Bible Reading Reflection from Deuteronomy 20-25

[Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (KD), a reading update (reflection) from one chapter of the Bible a day] 

𝔻𝔼𝕌𝕋𝔼ℝ𝕆ℕ𝕆𝕄𝕐 𝟚𝟘:𝟙𝟡-𝟚𝟘

"When you besiege a city a long time, to make war against it in order to capture it, you shall not destroy its trees by swinging an axe against them; for you may eat from them, and you shall not cut them down. For is the tree of the field a man, that it should be besieged by you?  Only the trees which you know are not fruit trees you shall destroy and cut down, that you may construct siegeworks against the city that is making war with you until it falls."

@__________ will like this passage being a student of forestry 🙂

Cutting down of trees is permitted for construction of a siege wall, but not fruit trees, even for that [for a siege wall at war time].

Respect the fruit trees of anyone, even of your enemies, hmm! All because you can eat the fruits. Not because of anything!

The rules of war described in this passage are very impressive. Gideon obeyed this principle. But the Israelites massacring the people of Jabesh Gilead in Judges 21 clearly portrays the failures of Israelites!

 

𝔻𝔼𝕌𝕋𝔼ℝ𝕆ℕ𝕆𝕄𝕐 𝟚𝟙:𝟙𝟝-𝟙𝟞

"If a man has two wives, the one loved and the other unloved, and both the loved and the unloved have borne him sons, if the firstborn son belongs to the unloved, then it shall be in the day he wills what he has to his sons, he cannot make the son of the loved the firstborn before the son of the unloved, who is the firstborn."

Very interesting passage. Moses (God) gave counsel to even fallen sinners so that their sins will not multiply on and on.

Having two wives has been already sinful, God knew how the Israelites will stumble in sin; and instead of forsaking them, God still planned out to save them from utter wickedness.

And I see here the [righteous] Law of God is greater than the [romantic] Love of humans. Law says, "firstborn," Romantic Love says, "my love."

 

𝔻𝔼𝕌𝕋𝔼ℝ𝕆ℕ𝕆𝕄𝕐 𝟚𝟚:𝟙

"You shall not see your countryman's ox or his sheep straying away, and pay no attention to them; you shall certainly bring them back to your countryman."

When I and my friends were children, we would sometimes imagine, fancy, and wonder what a lot of money means. We would ask, "What will you do if you find a bundle of money fallen in the road?" The question assumes that it's like winning a lottery, it's yours, you own it. Hmm! Moses didn't think like that! And BTW, I never found a bundle of money, not even a 1-rupee coin! 😬😂

God wants us to be helpful (loving). This is not only about neighbors. Look again, it says "countryman." What a sinful city we are in, Delhi! Full of cheating! I read a news article not long ago about some people selling fire extinguishers duping the uneducated as oxygen for a covid patient!

Loving one another extends to all relationships: even to their donkeys and garments! (v2-4)

 

𝔻𝔼𝕌𝕋𝔼ℝ𝕆ℕ𝕆𝕄𝕐 𝟚𝟛:𝟙𝟜

"Since the LORD your God walks in the midst of your camp to deliver you and to defeat your enemies before you, therefore your camp must be holy; and He must not see anything indecent among you or He will turn away from you."

The dominant theme, idea, picture we see from this chapter is: God is holy; we cannot do as we like before Him. There's a proper way to worship Him, and a proper way to live as His people.

Nowadays, people’s attitudes are: God should be okay with whatever makes me comfortable. That's why they come to church for worship any time they like, dressing anyway they like, talking anything they like, singing any song they like.

They wake up anytime they like. They read and pray and skip anytime they like. There's no discipline.  There's no piety. They think, "God's must be so good to accommodate all my lifestyle."

Sadly, it just shows that worshippers are greater than the One who is worshipped!

And Deuteronomy 23 is basically saying, "You fool, No!"

 

𝔻𝔼𝕌𝕋𝔼ℝ𝕆ℕ𝕆𝕄𝕐 𝟚𝟜:𝟚𝟙-𝟚𝟚

"When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not go over it again; it shall be for the alien, for the orphan, and for the widow. You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore I am commanding you to do this thing."

In short, be kind and considerate towards the poor and the underprivileged. Israelites knew they once were such in Egypt; their experience must be used to uplift such people.

There will always be poor people, but we must always strive to reduce poverty. God commands the rich, strong, wise, powerful people, skilled people to uplift the rest of the society.

Is it an accident that we were born in a poor society? Maybe like the Israelites, we will be delivered from poverty, and then when we become more stable and civilized someday, we must do so for others who aren't!

 

𝔻𝔼𝕌𝕋𝔼ℝ𝕆ℕ𝕆𝕄𝕐 𝟚𝟝:𝟝

"When brothers live together and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the deceased shall not be married outside the family to a strange man. Her husband's brother shall go in to her and take her to himself as wife and perform the duty of a husband's brother to her."

Bible teaches us a high view of family, a high view of marriage, a high view of children.

These days, full of broken families: parents living separately, not talking to others, children not talking to parents, etc. God designs people to love their family members more than anyone outside their family members. Nowadays, no love in the family, no family values.

Marriage is till death separates. Nowadays, multiple marriages, divorces for all kinds of stupid reasons. God designs marriage to be a lifelong covenant, nowadays it has become a contract they can call off anytime.

Nowadays, children are worthless as dungs, they can abort them anytime they want. It has become evil to have children, they protest; children are evil to them.

This verse, Deuteronomy 25:5 reminds us of a high view God has of family, marriage, and children.

In the context of Israelites [then], it was even more, because it included the inheritance, promised land, and lineage, which is not that applicable to strangers like us now.