. They have not only turned to idolatry themselves but have also sought to turn others to idolatry as well.
‘ And all Israel shall hear, and fear, and shall not do any more any such wickedness as this is in the midst of you.'
And the purpose of this was so that all Israel might be aware of it, and might fear, and avoid such wickedness. It is the severity of the offence rather than the desire for punishment that is being stressed. In fact it was rarely carried out as far as we know, partly because in the first instance the warning worked, and then later because of general apathy. But all must be aware of the seriousness of the crime. It was a capital offence. There was to be no connection with idolatry whatsoever under any pretext, and any attempt at such must be scotched at source.
If only Israel had carried this out in practise there would have been a wholly different Old Testament. However, the whole point of the Old (and New) Testament, is that it was inevitable because men were so sinful.
It is a reminder to us that we must never dally with sin, but put it from us immediately, especially if that sin directly involves our obedience to Christ, and that if others seek to lead us astray we should separate ourselves from their influence. The idolatry that most of us are likely to be involved in is covetousness. We should immediately avoid those who seek to make us covetous.