Circulating a false report is forbidden as is being an unrighteous witness which means that we are associating with the wicked (v1-3). They were not to follow the crowd to do evil nor testify to pervert the course of justice, and they were not to show partiality to a poor man in his dispute. Telling the truth is essential in society.
Doing nothing or being neutral is said to be allowing a false report to circulate. They and we are bound to stop a false report from going further. The basis of justice is always truth. Without truth there can be no justice. Having worked all my working life in courts, I know the importance of truth, but it is not just in courts that truth is required but in everyday life.
It is easy to follow the crowd. I’m certain that most people who join in demonstrations haven’t a clue what they are demonstrating for or about. Perpetuating a lie can be fatal to the person who is the victim as well as the person on trial. That is why God’s law demands that there must be two or three witnesses to find a person guilty, and it is vital that those witnesses tell the truth. We must choose our friends and associates very carefully. Even the poor man must not be shown favour nor the rich. We all stand equal when the cause is justice.
Kindness was to be shown even to one’s enemies (v4-9). One must return your enemy’s straying ox or donkey If it has gone astray and you come across it, and one must help your enemy with his donkey if it is struggling under its burden, even if you hate the person. You must treat an enemy, however much you hate him, or he has wronged you, as you would treat a friend.
You must always render justice to one who is poor as well as one who is not. They should all get a fair hearing. They were to keep their distance from false cases. Truthfulness is essential and the innocent and righteous were not be put to death. This must include the unborn child. God said that He will not justify the wicked. They might think that they have avoided justice before the world’s system but not in God’s sight.
They were forbidden to take bribes. A bribe perverts truthfulness and deceives those who want to see justice done. They were to treat strangers with justice and kindness because they should know what it was like to be mistreated when they were strangers in Egypt.
In the 4th Commandment they were instructed to keep the Sabbath Day holy. One day in seven was for The LORD. However, it extended further than that (v10-13) – they were to sow their land for six years and enjoy its produce, but the seventh year they were to let it rest and lie fallow. The purpose of this was to allow the poor to eat of the produce that grew unplanted in the fallow ground and what they left over the animals could eat. This applied to their vineyards and olive groves. They are reminded that they were to work six days and rest on the seventh and this applied to their oxen and donkeys and servants and strangers so that they would be refreshed. No mention was to be made of the name of any other god, false or foreign.
They were to keep three feasts to God each year (v14-17) – the feast of Unleavened Bread in the month of Abib. This was to celebrate and remember the Passover and their coming out of slavery in Egypt. The Feast of Harvest to bring the first fruits of their labour to God. The Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, (connected to Pentecost). On these three occasions all the males were to appear before God.
They were directed not to offer leavened bread with the blood of the sacrifice and not allow the fat of God’s sacrifice to remain until next morning (v18) and (v19) they were to bring the first fruits of the land to the house of The LORD, and not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.
Leaven was a symbol of sin thus the blood of sacrifice of atonement could never be associated with sin. The sacrifice must be offered whole in its entirety, indicating that they must give it all to God and not leave anything over.
One might wonder why there is a mention of boiling a young goat in its mother’s milk. I understand that this was a common pagan ritual, some sort of magic potion considered to be related to fertility. They were to have nothing to do with this. In verses 20,21 God tells them that He would send an angel who bears His name. He would keep them in the way and bring them “…. into the place which I have prepared. Beware of Him and obey His voice; do not provoke Him, for He will not pardon your transgressions; for My name is in Him.” Angels are not given such authority to pardon transgressions, which is reserved for the Godhead, thus it is considered that this was a pre-incarnation appearance of The Lord Jesus. Angels are not to be worshipped (see Revelation 19:10, 22:9), angels are to worship God. Only God can forgive sins (Psalm 17:3)
The old covenant was based upon obedience. If they did, they would be blessed but if not, they wouldn’t. God promised that if they were obedient, he would deal with their enemies and cut them off (v22-26). They were not to bow to their gods, rather they were to overthrow them and break down their sacred pillars. God promised them food and water and to take away sickness, no miscarriages or barrenness in the land if they obeyed. There was to be no idol worship, in fact they were to get rid of it. The promises upon obedience were not just spiritual but every day practical living.
All God’s laws were by way of directions preparing them for entering the Promised Land. The biggest obstruction was that it was occupied by pagan people and even though God had showed His power in crossing the Red Sea and keeping them alive in the wilderness with food and water despite their grumblings, they still feared their enemies. God assures them (v27-30) that He will send His fear before them and cause confusion among all their enemies who they will face and this will cause them to run from them (turn their backs to you). He would also send hornets to drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite and the Hittite. Form experience, hornets are nasty creatures, and I would certainly run from one.
God could do this in one foul swoop, but in His wisdom He would do it little by little, giving the Israelites time to increase and take over the land. Joshua 2:11 and 24:12 show us that God did this.
Notice that God would do this. We often get impatient and want things done now but God doesn’t always work like that. We have to trust Him to do things in His time. God’s delays are not always denials and if He delays it is for a reason. He wants us to grow and mature as we await His timing. We must have faith in Him especially where we cannot see. He knows the way ahead and the dangers that lurk around the corner. He wants to keep us from them and help us to be able to deal with them when they arise.
God then proceeded to tell them exactly the area of the land He promised to them (v31-33). He set the boundaries from the Red Sea to the Philistia Sea, this is usually the Great Sea (Mediterranean Sea as we know it), and from the desert to the river, usually to describe the river Euphrates. This was a very large area of land which, sadly Israel has never fully possessed. Not only were they told the boundaries of the land, but that God told them that He would deliver the inhabitants into their hands. This was a great promise, but it came with a responsibility. They were to drive them out, to make no covenant with them, nor with their gods.
There was a reason for this because if they didn’t drive them out, they would be led into sin and if they served their gods they would be led into traps and snares. Sadly, and to their harm they didn’t always obey this, and they suffered the consequences as we would see if we read on in this book and particularly in the book of Joshua.
