Deuteronomy 23:15-25: The Laws of Freedom
ONE CHARACTERISTIC OF a good insurance policy is the details. Every contingency is covered—no possibilities are left open. The verses you read in this section of Scripture fit into the category of the insurance policy. They are a collection of miscellaneous laws that don't appear to be intrinsically related to each other, but they are worth considering, as are other difficult passages. What you will discover is that God's wise care for the freedom of his people extends to the smallest details of personal conduct and community concerns.
Warming Up to God
God reveals himself to us in the details of our daily experiences. Think back over your activities for the past several days. Consider how God might have been caring, guiding and instructing you through all that you've experienced.
Read Deuteronomy 23:15-25. »
Discovering the Word
- What different community problems are addressed in these verses?
- In what different ways do these laws protect the Israelites and encourage them to live as a community of freed people?
- What abuses of worship are addressed in verses 17-18 and 21-23?
- What do these provisions tell you about how worship is to be approached?
- What potential problems in a farming community do verses 24-25 address?
Applying the Word
- God's law is meant to maintain the freedom he gave Israel when he rescued them from slavery in Egypt. How can this insight affect the way you read both the Old and New Testament?
- The law about shrine prostitution addresses the issue of acceptable offerings. What do you think God expects from you when you make a pledge or an offering at your church?
- Look at verses 19-20. The laws in Deuteronomy were given for an agricultural society. What principles regarding the use of money might we draw from these verses for a capitalist society that is built on the principle of lending and interest?
Responding in Prayer
Thank God for the freedom his law brings. Pray that God will make you wise and honest in the use of the financial resources he has given to you.
For Further Study
The Message of Deuteronomy by Raymond Brown