THE LORD SPOKE (March 20)

Daily Reflections from Scripture:

Old Testament: Deuteronomy 22-23

The NIV Study Bible is one of the very best. The quality of the notes is superb and they never skip over the hard issues, whether you agree with their conclusions or not. The introductions to each book are always helpful; some are among the best available anywhere (see, for example, the introduction to Psalms on pp. 781-786). The maps and charts throughout the book are always well-placed, accurate, and full of valuable information to the serious Bible student. For a start, check out the charts on covenants (p. 19), Israel’s feasts (p. 176), the intertestamental period (p. 1430), and the Herods (p. 1443).

Here in Deuteronomy 22 is inserted (p. 271) a very useful compilation of the “Major Social Concerns in the Covenant” (reproduced here with minor adaptations).

1. Personhood - Everyone’s person is to be secure (Ex. 20:13; 21:16-21,26-31; Lev. 19:14; Deut. 5:17; 24:7; 27:18).
2. False Accusation - Everyone is to be secure against slander and false accusation (Ex. 20:16; 23:1-3; Lev. 19:16; Deut. 5:20; 19:15-21).
3. Woman - No woman is to be taken advantage of within her subordinate status in society (Ex. 21:7-11,20,26-32; 22:16-17; Deut. 21:10-14; 22:13-30; 24:1-5).
4. Punishment - Punishment for wrongdoing shall not be excessive so that the culprit is dehumanized (Deut. 25:1-5).
5. Dignity - Every Israelite’s dignity and right to be God’s freedman and servant are to be honored and safeguarded (Ex. 21:2,5-6; Lev. 25; Deut. 15:12–18).
6. Inheritance - Every Israelite’s inheritance in the promised land is to be secure (Lev. 25; Num. 27:5-7; 36:1-9; Deut. 25:5-10).
7. Property - Everyone’s property is to be secure (Ex. 20:15; 21:33-36; 22:1-15; 23:4-5; Lev. 19:35-36; Deut. 5:19; 22:1-4; 25:13-15).
8. Fruit of Labor - Everyone is to receive the fruit of his labors (Lev. 19:13; Deut. 24:14; 25:4).
9. Fruit of the Ground - Everyone is to share the fruit of the ground (Ex. 23:10; Lev. 19:9-10; 23:22; 25:3-55; Deut. 14:28-29; 24:19-21).
10. Rest on Sabbath - Everyone, down to the humblest servant and the resident alien, is to share in the weekly rest of God’s Sabbath (Ex. 20:8-11; 23:12; Deut. 5:12-15).
11. Marriage - The marriage relationship is to be kept inviolate (Ex. 20:14; Lev. 18:6-23; 20:10-21; Deut. 5:18; 22:13-30).
12. Exploitation - No one, however disabled, impoverished or powerless, is to be oppressed or exploited (Ex. 22:12-27; Lev. 19:14,33-34; 25:35-36; Deut. 23:19; 24:6,12-15,17; 27:18).
13. Fair Trial - Everyone is to have free access to the courts and is to be afforded a fair trial (Ex. 23:6,8; Lev. 19:15; Deut. 1:17; 10:17-18; 16:18-20; 17:8-13; 19:15-21).
14. Social Order - Every person’s God-given place in the social order is to be honored (Ex. 20:12; 21:15; 17:22-28; Lev. 19:3,32; 20:9; Deut. 5:16; 17:8-13; 21:15-21; 27:16).
15. Law - No one shall be above the law, not even the king (Deut. 17:18-20).
16. Animals - Concern for the welfare of other creatures is to be extended to the animal world (Ex. 23:5,11; Lev. 25:7; Deut. 22:4,6-7; 25:4).

New Testament: John 11

In a day before telephones and text-messaging, you wonder how they knew in advance that Jesus was coming. It’s not like He kept it a secret. Only days after the near-stoning incident (Jn. 10:31-33), Jesus already began talking about going back to Jerusalem. Now Martha caught wind of it and walked out to meet Him on the way.

Others had their ears up too. The chief priests and Pharisees were monitoring His movements and when they began to pick up fresh news of His whereabouts, they called the council together to determine what to do. “We can’t let this go on or everybody will end up believing in him.” How significant! They saw Him as a threat to their own position as spiritual leaders. If people followed Him, their job as chief priests would be over (Jn. 11:48).

So they plotted. They looked for a way to trap Him. Interestingly, the most certain location to be sure to find Him was in a very public place - the Temple area (Jn. 11:56). With their spies well-placed they waited, knowing it wouldn’t be long before they would be able to arrest Him. In the meantime, leaders schemed behind closed doors, lying witnesses were located, and lawyers prepared their fabricated briefs.

The High Priest, Caiaphas, made a prophecy that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation (Jn. 11:49-52). His intention was anything but theological - it was pragmatic. His argument was that it was better for one person to be put to death, even if wrongly, than for the whole nation to die. In a way unintended by Caiaphas, Jesus did die for the benefit of the whole nation. In fact, His death was for the benefit of many other “scattered children of God” too (Jn. 11:52). The Jewish nation, at that time, did perish in that it was totally driven from the Land by the Romans. But many Jews believed and were given eternal life, never to perish, and the way was opened for many non-Jews to be grafted in.

As the chapter ends, Jesus ducked away to the little village of Ephraim for a short while. Named for the large tribe whose allotment fell north of Judah and Benjamin, this quiet spot was on the NW edge of the Judean desert. Off the main roads and a half day’s walk from Jerusalem, it offered the last solitude that Jesus needed with His disciples before the final week. They still wouldn’t fully understand until later but He was about to announce, “The hour has come!” (Jn. 12:23)