Deuteronomy 21 Commentary
Human life is important to God. Someone must always take responsibility when human life is lost in murder.
The LORD knows exactly what has happened. Both the killer and the circumstances of the killing are known to the LORD. Yet the LORD ordains this very much human ‘hit or miss’ process of exoneration for the town closest to the murder case.
The key thought is that the community must take care of its own people and take responsibility when there is failure and a murder occurs.
Human processes operate in nearly total ignorance, and the LORD is okay with that. We don’t have to know everything, but we must be righteous about everything.
The regulations concerning female prisoners of war provide an insight into the high standards of justice demanded by Israel. Later in the scripture, a pagan nation would describe Israel’s kings as merciful. The LORD imposed on Israel a justice system that reflected the heart of the LORD, even in the imperfection of state governance.
Stoning a rebellious son to death appears harsh but he is a lawbreaker. By being rebellious he dishonors his parents. He has sinned against the LORD hence the heavy penalty. While many sins are committed against yourself, spouses, children, friends, companies, communities, governments, races, nature, or even humanity at large, sin is always an offense against the LORD. It is always serious. The need for genuine repentance cannot be over-emphasized.
Yet one may wonder why the LORD seems to like the death penalty for just about any serious offense. It doesn’t become any easier when you consider the fact that the same LORD is very serious about every life. Even when the killer is not known, the elders of the community nearest to the scene of crime must exonerate themselves in repentance.
Could it be that we are looking at the same workspace from different angles? Regardless, we can see the mind of the LORD concerning human life and how unrighteousness affects His heart.
The chapter closes with a text that looks like an extract from “Calvary”.
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