May 22, 2019: Day 25 – Deuteronomy 25

It is interesting how these judgments are given out with some attempt to allow the person who is in the wrong to save face.  Verse 3 gives a limit on the lashes the person is allowed to accept, and the reasoning for that is so that this will  not  happen: “your neighbor will be degraded in your sight.”  Don’t pile insult to injury is what the beginning part of this chapter tells us.

We also find the laws surrounding widows and their right to marry the brother of their spouse in order to carry on the family name.  Again, this assumes that polygamy was not only accepted but expected.  If a brother whose brother passed away is not willing to accept those duties  then they are to be shamed in public.  It is not an option to marry your brother’s widow, it was a law that it be done, and if you have a child with her then he shall inherit all of your brother’s stuff.  That sounds about right.

In the midst of  all of this starting in vs.11 we read an unfortunate occurrence which ends up with the wife getting the worse end of the deal.  I’ll leave you to read that on your own.  There is an overriding sense of fairness which ought to govern your dealings with your people.  You don’t want to be seen as that guy who can’t be trusted or who doesn’t follow the laws as laid out by God in anyone’s eyes.  So, we have this chapter to rely upon if by chance we enter into dispute and ought to be lashed for it.