Welcome to Delight in Grace. The Teaching Ministry of Rich Powell. pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. The foundational philosophy of a nation will trickle down into its laws and customs. Israel's laws were founded on principles of love and obedience to the Lord God.
The laws are a reflection of God's clear call to love Him fully, and love others as yourself. Listen as Pastor Rich connects national laws God gives in Deuteronomy. to the underlying principles of the Sheema in this message from Deuteronomy nineteen through twenty. Titled, So that it may be well with you. This is part two of a message first preached on September 8th, 2024.
And so the sanctity of life there is understood, and that's why the person who accidentally killed another would be able to run to these cities of refuge and be safe. Because if he were killed, for example, then what would happen? Then we would have two innocent people dying. Great. One out by an accident and another out of revenge.
And this is why God established this law.
So he says, You need to purge the guilt. God is constantly talking about wanting to maintain a sense of purity, a lack of, with an avoidance of evil among his people.
So he says Purge the guilt. What is he talking about there?
Well, in another case, if there is someone who had. hate for another individual of his countrymen. And he intended to kill him, where there is disdain, where there's hatred and intent to kill a fellow man.
Well, the law is clear. You shall not kill. Right? You shall not kill. So He makes it very clear here that a murderer Killing someone by accident is different from murder, okay?
A murderer could not resort to safety in one of these cities of refuge. This is a protection against shedding innocent blood.
So the understanding here, as I said before, the precept is anchored in the character, the person of God. Life, it's with the understanding, Israel was to live with the understanding that life is entrusted to us by God. He is the giver, he's the sustainer, and he alone is the taker. Right? That's what we need to understand.
Now with that understanding, we also need to understand that God has institutions that he has authorized. to execute the judgment that he has required. The first institution is the family. The second institution is the government. And the third institution is the church.
God has ordained those institutions. Those institutions have an authority as divinely ordained institutions that. the individual does not have. And that's where we need to make a distinction there. That's another study for another time, but it's very important to understand that.
So, the first underlying principle here in giving the law the cities of refuge is the sanctity of life.
Now let's look at the second one, and it's just one verse, verse 14. You shall not move your neighbor's landmark, which the men of old have set, in the inheritance that you will hold in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess. The underlying principle here is simply a respect for property. the respect for property. The land was given, and then it was inherited.
It was passed down from generation to generation. And the land for the people was their means of sustenance.
So. These stones, land was generally marked by identifiable stones. Maybe some of them were piled, but they were identifiable in some way. Like the land that you have, there are markers at the very corners of your property. I know because I have discovered mine.
It took a lot of digging, but I found them. But it marks the exact point, and if you have four of them, you have your exact property boundaries. Great. In this case, in the Old Testament, they were stones. People would set up stones.
They're identifiable. It's simple. It comes down simply to this. If you move those stones, you are guilty of theft. Because this is somebody's sustenance for their life.
You're guilty of theft. And the law also makes it very clear, very, very simply, you shall not steal. Right? Proverbs 22 also bears this out. Verse 28: Do not move the ancient landmark that your fathers have set.
Plain and simple.
So it's respective property. The third one in the latter part of chapter 19 is what I would call the underlying principle of equitable justice. Equitable justice, the same justice for all. The same justice for all. First of all, he deals with evidence.
A single witness, verse 15, a single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime, for any wrong in connection with the offense that he has committed, only on the evidence of two witnesses or three witnesses. Shall a charge be established? This carries over also into the New Testament. where two or three are gathered in my name. That's not a statement about worship.
That's a statement about church discipline. I know that shatters some of your coffee mug theology, but Um there we go. He's dealing with evidence here, two to three witnesses, to establish a charge because it demands objectivity. In other words, one person cannot come forward and say, This person did that against me, and I need justice. There needs to be a witness or two.
others. But then he deals with reciprocity here because he realizes that there can be wickedness in man's heart and someone could come and falsely accuse a neighbor. or a brother. Right.
So look at verse 18. The judges shall inquire diligently, and if the witness is a false witness and has accused his brother falsely, then you shall do to him as he had meant to do to his brother, so you shall purge the evil from your midst. And the rest shall hear in fear, and shall never again commit any such evil among you. Your eye shall not pity. It shall be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for hook.
Let me try that again. Foot for hoof. Right.
Foot for foot. This is where the idea of an eye for an eye comes from. Newsflash. It has been grossly abused in history.
Okay, why is this in Scripture? This is for a person that accuses a brother with malicious... Intent. Evil intent. This person becomes a false witness.
And again, the law, very clear, you shall not bear false witness. Because God is true. God is faithful, right?
So bearing false witness is a violation of his character. And so, if one comes forward and it's discovered that this person is. falsely accusing a brother. Then it is to be done to him as he intended to do. to this brother that he is falsely accused.
Why? To purge the evil from your midst. God takes this very seriously.
Now we'll talk about that a little more, why this is important. But when it comes to the part where he says, life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, etc., etc. This is not a license. For Vengeance As it has been so prominently used in history. In other words, they did wrong to me, I need my pound of flesh, right?
An eye for an eye. That's not what this verse is talking, this passage is talking about. This is given to guard against unjust physical retaliation. Unjust physical retaliation. And in fact, it doesn't necessarily have.
Physical retaliation in mind. For example, if you were to look back at Exodus chapter 21. Where it also gives the law in Exodus 20 and on. The latter part of Exodus has all the law in it. If a slave Is injured, is hit and injured, and the slave loses an eye.
It doesn't say the slave can go and gouge out his master's eye. It simply says the slave gets to go free. The slave gets to go free.
So it's not necessarily calling for physical retaliation against an evil committed against a person. This is given to us for two reasons to guarantee justice, to make sure that justice is meted, but also that the penalty suits the crime. That's the point of this. That's the point of this. Equitable justice.
And the Lord makes it clear here that this all of this ought to be a deterrent to people that might have malicious intent against a brother. He says they will hear and fear. In verse 20. In other words, what he's saying is think hard. Weigh the cost before you Slander or accuse another.
Because there it will come at a cost. Matthew 7. Verses 1 and 2, we know this well: judge not that you be not judged, for with the judgment you pronounce, you will be judged. and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Again.
Every precept of Scripture is anchored in the character of God, the person of God.
So we should consider that, we should weigh that. Gravely. in terms of how we interact with each other. Number four is chapter twenty. Chapter 20.
the people of Israel going to war.
Now, as we get into that. We need to understand what God's purpose is here. when you'd understand the big picture. Israel is God's chosen people. Why?
Because he has a purpose. What is God's purpose? for humanity. Redemption. Reconciliation.
How is that reconciliation? and redemption going to be accomplished through Messiah. How is Messiah going to come? Through the nation of Israel.
So we have to make sure we keep. that in view. God cares for his people. They are his chosen people. which means that he He has a purpose for them, and this is it, this purpose for Messiah to come.
And because of this purpose, they are under his protection. and his privilege. Thanks for joining us here at Delight in Grace. You've been listening to Rich Powell, the lead pastor at Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. The Delight in Grace mission Is to help you know that God designed you to realize your highest good.
and your deepest satisfaction in him. the one who is infinitely good. We hope you'll join us again on weekdays at 10 a.m.
