Chapter 16

Deuteronomy 16:3  Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith, even the bread of affliction; for thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt in haste: that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life.

Tortillas for 7 days!

Remember the day when thou camest forth all the days of thy life! Always remember and always celebrate, always relive, always rejoice and talk about the day you got saved. All the days of your life! Remember it!

Deuteronomy 16:12  And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt: and thou shalt observe and do these statutes.

It should always be at the forefront of our minds who we were before we were saved. Our lost condition, where God brought us from, what God had saved us from, who had dominion over us, where our abode was. Always give glory to God passing from death to life!

Deuteronomy 16:19  Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.

That’s a stern warning. Blind the eyes. Pervert the words. Gifts? Bribes.

Wrest judgment or respect persons? I wonder how much we do this and we don’t know we’re doing this? Wresting judgement. To pervert judgment, misapply. To force something that shouln’t be forced. Bible wrestling.

Chapter 17

Deuteronomy 17:6  At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.

Jesus was not put to death because of witnesses because they couldn’t get two to agree. I think that’s funny. I can picture the Pharisees getting angry because they couldn’t get him condemned no matter what they did. They finally condemned him because he said he was the Son of God and they cried blasphemy.

Deuteronomy 17:16  But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.

There is no going back to Egypt. Praise God. Once saved, always saved! In the wilderness, they wanted to go back. They said let’s make a captain and go back. God didn’t allow that. Nope. Once you’re out, you ain’t never going back. No more sacrifice for sin.

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Deuteronomy 19:3  Thou shalt prepare thee a way, and divide the coasts of thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee to inherit, into three parts, that every slayer may flee thither.

The city of refuge again. I have to admit. Call me weird. It seems so out of place. It’s so different from everything else. It’s different from sacrifice, from offereing, from law, from anything.

Deuteronomy 19:9  If thou shalt keep all these commandments to do them, which I command thee this day, to love the LORD thy God, and to walk ever in his ways; then shalt thou add three cities more for thee, beside these three:

More cities of refuge added. More mercy. The expansion of the kingdom. More saved. More love. More forgiveness. Grace does more more abound.

Deuteronomy 19:14  Thou shalt not remove thy neighbour’s landmark, which they of old time have set in thine inheritance, which thou shalt inherit in the land that the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it.

Keep your hands to yourself. Why would someone do this? First thing that comes to mind is putting someone down to lift yourself.

Deuteronomy 19:15  One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.

Jesus said there’s two that beareth witness.

Deuteronomy 19:16  If a false witness rise up against any man to testify against him that which is wrong;

The false witness against Jesus, according to the law, should have been crucified. Along with Barabas, Jesus took their place.

Chapter 20

Deuteronomy 20:1-4  When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the LORD thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.  (2)  And it shall be, when ye are come nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people,  (3)  And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them;  (4)  For the LORD your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.

Bless the Lord. If God be for us, who can be against us! Jesus is our high priest. He’s the one saying “fear not, do not tremble, neither be terrified.”

Deuteronomy 20:5-8  And the officers shall speak unto the people, saying, What man is there that hath built a new house, and hath not dedicated it? let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man dedicate it.  (6)  And what man is he that hath planted a vineyard, and hath not yet eaten of it? let him also go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man eat of it.  (7)  And what man is there that hath betrothed a wife, and hath not taken her? let him go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man take her.  (8)  And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren’s heart faint as well as his heart.

Valid excuses for not going to battle

Isn’t that interesting. I don’t think alot of us would hold to this. We’d probably say, “No, you’re going to battle.” I have to think on this definitely. Excuses for missing work. Excuses for missing church.

Deuteronomy 20:11  And it shall be, if it make thee answer of peace, and open unto thee, then it shall be, that all the people that is found therein shall be tributaries unto thee, and they shall serve thee.

This reminds me of when Jesus sent the 12 out to preach the kingdom.

Deuteronomy 20:19-20  When thou shalt besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by forcing an axe against them: for thou mayest eat of them, and thou shalt not cut them down (for the tree of the field is man’s life) to employ them in the siege:  (20)  Only the trees which thou knowest that they be not trees for meat, thou shalt destroy and cut them down; and thou shalt build bulwarks against the city that maketh war with thee, until it be subdued.

Trees? The tree of the field is man’s life. Cross?

Trees. Trees. Tress. I have to remember this stuff.