Deuteronomy 25:1 ¶ If there
be a controversy between men, and they come unto judgment, that the judges
may judge them; then they shall justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked.
2 And it shall be, if the wicked man be
worthy to be beaten, that the judge shall cause him to lie down, and to be
beaten before his face, according to his fault, by a certain number. 3 Forty stripes he may give him, and not
exceed: lest, if he should exceed, and beat him above these with many
stripes, then thy brother should seem vile unto thee. 4 Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth
out the corn.
Contextually, these are prescriptions for mercy.
Paul wrote in 2Corinthians 11:24 Of the Jews five times received I forty
stripes save one.
According to the Jewish Encyclopedia online the Jewish authorities
gave such punishment in multiples of threes, with Paul being beaten five times
as receiving 3 times 13 stripes.[1]
According to most sources the Romans had no set rules on limiting
scourging, as Jesus received, other than the whim of the scourger.
Paul referred to verse 4 when making a point on two occasions with
regard to compensation for preachers as Apostles and Elders in the context.
1Corinthians 9:9 For it is
written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that
treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen?
1Timothy 5:18 For the
scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And,
The labourer is worthy of his reward.
Deuteronomy 25:5 ¶ If
brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of
the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger: her husband’s brother shall
go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of an
husband’s brother unto her. 6 And it
shall be, that the firstborn which she beareth shall succeed in the name
of his brother which is dead, that his name be not put out of Israel.
7 And if the man like not to take his
brother’s wife, then let his brother’s wife go up to the gate unto the elders,
and say, My husband’s brother refuseth to raise up unto his brother a name in
Israel, he will not perform the duty of my husband’s brother. 8 Then the elders of his city shall call him,
and speak unto him: and if he stand to it, and say, I like not to
take her; 9 Then shall his brother’s
wife come unto him in the presence of the elders, and loose his shoe from off
his foot, and spit in his face, and shall answer and say, So shall it be done
unto that man that will not build up his brother’s house. 10 And his name shall be called in Israel, The
house of him that hath his shoe loosed. 11
When men strive together one with another, and the wife of the one
draweth near for to deliver her husband out of the hand of him that smiteth him,
and putteth forth her hand, and taketh him by the secrets: 12 Then thou shalt cut off her hand, thine eye
shall not pity her.
Anthropologists call this form of maintaining bloodlines a
Levirate.
Notice what appears to be the custom already existing that this
refers to so that this becomes an example of God modifying and codifying an
existing practice.
Genesis 38:8 And Judah said
unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother’s wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to
thy brother.
This prevented an Israelite woman from marrying a non-Israelite, a
stranger or alien, of an ethnicity other than the Hebrews.
The last command prevents a woman from involving herself violently
in a fight between her husband and another man. I think it is pretty clear and
also pretty clear that these encounters must have been frequent. This violent
immodesty was forbidden and the punishment was extreme. If you think this sort
of thing barbarous then I recommend you do a study of the old American ‘rough
and tumble’ fighting.[2]
Deuteronomy 25:13 ¶ Thou
shalt not have in thy bag divers weights, a great and a small. 14 Thou shalt not have in thine house divers
measures, a great and a small. 15 But
thou shalt have a perfect and just weight, a perfect and just measure shalt
thou have: that thy days may be lengthened in the land which the LORD thy God
giveth thee. 16 For all that do such things, and all that do
unrighteously, are an abomination unto the LORD thy God. 17 Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the
way, when ye were come forth out of Egypt; 18
How he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, even
all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary;
and he feared not God. 19 Therefore it
shall be, when the LORD thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies
round about, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an
inheritance to possess it, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of
Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget it.
Whether measuring wheat for sale or money by weight the Jews were
forbidden to cheat.
Amos 8:5 Saying, When will
the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set
forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the
balances by deceit?
I want to repeat remarks I wrote in Leviticus for Leviticus
19:35-37;
“Paper money
was not used. A medium of exchange’s value was typically determined by weight.
Genesis
24:22 And it came to pass, as the camels
had done drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for
her hands of ten shekels weight
of gold;
Leviticus
27:3 And thy estimation shall be of the
male from twenty years old even unto sixty years old, even thy estimation shall
be fifty shekels of silver, after the shekel
of the sanctuary…25 And all thy
estimations shall be according to the shekel
of the sanctuary: twenty gerahs shall be the shekel.
Numbers
3:47 Thou shalt even take five shekels
apiece by the poll, after the shekel
of the sanctuary shalt thou take them:
(the shekel is twenty gerahs:)
You can
imagine what kind of dishonesty could be displayed with the loose economy of
many nations with no set standard of exchange. God set the value of the medium
of exchange. He commanded the Hebrews not to cheat in weights and measures.
Clearly, not unlike today, cheating and false weights were common.
Ephahs and hins were units of measure
whose definitions will vary somewhat with different interpreters. The point
here is a standard measurement and not trying to defraud other people.
I thought a
Greek word that Paul used in 1Corinthians was interesting in this regard when
thinking about the Scriptures. Traditionally, by the way, it is believed that
Paul had Titus and Luke write what he said in 2Corinthians from Philippi in
Macedonia.
2Corinthians
2:17 For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of
God speak we in Christ.
The word
kapeleuo, pronounced kap-ale-yoo-o according to Strong’s dictionary, from which
we get the word corrupt in the verse
just mentioned, references a merchant who waters down his product. As an
example, consider the wine-seller who adulterates his product with water.
Are you using
a translation that attempts in a process called ‘formal equivalence’ a
word-for-word expression of the original languages with even syntax and grammar
where necessary to reflect faithfully the manuscripts from which it was
translated, literally over a thousand Greek, Hebrew, and vernacular language
manuscripts? Or, are you using one of those translations from a few dozen
manuscripts utilizing what is called ‘dynamic equivalence’ where words can be
changed to what the translator believed they should say rather necessarily what
they do say? Corrupt scriptures have deadened the sensibilities of modern
Christians and made a paraphrase of the Bible that has no spiritual power.
Instead of the sword of the Lord many modern Christians are armed with a
plastic butter-knife, as my wife, Beth, has said.
Another thing
of note about a just measure, an honest measure, in regard to Christianity, is
that the Christian is also admonished to not cheat in judgment, only in a
spiritual take on this principle. We are not to point fingers when we are
guilty of the same. Note these passages among others;
First, as Jesus said;
Matthew
7:1 ¶ Judge not, that ye be not judged.
2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye
shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you
again. 3 And why beholdest thou the mote
that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own
eye?
4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me
pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? 5
Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then
shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.
After a long
list of wickedness expressed regarding the religious history of mankind Paul
declares;
Romans
1:32 Who knowing the judgment of God,
that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same,
but have pleasure in them that do them.
2:1
¶ Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man,
whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou
condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.
2 But we are sure that the judgment of God is
according to truth against them which commit such things. 3 And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest
them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the
judgment of God?
And as James said;
James
2:13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.
So, we also have a standard of
measurement that God does not want us to misuse.”
See the previous discussion on Amalek;
“Exodus
17:8 ¶ Then came Amalek, and fought with
Israel in Rephidim. 9 And Moses said
unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will
stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand. 10 So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and
fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.
11 And it came to pass, when Moses held
up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.
12 But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they
took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur
stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side;
and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13 And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people
with the edge of the sword. 14 And the
LORD said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in
the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from
under heaven. 15 And Moses built an
altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi: 16 For he said, Because the LORD hath sworn that
the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.
…the
Amalekites would have been in the way of getting into the land promised to the
Hebrews by God. Amalekites play an important part in the Bible.
The Amalekites
were descendants of Esau.
Genesis
36:12 And Timna was concubine to Eliphaz
Esau’s son; and she bare to Eliphaz Amalek: these were the sons of Adah Esau’s
wife.
The
Amalekites took the city of Ziklag and kidnapped David’s wives in 1Samuel 30.
In 2Samuel, chapter 1, an Amalekite lied to him and said he killed King Saul,
thus resulting in his own death. Agag, a later king of the Amalekites, will be
the ancestor of the villain of the book of Esther, Haman.
1Samuel
15:8 And he took Agag the king of the
Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the
sword.
Esther
3:1 After these things did king
Ahasuerus promote Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him,
and set his seat above all the princes that were with him.
As
the first people who opposed the children of Israel after leaving Egypt the
Amalekites are a cursed lot. For the Lord to have war with Amalek from generation to generation it is clear they are
going to be villains in God’s ministry of reconciling man to Himself.
Moses calls the
altar he builds Jehovahnissi. Strong
said that meant, ‘Jehovah is my
banner.’”
The
hatred of Amalek is never to be forgotten.
[1]
Wilhelm Bacher & Lewis N. Dembitz,
“Stripes,” https://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/14083-stripes
(accessed on 5.19.2021.
[2]
Elliot J. Gorn, “The Social Significance of Fighting in the Southern
Backcountry,” Journal of Manly Arts, Apr 2001, https://www.ejmas.com/jmanly/articles/2001/jmanlyart_gorn_0401.htm.
(accessed on 5.25.2021).
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