Deuteronomy 29

Deuteronomy 29:5

I have led you forty years in the wilderness; your clothes have not worn out on you, and your sandal has not worn out on your foot.

Amazing what God can do when He wills so.  Every day we deal with things getting old, and wearing out.  Our clothes, our cars, our homes, our possessions.  Not a month goes by where we don't notice that something is getting rather beat up, and will probably need to be replaced soon.  It's a constant source of annoyance, and sometimes a significant financial drain.

For the Isrealites, for these forty years, time almost stood still.  Friction did not cause threads to unwind or fray from their weave.  Molecular transfer did not wear down the soles of sandals as they contacted the ground.  Moths and other creatures did not eat away at anything they could.  For those forty years, it's as if entropy didn't exist.  Everything stayed as it was, not needing repair or replacement.  And all so that God could sustain them without the need for some more visible miracle, or the slaughter of more people to gain the supplies they needed.  Just so He could show His power to them, in one more subtle way.

Deuteronomy 28

Deuteronomy 28:62

Then you shall be left few in number, whereas you were as numerous as the stars of heaven, because you did not obey the Lord your God.

The ultimate failure to God would be to not obey Him, especially when you have seen His powers and grace towards you.  You will go from being a huge nation to non-existence, subsumed by those around you.  Yet this is nearly what happened to the Israelites.  Their land was taken, their people decimated and scattered, their culture nearly lost.

I sometimes wonder how much this applies to us today, as Christians?  Are we under the same promise/judgement?  If we fail to honor God, as I have to say I frequently fail, will we also be scattered or destroyed, leaving only the few faithful to rebuild?  Or does this not apply to us, and we could theoretically become as washed out as we like, and still exist while having no impact?  It seems so often that we are drifting towards the latter.

Deuteronomy 27

Deuteronomy 27:26

'Cursed is he who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.'  And all the people shall say, 'Amen.'

I realize that this is supposed to be a serious occasion, but this kinda made me laugh.  First, you've had a long list of things people should not do, or they will be cursed.  Then, you end with a curse upon those who do not follow those instructions.

If my reasoning is right, that means anyone who messes up is doubly-cursed.  Why bother?  What's the point in being cursed twice for the same action (or lack of action)?  And what kind of curse is this?  What's the penalty, besides separation from God (for which being cursed once would be enough)?  What happens when you are cursed for being cursed for breaking the law?  What's the point?

Deuteronomy 26

Deuteronomy 26:15

Look down from Your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless Your people Israel, and the ground which You have given us, a land flowing with milk and honey, as You swore to our fathers.'

Looking at this verse alone, it almost sounds like a demand of the people.  However, that's not the case.  This is instead a request, entreating God to do as He had promised, now that they have followed His commands.

God made a promise to their descendants, and He gave them instructions on what they should do to ensure that those promises were kept.  Now, as they as supposed to have done, they are in the land, and now are calling upon God to follow through with His promises and give them the blessing and inheritance that God promised their forefathers.

Deuteronomy 25

Deuteronomy 25:3

He may beat him forty times but no more, so that he does not beat him with many more stripes than these and your brother is not degraded in your eyes.

Both the punishment and the limitation are interesting to me.  First, this appears to be more of a civil court, rather than criminal court.  The previous verses talk about disputes between Isralites, not that some injury or theft has occurred.  So why is the punishment beating?  Am I misreading this, or was that considered fair play, given the differences in wealth or earnings?  Or was this the equivalent of today's punitive damages, perhaps?

Second, what is the significance of forty strikes?  I know that in Roman times forty lashes was considered a death sentence, but what does it mean here?  Why is more than forty strikes considered degraded?  And if the person has done wrong, why should he not be degraded for his transgressions?  Does the term degraded mean something different than what I'm thinking of?

Deuteronomy 24

Deuteronomy 24:5

"When a man takes a new wife, he shall not go out with the army nor be charged with any duty; he shall be free at home one year and shall give happiness to his wife whom he has taken.

As I've seen friends marry, I've come to see how valuable and important this command is.  That first year is a time of great love and happiness, but it's also the time when you truly come to know your new spouse.  You learn the little things that can come to annoy you, and if those aren't resolved early on, they can become larger problems.

In modern society, I see this in many ways as being even more important.  In today's culture, you don't have to worry about war so much, but you do have to worry about work.  So many people today become consumed in their jobs that they don't understand how much rebalancing is necessary for a healthy marriage.  If they don't focus primarily on the marriage for that first year, it's not difficult to see how that can lead to divorce later on.  Also, one year is more than enough time to form a habit and become accustomed to that focus, without even realizing it.  This gives them the proper perspective for later on, when children enter into the family, and allows them to keep the family first.

Deuteronomy 23

Deuteronomy 23:7

"You shall not detest an Edomite, for he is your brother; you shall not detest an Egyptian, because you were an alien in his land.

Two very different groups here.  First, the Edomites, which if I recall correctly are the descendants of Esau.  Since the Israelites are descendants of Jacob, they truly are brothers.  There is therefore hope for the people, but only over time.

The Egyptians I find somewhat surprising to be mentioned here.  The Egyptians did welcome in their savior Joseph's family, but then they turned against them cruelly.  They spend generations, maybe centuries, enslaving the Israelites, and God must do terrible things to them before they release their slaves.  Yet they are here treated as the same level as Esau's people.  Is it that the debt has been paid for the Israelites' slavery?  Or have the Egyptians been so awed by God's power through the Plagues that they now revere God and would be willing to serve Him?