Deuteronomy 25 Commentary
Justice is convicting the guilty and acquitting the innocent. On the other hand, injustice is convicting the innocent while acquitting the guilty. Know the difference!
Administer no more than 40 lashes. Punishment shouldn’t degrade a person. It’s meant to construct a human being. Paul was flogged several times with the maximum number of lashes as his “offenses” were always “extreme”.
The New Testament has several references to this chapter.
Paul referenced verse 4 to indicate the need for workers in the LORD’s field to be supported. “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain”
Verses 5 and 6 are probably the subject of an argument that the teachers of the law and the Sudducees presented to Jesus. It’s about seven brothers married to one woman – technically made possible because of the regulation in this chapter. Matthew 22 verse 25.
We may think of this law as one meant to protect the woman. Losing a husband meant the loss of support and personal worth. It also meant the loss of wealth, as the property was largely held by men. A detailed look at laws like this would reveal a deeper sense of justice. The law was sensitive enough to understand the peculiar circumstances that the woman found herself in. It is beautiful!
Hitting a man below the belt disqualifies one from a boxing match. A woman who literally seizes an assailant ‘below the belt’ in an attempt to rescue her husband suffers the worst punishment – amputation of her hand.
The severity of the punishment points to the sanctity of sexuality. It must be treated as such – not even when there appears to be a justification for crossing the boundaries. That is what makes pornography such an evil. It desecrates the sanctity of sexuality by exposing what should not be exposed.
Don’t forget to punish Amalek! Forgiveness can be a mistake! Yes, only when God says so! Revenge becomes a must when the LORD God orders it! God defines right and wrong. Ponder the closing verses.
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