22: The Authorities: court & kingship (#5 honor your parents) (Deut 16:18 – 17:20)

The court and kingship exist to promote the justice of God. And such regulations share the same spirit with the fifth commandment: honor your father and mother.

πŸ‘‰ Read Deuteronomy 16:18 - 17:20

What is the purpose of judges and civil servants in Israel? (18-20)

When you hear about an idol worshipper in Israel, you must (                  ) carefully if it is indeed true. If so, you must bring that person to (                    ) and stone that person to death at the testimony of (           ) or (           ). (               ) must be the first to begin the execution.

For a difficult matter to decide, they should bring it to the priests. Why do you think they must accept the priest's verdict without fail? (11-13)

They must select a king whom (             ) chooses from among their fellow (             ). The King should not have many horses, (            ), and (               ). Instead, he must have a copy of (             ) and read it so that he may learn to (              ) the Lord.

 

Answers and Meditations

To pursue justice in the land that the Lord gives

 

Investigate, the city gate, two, three, the witness

Execution at the city gate will give everyone a dire warning about idolatry.

 

The priest or judge was serving the Lord at the moment. Not listening to their verdict must be acting presumptuously.

Note that the Bible emphasizes, ‘the place the Lord your God chooses’ and ‘currently serving the Lord.’ God speaks through the person whom God has assigned.

In this case, doing evil is being presumptuous and not listening to the instructions of God’s appointed agent: the priest or the judge.

Whether their verdict is God’s will is not for you to judge. Your responsibility is to listen to them. Otherwise, you are acting presumptuously.

 

The Lord, Israelites, wives, gold, this law on a scroll, revere

It was not God’s will to give them a human king. They will ask for a king like other nations (14).

The Lord gave a king three prohibitions. Note that those things come from a human desire to strengthen the kingship relying on human methods.

But the Lord gave only one thing to focus on: following God’s words. It is the way to keep his dynasty forever.

 

This chapter talks about how to respond to the three kinds of authorities: the absolute authority of God (16:21-17:7), the delegated authority of the priest (17:8-13), and the human-imposed authority of the king (17:14-20).

Note that the authority of the king was imposed by human will. Thus, warnings and duties of a king were emphasized rather than the people's obedience to the kingship, while obedience was emphasized toward the authority of God and the priest.

And these three authorities should have that order. But, in Israel’s history, the order will become reversed. Thus, the kingdom will fall. 

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