Deuteronomy 17 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Deuteronomy 17

17:1 “You shall not sacrifice to the LORD your God an ox or a sheep in which is a blemish, any defect whatever, for that is an abomination to the LORD your God.

2 “If there is found among you, within any of your towns that the LORD your God is giving you, a man or woman who does what is evil in the sight of the LORD your God, in transgressing his covenant, 3 and has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, or the sun or the moon or any of the host of heaven, which I have forbidden, 4 and it is told you and you hear of it, then you shall inquire diligently, and if it is true and certain that such an abomination has been done in Israel, 5 then you shall bring out to your gates that man or woman who has done this evil thing, and you shall stone that man or woman to death with stones. 6 On the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses the one who is to die shall be put to death; a person shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness. 7 The hand of the witnesses shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. So you shall purge¹ the evil² from your midst.

Legal Decisions by Priests and Judges

8 “If any case arises requiring decision between one kind of homicide and another, one kind of legal right and another, or one kind of assault and another, any case within your towns that is too difficult for you, then you shall arise and go up to the place that the LORD your God will choose. 9 And you shall come to the Levitical priests and to the judge who is in office in those days, and you shall consult them, and they shall declare to you the decision. 10 Then you shall do according to what they declare to you from that place that the LORD will choose. And you shall be careful to do according to all that they direct you. 11 According to the instructions that they give you, and according to the decision which they pronounce to you, you shall do. You shall not turn aside from the verdict that they declare to you, either to the right hand or to the left. 12 The man who acts presumptuously by not obeying the priest who stands to minister there before the LORD your God, or the judge, that man shall die. So you shall purge the evil from Israel. 13 And all the people shall hear and fear and not act presumptuously again.

Laws Concerning Israel’s Kings

14 “When you come to the land that the LORD your God is giving you, and you possess it and dwell in it and then say, ‘I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me,’ 15 you may indeed set a king over you whom the LORD your God will choose. One from among your brothers you shall set as king over you. You may not put a foreigner over you, who is not your brother. 16 Only he must not acquire many horses for himself or cause the people to return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses, since the LORD has said to you, ‘You shall never return that way again.’ 17 And he shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold.

18 “And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by³ the Levitical priests. 19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them, 20 that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel.

Footnotes

[1] 17:7 Septuagint drive out; also verse 12
[2] 17:7 Or evil person; also verse 12
[3] 17:18 Hebrew from before

Commentary

v1: Worship of God means to honour God; ch 16-18 seem to emphasize that God's order had to be maintained. For the Christian, worship of God is in Christ, being centred in Him, and reflecting His character.

v2-5: Serious sins had to be exposed, and dealt with properly, as in 13.14. Here the example is the worship of false gods.

v6-7: Where the death penalty applied, there were clear safeguards to ensure that justice was done, and seen to be done.

The presence of two or more witnesses avoided the danger of personal vengeance, and the necessity of the accusers to be involved in the execution would avoid the danger of false witness.

The death penalty was necessary to protect the purity of the people; and as a clear warning that sin is serious. The incident of Naboth's vineyard (1 Kings 21) indicates that justice could be perverted by wicked men and women. The law was an outward restraint on behaviour, but was powerless to change the heart.

In the N.T. the principle of two or more witnesses occurs in 1 Tim 5.19, relating to an accusation against an elder in the Church.

v8-9: In 16.18, officials were appointed in every town. When cases "too difficult" to judge occurred, in relation to "bloodshed, lawsuits, or assaults", then the priests were to be involved. The priests and the judge would give a verdict. We see that they decision was given by more than one person, therefore avoiding accusations of unfairness.

We note that there is no reference here, or in 16.18-20, to the existence of a king.

v10-11: Once a decision had been handed down, the parties involved were bound by that decision. In this way they showed respect for the authority appointed by God. The Bible is consistent in requiring respect for those in authority.

v12: To fail to show proper respect for the decision maker was a serious offence, punishable by death.

v13: Again, the lesson was clear; if a rebellious person continued to live, he could spread his attitudes.

v14: See 1 Sam 8, where these words are fulfilled. We understand that to desire a king was not God's best, as it reflected a desire to be "like all the nations". In principle, Israel was not to become like other nations.

v15: The Lord God gave the people responsibility for their decisions and actions. If they really wanted a king, then they must be careful who they chose. The important issue was that he come from among the people, and not be a foreigner.

v16-17: The king had to maintain a good influence over the people. He must avoid those things which would turn the people away from God; three examples are given here, that he must not multiply horses for himself, that he must not return to Egypt, and that he must not multiply wives. Solomon failed here; see 1 Kings 10.28-29; 11.1-4.

v18-20: The king had to order his life by God's law; he could not claim any exemption, he was not above the law. He was also not a better person than his brothers. 2 Chr 26.16-21.