Deuteronomy 17:1-20

LESSON FOURTEEN Deuteronomy 16:18-20; Deuteronomy 17:2 to Deuteronomy 18:22

e. THE LEADERS OF GOD'S PEOPLE (Deuteronomy 16:18-20; Deuteronomy 17:2 to Deuteronomy 18:22)

(Laws concerning Judges, kings, priests, and prophets)

(1) JUDGES (Deuteronomy 16:18-20; Deuteronomy 17:2-13)

18 Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which Jehovah thy God giveth thee, according to thy tribes; and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment. 19 Thou shalt not wrest justice: thou shalt not respect persons; neither shalt thou take a bribe; for a bribe doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous. 20 That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live, and inherit the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee.

2 If there be found in the midst of thee, within any of thy gates which Jehovah thy God giveth thee, man or woman, that doeth that which is evil in the sight of Jehovah thy God, in transgressing his covenant, 3 and hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, or the sun, or the moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded; 4 and it be told thee, and thou hast heard of it, then shalt thou inquire diligently; and, behold, if it be true, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought in Israel, 5 then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman, who hath done this evil thing, unto thy gates, even the man or the woman; and thou shalt stone them to death with stones. 6 At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shalt he that is to die be put to death; at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death. 7 The hand of the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. So thou shalt put away the evil from the midst of thee.
8 If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within thy gates; then shalt thou arise, and get thee up unto the place which Jehovah thy God shall choose; 9 and thou shalt come unto the priests the Levites, and unto the judge that shall be in those days: and thou shalt inquire; and they shall show thee the sentence of judgment. 10 And thou shalt do according to the tenor of the sentence which they shall show thee from that place which Jehovah shall choose; and thou shalt observe to do according to all that they shall teach thee: 11 according to the tenor of the law which they shall teach thee, and according to the judgment which they shall tell thee, thou shalt do; thou shalt not turn aside from the sentence which they shall show thee, to the right hand, nor to the left. 12 And the man that doeth presumptuously, in not hearkening unto the priest that standeth to minister there before Jehovah thy God, or unto the judge, even that man shall die: and thou shalt put away the evil from Israel. 13 And all the people shall hear, and fear, and do no more presumptuously.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS 16:18-20; 17:2-13

289.

Think carefully about the full meaning of the term judge as used here; to what office or work does this term compare in our day? A lawyer?

290.

How could justice be wrested?

291.

Approximate a circumstance in which a bribe could be attractive.

AMPLIFIED TRANSLATION 16:18-20; 17:2-13

18 You shall appoint judges and officers in all your towns which the Lord your God gives you, according to your tribes; and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment.
19 You shall not misinterpret or misapply judgment; you shall not be partial, or take a bribe; for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise, and perverts the words of the righteous.
20 Follow what is altogether just [that is, uncompromisingly righteous], that you may live and inherit the land which your God gives you.
2 If there is found among you, within any of your towns which the Lord your God gives you, a man or woman who does what is wicked in the sight of the Lord your God, by transgressing His covenant,
3 Who has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, or the sun or moon or any of the host of the heavens, which I have forbidden,
4 And it is told and you hear of it; then inquire diligently, and if it is certainly true that such an abomination has been committed in Israel,
5 Then you shall bring forth to your town's gates that man or woman who has done that wicked thing, and you shall stone that man or woman to death.
6 On the evidence of two or three witnesses, he who is worthy of death shall be put to death; he shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness.
7 The hands of the witnesses shall be the first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people. So you shall purge the evil from among you.
8 If there arise a matter too hard for you in judgment, between one kind of bloodshed and another, between one legality and another, between one kind of assault and another, matters of controversy within your towns, then arise and go to the place which the Lord your God chooses,
9 And you shall come to the Levitical priests, and to the judge who is in office in those days, and you shall consult them, and they shall make clear to you the decision.
10 And you shall do according to the decision which they declare to you from that place which the Lord chooses, and you shall be watchful to do according to all that they tell you;
11 According to the decision of the law which they shall teach you, and the judgment which they shall announce to you, you shall do; you shall not turn aside from the verdict they give you, either to the right hand or the left.
12 The man who does presumptuously, and will not listen to the priest who stands to minister there before the Lord your God, or to the judge, that man shall die; so you shall purge the evil from Israel.
13 And all the people shall hear, and (reverently) fear, and not act presumptuously again.

COMMENT 16:18-20; 17:2-13

We have treated the last of these two sections in lesson ten because the basic subject matter is the same. But because the scripture also concerns the judges, we include it again here.

JUDGES AND OFFICERS SHALT THOU MAKE IN ALL THY GATES (Deuteronomy 16:18)Obviously anticipating the settled life in Canaan. In ancient times, the gates of the city composed the city hall, and the chief area of civil business. In Ch. Deuteronomy 1:13-18 we saw how judges were appointed for Israel's good for the length of their wilderness wanderings. Now, a similar system was in order for each city. JUDGES. shophetim, among the Hebrews, were probably the same as our magistrates or justices of the peace. OFFICERS. shoterim, seems to have been the same as our inquest sergeants, beadles [formerly, messengers of the court] & c., whose office it was to go into the houses, shops, & c., and examine weights, measures, and the civil conduct of the people. When they found anything amiss, they brought the person offending before the magistrate, and he was punished by the officer on the spot. They seem also to have acted as heralds in the army, Deuteronomy 20:5. (Clarke, who is, of course, comparing Britain).

The Hebrew word for judge (shaphat) is the same as occurs in the book of Judges, but, as we saw in Lesson Ten (Deuteronomy 17:9), the same word is used for men who usually performed very different functions than those outlined here.[35]

[35] Some judges during that era did appear to perform in an office similar to Moses-' in the wilderness, judging the hard mattersJudges 3:10; Judges 4:5, 1 Samuel 4:18; 1 Samuel 7:6; 1 Samuel 7:15. But when it is said of a man, he judged Israel twenty years (Samson. Judges 16:31), much more is meant.

THOU SHALT NOT WREST JUSTICE (Deuteronomy 16:19)See Deuteronomy 1:16-17, notes.

IF THERE BE FOUND IN THE MIDST OF THEE (Deuteronomy 16:2)On Deuteronomy 16:2-13, see our remarks in lesson ten. Note that the judge is involved in judgment of the difficult cases (Deuteronomy 16:9) working in conjunction with the priests. Cf. Deuteronomy 19:15-21.