God’s Compassion

Deuteronomy 21 

Does your heart go out to those who can’t defend themselves or for the least popular person? God has compassion on people and we see that with his laws in this chapter.

Unsolved Murders (1-9)

Just like today there were unsolved murders and in this section God gives wisdom in how to handle them. Based on where it was, that city was responsible for the act that is described. They were to take a heifer that was unworked and take it by a stream to break its neck. This was not a sacrifice but was an execution. The heifer was going to take the place of the criminal and the city leaders would wash their hands as if they were saying, we are innocent of this unsolved crime. This is similar to what Pilate did with Jesus as he washed his hands with Jesus’ death.

A Female Captive (10–14)

God who knows all things knew that the woman of the land they were inhabiting will become captive and the men will want to marry. The men needed to follow a guideline. They were to allow the woman to mourn for over a month for the loss of her family and they were also supposed to have the woman shave her head and change her garments. The goal was so they were not to be treated with hostility or like a slave. They were married into the family and must be respected

A Rebellious Son (18-21) 

In this section we see the warning to a rebellious son to watch out because if they do not listen to their parents then the parents can take them to the leaders of the city and they can stone their child to death. This child would be one that would purposefully not listen to their parents. In Luke 15:11-32 Jesus gives the parable of the prodigal son, which should be titled “The Rebellious Son,” because he rebelled from the instruction of his father. The ending of the story, the father wraps his arms around the son who returned from his ways. Honestly, the father could have brought the son to the leaders and had him stoned to death but instead we see grace being given. The greater picture is that Christ paid the price and God has grace on us as a rebellious child.

The man who Dies on a Tree is Cursed (22-23)

This section of Scripture shows that usually a man that was hung on a tree was a cursed man, it was a bad thing to happen. When we turn to the Gospels we see Jesus who died by being hung on a tree. Paul says in Galatians 3:13, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law.” He became a curse for us to not become one. In Isaiah 34:11, Jesus was afflicted with our transgression for us. He fulfilled this law by being a cursed so we did not have to.  Thank you Jesus for dying on the cross so I could have eternal life. May we trod on in life and look forward to the day we see you face to face.