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Category: Study Subjects

February 11, 2022
Ezra, Study Subjects, Uncategorized

LAW AND ORDER Law and Order Study Scripture: Ezra 7:1 – 10, 23 – 26 Background Scripture: Ezra 7 Lesson 11 February 12, 2022 Key Verse For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments. Ezra 7:10 INTRODUCTION Our Study Scripture and Lesson raises several issues for our consideration. It points out the need for skill, focus, determination, and the giving of priority required of those teaching the word of God. God calls different people with different skills and different levels of education and focus to work in His kingdom but it is clear that some situations require specific skills which God will provide to those He has called. In order to remove any sense of pride in those who are working for God Scripture tells us that those who are in positions of teaching are going to be judged more than other saints for the teachings in their work must reflect in their lives. It is clear therefore that it is not just a matter of using words when one teaches but it is a matter of action, showing an example to others in one’s personal life. That is exemplified in our Study today. The real issue is that when one serves for the Lord God Almighty servants are dependent on Him for His blessing for human beings are totally inadequate to meet the demands which must be met. Scripture notes God blessed all His servants, men such as Abraham, Joseph, Jacob, and David. In our Study Lesson today we see another man whom God blessed and we can see how he taught and lived and how he accomplished what appears to be an overwhelming task. In our Study Chapter therefore we see that Ezra this skillful priest and scribe was clear in where his strength came from. He advises us that if we want to have God bless us we must study the word of God so that the good hand of God would be upon that person. So we read: “For Ezra had sent his heart to study the law of God, and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel”. In addition then our Lesson intends to teach us that studying the Law of God is essential if one wants to serve God and be blessed by Him. Then with the good hand of God on such a person the teaching of the Law of God must be aimed at glorifying God for everything. This teacher must practice what is taught in the Law of God. But there are several other important lessons for the people of God for we will see in this Study how God influenced the policy established by a pagan king and his advisors and how it benefited the people of God. It is therefore important to know that national policy in different kingdoms all fit eventually with God’s interests. Though there are many people in pagan courts and in courts that do not accept the law of God their concerns will be made by God to fit with the concerns of God. No believer therefore has to fear that they can live and work to establish the wishes of God no matter what their situation is. We see this exemplified in the life of Joseph in Egypt, in the life of Daniel and his friends in Babylon, in the life of Nehemiah in the Persian royal court, and now in the life of Ezra. We therefore cannot ever use the excuse that we have to succumb to the pressure on us from unbelievers who are in control of essential areas of our lives. We have been given the wisdom and the protection and the blessing of God, and we know that God’s will, in due time will prevail. Scripture assures us that the wrath of men will praise the Lord and the remainder of wrath He will restrain. Even though Jews were in captivity they managed to reach positions that were highly regarded in these several pagan unbelieving Royal Courts. They certainly seemed to have use their influence to advance the wishes of God. God was with them in all that they did to advance His interests. Our Lesson Study accordingly presents the Scribe and teacher Ezra as a model on how to develop to be a good teacher of the Word, how to teach, what to teach, and what to DO. If we today want the good hand of the Lord to be with us, and if we really want to see God’s blessing on our personal life, our church life and our national life, we will learn much from this Study. Ezra could’ve lived a very comfortable life with high status in the Persian court but the spiritual state of the exiles that had returned to the land of Israel placed a heavy burden on him and he was willing to give up his situation and he faced the hassles and hardships to bring about reforms that would benefit the people of God. We today should ask ourselves the question as to what we are prepared to do when we look around us and see gaps and the need for reforms in the life of the church and in the personal lives of the brethren. Are we willing to put the laws of God front and center in everything that happens? This can however be a very risky and challenging business. Our Study Lesson focuses on the seventh year of the reign of King Artaxerxes Longimanus, Ezra the Priest and Scribe returned with certain priests, Levites, and other Israelites from Babylon to Jerusalem, furnished with a Persian Royal commission to provide for the worship of the God of Israel, and the observance of the Law, according to the ordinance of God, by the community. This work is carried through into Ezra 7 and Ezra 8. We must be careful not to underestimate the difficulty and danger in the mission that Ezra faced. In this mission he began to execute some very difficult and unpleasant moves which included sending away such heathen women as were married to Israelites. The context of his commission from the Persian king Artaxerxes is recorded in the original Imperial documents in Aramaic recorded in that kingdom. It was this same King that ordered the rebuilding of the work on the walls of Jerusalem to cease as recorded in Ezra 4:7-24 but something obviously happened to change the mind of this pagan king who was preoccupied with other issues in the kingdom. The enemies of the people of God had wanted to present the people of Israel there in the Land to this King in the worst possible light. But it seems clear that the Jews in high places knew that they should keep in their minds the well-being of the fellow Jews and they succeeded m persuading the king that there was a need for Jews in Judah and the surrounding area to be properly taught the law of God so that God would bless the Empire and keep it in good order. This pagan king therefore had a desire to keep the gods on his side to keep the area safe from rebellion and so he accepted that if a Scribe such as Ezra was sent to teach the law of God, God would not only think well of him and his empire but the people would be able to lift themselves out of poverty, be able to ay the required tribute, and be able to maintain the sundry requirements of Temple worship. A skillful scribe such as Ezra and the great administrator named Nehemiah would certainly have consulted with this king prior to him giving such a commission. According to Ezra 5:3-17 the king accepted the advice of the governor Tattenai to base what decisions he made on previous commitments made by the Emperor Darius, and therefore this ruling Emperor gave his approval to improving conditions in Judah and the surrounding area. We know from the books of Ezra and Nehemiah that there were complaints and controversies between the returning Jews and some of the pagans in the area and so it was necessary to stabilize the situation. It is clear that this King which we note was not a man converted to the religion of Israel, wanted to keep the gods of each conquered nation on his side to keep the region beyond the River safe. In line with this tendency in the Persian empire God turned his heart leading him to appoint a person like Ezra who seem to have been a minister of state and so well-versed in the law of God. The authority that he gave to Ezra was massive. The responsibility and the power given to Ezra was tremendous. One scholar tells us: “We do not know whether Ezra was already a minister of state as ‘the Scribe of the Law of the God of Heaven’ or whether this was a title given to him at this time so as to indicate to all that he was acting on the king’s authority”. The extent of the powerful decree given by the king and the seven counselors as recorded in the documents of the Persian court which are available to us shows that as one writer states: “. He was authorized to take with him all of the ‘people of Israel ‘who wished voluntarily to return with him. Ezra 7 :12-13.. Ezra was sent to inquire into the religious situation in Judah and Jerusalem, concerning which there was clearly concern (Ezra 7: 14) Depicted as fulfilled in chapters 9-11. He was taking to Jerusalem the gifts of the King and his counselors, together with the free will offerings of others, in order to make satisfactory offerings to the God of heaven…. He was to deliver to the house of God in Jerusalem valuable specials for use in that house (Ezra 7:19) Demonstrated as fulfilled in Ezra 8: 33-34). He was given his authority to call on the king’s officials for whatever should be needed for the house of God to certain prescribed limits. (Ezra 7:20-22). He was to announce freedom from all taxes for temple personnel, presumably having the authority to ensure that the order was carried out (Ezra 7: 24). He was to appoint magistrates and judges to ensure that the laws of God were carried out satisfactorily by all the people Beyond the River (presumably all who were recognized as subscribing to them), and to teach all those who did not know them (Ezra 7-25) with authority to punish as he decided right, even up to the death penalty (Ezra 7 : 25 ). Demonstrated as fulfilled in chapter 10 .6 with full names of transgressors given. God obviously made it quite clear from the King’s authority given to Ezra that all the Persian officials in the area had to recognize Ezra’s authority. It will be helpful for us at this stage to recall the testimony of the powerful king Nebuchadnezzar who ruled over the kingdom of Babylon but who came to this conclusion he testified about in Daniel chapter 5:34-35. He stated after his punishment meted out to him by God: “And at the end of the time I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up my eyes to Heaven, and my understanding returned to me ; and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever. For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom is from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the Army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand Or say to Him, “what have you done?” We can be sure that the ruling Emperor Artaxerxes knew about Nebuchadnezzar’s testimony for it might have been recorded and available to this Persian kingdom that succeeded the Babylonian kingdom. THE TEXT Verse 1 – 5. This passage as mentioned previously details the return of Ezra the Scribe from Babylon to Jerusalem and his entry upon his official duties there. The previous leaders Zerubbabel and Jeshua we will suppose, by this time to have grown old, if not died. Haggai and Zechariah, prophets to the first group of returning exiles after the 70 year exile predicted by Jeremiah the prophet seems to have finished their testimony. They prophesied during the chapter 4 recorded resistance to the rebuilding of the Temple. What follows in these verses is a chronological order connecting Ezra to Aaron the chief priest. As in like fashion it is not a complete genealogical order but highlights the major connections in the priesthood line between the two vary notable men. Ezra is introduced to us by way of his genealogy to establish that he was from the priestly line and a descendent of the high priest before the Babylonian Captivity. His pedigree is given in detail showing that he was a direct descendent from Eleazar the son of Aaron. It is pretty much the same as the genealogy in 1 Chronicles 6:1-15. Note that the genealogy has been set up to present Ezra’s credentials as the son of Sadock the high priest in David’s day. His descendants were approved by Ezekiel 43: 19 and 44: 15. Genealogies must not be important to us today but to the people of Israel it was most important for Ezra to establish that not only was he a well learned and skillful scribe but that he had all the needed impeccable credentials that were required by God to represent Him in such a task as this. So we remind you that the genealogies about the Lord Jesus Christ is critically important for they establish that Jesus as prophesied came from the line of David as promised. In addition Jesus’ line is traced back to Adam and Abraham to show that He was a genuine man. It is sad that we do not study these genealogies carefully to learn what they teach us. We have a different mindset when it comes to things in Scripture that look difficult. But we must note that nothing in Scripture is there casually. It has a tremendously important purpose. In addition, given these credentials and his skill and capability in teaching and interpreting the law of Moses which Yahweh the God of Israel had given, the Emperor felt comfortable to give Ezra everything that he required for his task. Ezra was given in fact a blank cheque. Between the dedication of the Temple in the sixth year of Darius and the arrival of Ezra in Jerusalem, a period of fifty- seven years is said to have elapsed. The ruler of Persia at the end of that period was Artaxerxes, who is also known to history as Artaxerxes Longimanus, the successor to Xerxes, the king who married Esther. The events of the Book of Esther took place between Ezra 6 and 7. One writer notes that this Artaxerxes Longimanus, known by the Greeks as ‘Macrocheir’, and by the Romans as ‘Longimanus’ was the son of Xerxes and his long reign included both the commencement of Ezra’s public work and the later scenes in the life of Nehemiah. (Adeney). Ezra and Nehemiah jointly exercised their respective offices at Jerusalem (Nehemiah 8:9; Nehemiah 12:26; Nehemiah 12:36), and so Artachshasta of the book of Nehemiah (Nehemiah 1:1; Nehemiah 5:14; Nehemiah 13:6) can be no other than Artaxerxes, is decisive of this point: for in Nehemiah 13:6 the thirty-second year of Artachshasta is mentioned. Ezra the son of Seraiah is thought to be a reference to Ezra being the grandson or great-grandson of Seraiah the High Priest (before the captivity) that was put to death by Nebuchadnezzar at Riblah ( 2 Kings 25:18). As such that would put roughly a period of one hundred thirty years as being elapsed between that catastrophe and the journey of Ezra to Jerusalem. A a grandson of Seraiah, namely Jeshua, who held the office of High Priest, had accompanied Zerubbabel in the first caravan of returning exiles, and this identifies Ezra as a grandson in all probability, and descended too from a younger son (thought to be Jozakak), the older branch being in possession of the pontificate. Verse 6. Firstly, one needs to understand the position of a Scribe in Ezra’s day as it is a position that greatly contrasts that of the scribes in Jesus’ time. The term “scribe” does not mean merely a penman, nor even an attorney well versed in forms of law and skilled in the method of preparing public or private deeds. He was a rabbi, or doctor, learned in the Mosaic Law, and in all that related to the civil and ecclesiastical polity and customs of the Hebrew people. Scribes of this description possessed great authority and influence. They seem to have taken over the important and influential role of prophets sometime after the return from the exile. As seen, part of the duties of a scribe was to preserve the Word of God, to teach the Word of God, and to administrate the Word of God (in the sense of interpreting and applying it). “As messengers of the will of God, they took the place of the prophets, with this difference: instead of receiving new revelations, they explained and applied the old. Of this new order, Ezra was at once the founder and type.” (Morgan) Ezra was very much conversant with the Scriptures, especially the writings of Moses. He had the words ready and was well acquainted with the sense and meaning of them. It is to be noted and feared that learning ran low among the Jews in Babylon; but Ezra was instrumental to revive it. He was raised up of God, and qualified and inclined to do this. Kidner notes that in Jewish tradition, Ezra’s is regarded as a second Moses. Thus all generations have reason to call him blessed, and to bless God for him. God sent to the Jews prophets and scribes, Matt 23 34. Ezra went under the latter denomination as previously mentioned. Ezra was a man of great piety and holy zeal. He had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord. That which he chose for his study was the law of the Lord. The Chaldeans, among whom he was born and bred, were famed for literature, especially the study of the stars, to which, being a studious man, we may suppose that Ezra was tempted to apply himself. But he got over the temptation; the law of his God was more to him than all the writings of their magicians and astrologers, which he knew enough of with good reason to despise them. He sought the law of the Lord, that is, he made it his business to enquire into it, searched the Scriptures, and sought the knowledge of God, of His mind and will, in the Scriptures, which is to be found there, but not without seeking. He made conscience of doing according to it; he set it before him as his rule, formed his sentiments and temper by it, and managed himself in his whole conversation according to it. This use we must make of our knowledge of the Scriptures so as Ezra we will be happy or have joy to know that we do what we know of the will of God. Ezra set himself to teach Israel the statutes and judgments of that law. What he knew he was willing to communicate for the good of others; for the ministration of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. But observe the method: he first learned and then taught, sought the law of the Lord and so laid up a good treasure, and then instructed others and laid out what he had laid up. He also first did and then taught, practised the commandments himself and then directed others in the practicing them; thus his example confirmed his doctrine. He prepared his heart to do all this, or he fixed his heart. He took pains in his studies, and thoroughly furnished himself for what he designed, and then put on resolution to proceed and persevere in them, and thus he became a ready scribe. Moses in Egypt, Ezra in Babylon, and both in captivity, were wonderfully fitted for eminent services to the church. Here it is noticed, but with a pious acknowledgment of the divine grace and goodness which disposed the royal mind in favour of Ezra’s patriotic objects. Verse 7. Ezra went up to Jerusalem with a number of Israelites, priests, and Levites. This occurred in the seventh year of Artaxerxes. It is taken as a fact that Jerusalem when Ezra made his travel there was already repopulated by the Jewish people from their exile for about 20 years. Only as mentioned it seemed that some Israelites chose to remain in captivity for a longer period of time. Verse 8. This occurred in the seventh year of Artaxerxes, and reached Jerusalem in the fifth month of that year, after a travel of four months. Verse 9. When Ezra went many more went with him, because they did not desire to stay any longer in Persian territory. The journey would have taken the time specified due to the slow pace and easy stages that must have been taken if the caravan had a lot of poor people, women, children, and all their household gear with them. In verse 6 to verse 9 we can witness how kind the king was to Ezra. He granted him all his request, whatever he desired to put him into a capacity to serve his country. How kind his people were to him. This was the direct result of God acting on the hearts of the people of the kingdom of Persia to serve His will. We should notice how kind God was to Ezra. He obtained favour from his king and country by the good hand of the Lord that was upon him. Every creature that God makes belongs to Him, and from Him our judgment proceeds. We must see that the events that shall occur in the hand of God, and therefore we must see the hand of God in the events that do occur, and acknowledge Him with thankfulness when we have reason to call on His good hand. Verse 10. “Here is a fine character of a minister of God: He prepares, he fixes, purposes, and determines, with his heart – with all his powers and affections, to seek the law of God, and to do it himself, that he may be properly qualified to teach its statutes and judgments to Israel.” (Clarke) The Living Bible translates this verse in this manner: Ezra had determined to study and obey the laws of the Lord and to become a Bible teacher, teaching those laws to the people of Israel. Note that the word “law” is Torah or instruction. So the secret of Ezra’s influence is really his devotion to the instruction of God, the first five books of the Scriptures as well as all the other Scriptures which was available to him. When we read that Ezra had set his heart this means that this involves “his whole being” which he had dedicated before his travels. He was not a person who thought that he had something important to do and then devoted a study to make that travel successful. He studied in seeking, which means that he made a quest. Then we see from this verse that Ezra set his heart to “do” the law which meant that he did not just seek to know the law but he set his heart to putting it in practice. He would show his calling to teach the statutes and rules contained in the law. If you decide to set your heart then it means that you are turning yourself to the word of God intentionally. It is not just a spontaneous thing. We know that because of human nature this is a challenge often times for you do not know what you would find when you seek the word of God. Often we find something in it that we have never seen before even though we have read the particular passage from the word of God many times. So expect to find insight and direction and encouragement when you are challenged by seeking the word of God. Bear in mind that the treasure that God has provided for us has in it many mysteries but the most important of these mysteries is the gift of God Himself. So He’s really waiting for you in the Scriptures and He is satisfied and very appreciative and will reward those that set their heart on seeking Him in His word. When you seek God you will find out who He is, what He is doing, what He will do, and what He has already done for you and the world. Note also that when you seek after God the Father you will find Christ for the Father has revealed Himself in Christ. Christ is revealed in the New Testament but He was anticipated in the Hebrew Scriptures of the Old Testament. When you set your heart to seek God and to do the “Word” you will see the glory of God and the Spirit of God will transform you so that you will become more like Christ, living, thinking and acting more like Christ. Do not think that this is so difficult at all for when you start you will find that life will become very different and stable for you. So you are commanded not to be anxious about life. This is very important and that is why the writer of the book of James in 1:22 tells us that we must be doers of the word and not hearers only. The more you do the more you will find that the commandments are not burdensome according to 1 John 5:3. There is tremendous blessing if you set your heart to teach the Word. But note that are tremendous blessing for working for God in other areas of ministry. You might not have to be as skillful as Ezra was but you will be able to impact a lot of people if you are prepared to pass on what has been meaningful to you from the Word of God. But remember that if you do not seek the Word you can’t do the Word and you can’t teach the Word. If those things are not in place all you will be is a hypocrite. The facts about seeking and doing as stated by Ezra means that everything is a cycle and they mutually reinforce one another. Verse 23. The ruler of Persia, King Artaxerxes charges Ezra to let nothing be wanting that was requisite to be done in or about the Temple for the honour of the God of Israel. It should be noted how honourably he speaks of God. He had called him before the God of Jerusalem, but here, should it be thought that he looked upon him as a local deity, he calls him twice, with great veneration, the God of heaven. Even this heathen king, might have taken the time to view the Word and Law of God, which, it is likely, he had read and admired. He speaks to Ezra and says, let whatsoever God has said be done. However, at the end of it we need to note how solicitously he deprecates the wrath of God: Why should there be wrath against the realm? The neglect and contempt of religion bring the judgments of God upon kings and kingdoms; and the likeliest expedient to turn away His wrath, when it is ready to break out against a people, is to support and encourage religion. The king’s motivations are clear, however, God’s motivations are also clear, and His Will, shall be done. We must not fail to secure our peace and prosperity, not that God would let that occur, in their case and ours today. Let us take care that the cause of God is not starved, by the neglect of men and the actions of men. Verse 24. He exempts all the ministers of the Temple from paying taxes to the government. From the greatest of the priests to the least of the Nethinim, he states it shall not be lawful for the king’s officers to impose toll, tribute, or custom upon them, which the rest of the king’s subjects had to pay. This put a great honour upon them as free denizens of the empire, and would gain them the respect as favourites of the crown. It gave them liberty to attend their ministry with more cheerfulness and freedom. We can suppose it was only what they needed for themselves and their families, and the maintenance of their ministry, that was hereby allowed to come to them custom-free. If any of them should take occasion from this privilege to meddle in trade and merchandise, they justly lost the benefit of it. Verse 25 & 26. He empowers Ezra to nominate and appoint judges and magistrates for all the Jews on that side of the River. It was a great favour to the Jews to have such nobles of themselves, and especially to have them selected by Ezra’s nomination. All that knew the laws of Ezra’s God (that is, all that professed the Jewish religion) were to be under the jurisdiction of these judges, which intimates that they were exempted from the jurisdiction of the heathen magistrates. These judges were allowed and encouraged to make proselytes to teach the laws of God to those that did not know them. Though he would not turn Jew himself, he cared not how many of his subjects did. They were authorized to enforce the judgments they gave, and the orders they made, conformable to the law of God (which was hereby made the law of the king), with severe penalties—imprisonment, banishment, fine, or death, according as their law directed. They were not allowed to make new laws, but must see the laws of God duly executed; and they were entrusted with the sword in order that they might be a terror to evil doers. CONCLUSION Note that the blessing of God comes to those who study and obey His word. This is an important command but it was a simple one for it would protect against Satan, his people, and all of those that were mixed up Jews who compromised with the teachings of the Word of God. It is not easy to encourage people to conform to the Lord Jesus Christ. But note that sometimes God sets up powerful people to trust your character and integrity. You should therefore live wisely among people so that they would recognize your gifts in teaching the Word of God and demonstrating by your life that you are a person that will bring blessing to them. Remember therefore that God will make away for His people. The journey might be long and difficult, but sometimes it is not as difficult as your mind might make you imagine it to be. Satan will make us afraid even of the shadows that are not real. Ezra acted when faced with this difficult task not because he was confident in himself but because he was confident in the Lord. He believed that God would make a way. Don’t forget that if you study and set your heart to know God you will become a powerful servant as Ezra was. When you look at this chapter you will see that God’s fingerprints are all over it. Ezra recognize that the hand of the Lord God was on him and so he acted. It is interesting to note that Ezra did not travel with a large group of soldiers to protect him and the people as Nehemiah did. Ezra testified that he had told the king so many wonderful things about his God that he was ashamed to give the king the impression that he did not trust Yahweh to protect him. So he traveled with a tremendous amount of money and with very vulnerable and marginalized people with him without extensive military protection. So we know that he trusted God. He never wanted the pagan king to think that he was being a hypocrite when he told him that his God was the greatest of all Gods. So think carefully about what you’re saying about God and live up to what you have been saying about God. Recognize that the grace of God and human effort goes hand-in-hand. You cannot trust human strength. That would be a mistake. But you cannot and should not make the other great mistake in forgetting that God operates through human beings. Therefore do not think that just because you do not have the strength, education, the knowledge or the physical beauty you think is important, that you cannot do marvelous things for God. God is willing and gracious to work with us, and so we are fellow laborers in the kingdom of God. May we therefore remember the kind of God that we worship and if you do not remember get to know Him. We pray that you will seek Him, and do what His laws require. Then you will be like Ezra the great servant of God.

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January 21, 2022
Deuteronomy, Study Subjects

JUSTICE JUDGES AND PRIESTS Justice, Judges, and Priests Study Scripture: Deuteronomy 16: 18 – 20, 17: 8 – 13 Background Scripture: Deuteronomy 16, 17 Lesson 7 January 22, 2022 Key Verse Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes: and they shall judge the people with just judgment. Genesis 16:18 INTRODUCTION Have you ever had difficulty remembering the Word of God and responding to it? Do you think that your youth is a stumbling block to you to obey God? Do you think that it is very important to understand the principles behind the ordinances of God given the fact that you like to go back to the things of the past that have held you in a trap? This Study Scripture brings us face-to-face with the need for God to show us the principles that must guide our actions no matter where we are in our different stages in our history. We therefore can see what God requires of judges and priests and the people in the communities and nations when justice is to be applied. The fact is that God requires that there be able men who are required to judge simple or difficult disputes which occur in human societies. In this application of the law of God which arises from the covenant relationship that God has with His people there are certain qualifications for these people for they are required to present themselves to God as one approved, people who correctly handle the Word of Truth. This is bluntly told us in 2 Timothy 2:15. Unfortunately we usually treat casually the requirements for leaders, servants and rulers in the modern church. We like Israel tend to ignore the requirement of God to • Never distort justice or literally the “turning” of judgment, siding with the many or failing the poor, the sojourner, fatherless and widow. • Insist that people in authority render just decisions for the people • Insist those in authority do always what is right • Insist those in authority never show partiality or literally “recognizing faces” • Insist those in authority never accept a bribe for bribes will blind even the wise. One writer comments on the importance of this Study Scripture for us in the modern church as follows: “In his Book entitled Jesus the Pastor, John Frye observed that today’s church is often tempted to look to models other than Jesus to guide the leaders. “I am not saying that Jesus has been totally neglected in prayer, he has been relegated to other dimensions of Christian and local church experience”, he explains. Jesus is shoved into the shadows as we read cultural surveys, attend our leadership seminars, and applaud or criticize one another’s endeavors”. It is therefore most important that we pay attention to the principles underlying justice in our Study Texts on justice for without it we will be left in the cold. The epic saga of Israel continued after their deliverance from slavery in Egypt by the awesome hand of God. Their liberation was witness to His power and marked them as the recipients of His redemptive love. God led them through the Red Sea not only to escape, but also for them to witness the destruction of their enemies who were knee-deep in paganism and who did not believe in justice for their people. At Mount Sinai, God made a covenant with the people, one that came with immense blessings for obedience, but also a curse for disobedience. While the people enthusiastically accepted the terms of the Covenant and eagerly looked forward to the Promised Land, their story is very similar to our own, in that it is a story of struggle, the flesh warring against the spirit. In actuality, the battle was not so much to do with our external enemies as it was to do with self. Despite the formidable demonstration of God’s power at Mount Sinai, they were still in captivity in a sense, as they carried in their hearts the gods of Egypt. This could not continue, for God is a jealous God. And the first commandment they received was to forsake all other gods, giving total allegiance to their God Savior who was desirous and worthy of their worship. Due to disobedience however, the relatively short trip to the Promised Land, became a forty-year saga, a sordid story of a people falling in and out of favor with God. Because of their gross sin only people 20 years and over were allowed to enter the Promised Land. Moses therefore had to instruct and remind these young people of the importance of the commandments of God and of the proper worship of God. In so doing he recalled their history and reminded them of the terms of the Covenant with God. We therefore are looking in the book of Deuteronomy at a sermon and instruction of sorts to young people who had to be warned about pagan influence as he set up the civil structures that would manage the society and keep them away from corruption. Our Study will show that the qualifications of those that would render decisions for the people and their method of their appointment was not stressed here. The stress was on the key principles that these people selected would embody. At the same time our Study passage also contains principles which emphasize the community’s share in Justice. It was the people of Israel and not the judges and officials only that should be concerned with Justice. The people were responsible. We also are responsible today when we select leaders. We cannot simply point to them and giving our Covenant with God exclude our self from our responsibility before God. But there is a context to this legislation on civil and religious administration in Israel as Moses identifies in these Chapters judges and officials, the king, priests, and prophets. He makes no bones about pointing out to them the need for righteousness and justice stated in Deuteronomy 5:16 and repeated afterwards “that it may go well with you in the land that the Lord your God is giving to you”. We know from Exodus 18 and Deuteronomy 1 that Moses has been advised by his father-in-law Jethro to appoint leaders and commanders which will judge the people alongside him and lighten his burden. The same words for these leaders are used in Deuteronomy 16: 80. We know from the Scriptures that in patriarchal times matters of justice and problem-solving were handled within the family structure with the man most often as the head of the family. There were elders as the head of families and tribes and this practice seemed to have continued during the time that Israel lived in slavery in Egypt. Moses had to present himself to them when he came to take Israel out of Egypt and they would question why he came to them. The judicial system in the wilderness seem to have been continued throughout into the Promised Land and today we will look at this practice where different people would work as Judges and Priests together in judgment. Note carefully therefore that the background to all of this was a Covenant and a God who rejected any practices of paganism. As a matter of fact, it was stated that God was the ultimate judge and guide for the people and that those appointed were simply to act under His jurisdiction and reflect His nature. Any deviation from this would bring dire consequences. Now that the young leaders in the nation and its young Judges, Priests and officials were faced with a complicated system of ruling and management Moses set up a system of trial courts and courts of appeal that are quite similar to the modern courts of law. But in this specific Study we will little or no attempt to regulate details of the job description of these officials that should ensure justice. Moses stresses the principles that these people were to embody and what was expected from the people of Israel in choosing and supporting them. Moses emphasizes the moral requirements for the task rather than the technical details of the task. We therefore should understand the underpinnings of morality whatever we do. If there is no morality there would be nothing but disaster for God will not respect those of us that do not follow the rules which flow from His nature. So let us avoid disaster I do not think that simply saying that Lord, Lord will get us into the kingdom of God. Let us remember that the Scriptures were written for our instruction, to us on whom the ends of the ages have come. THE TEXT Deuteronomy 16 Verse 18. The command is in the singular and so we know that Moses is addressing the people of the nation. They are to be intertwined with the representatives chosen. They are to appoint Judges and Officers in all their cities. These people are to be appointed by “you” clearly Israel as a whole, addressed in its corporate persona. It is the task of the community and so we would expect that the Judges and Officials would be selected from among the local elders with the people giving popular consent accepting that their reputation was for fairness. Of course, the priests would be sons of Aaron for that system had been established independently by God and accepted of course by Moses who did the installation. When we understand therefore that the people of Israel were to be involved in the appointment of these officers, we see that the people were to know they were able and fitting people before they appointed them. The people had a responsibility to look on the conduct of their judges and officials and make them know the principles that they were to follow. T This is remarkably similar to the instruction given by the Apostles in the selection of deacons and elders and other ranking officials in the church. The community therefore actively must be involved in maintaining and pursuing justice. As one writer states: “Ensuring that justice prevails was not a task of a select few; it was the task of the community”. The instruction about the “gates” meant that the people of Israel were to appoint Judges and officials everywhere not only in certain parts of the country or in major cities. We know from elsewhere in Scripture that it was at the city gates that trials were held and reports made about what was going on in the community. But this instruction or phrasing meant that these officials were to be appointed and undertake tasks everywhere throughout the land. Note also that the word “judges” does not really refer to someone in the modern concept of a Judge which presides in a court of law. Judges 16: 31 seems to tell us that it has the wider meaning for those persons are to function as rulers or governing individuals exercising the authority of God and therefore exhibiting the conduct of God in all their judgments. The basic meaning of the word “judges” seems therefore to be ones to make decisions as a community leader in disputes between community members. In the early history of Israel in the Land this sometimes involved military leadership. The tasks were assigned to people in all the tribes. No tribe could claim that they were separate from these rules. The word used for judges seems to refer also to officers with root meaning “to write” which might indicate that these people were scribes. But it is not clear that this was their only function for the words are sometimes used interchangeably between officials and judges. Sometimes officials were to assist the judge by functioning as a secretary but we know that these were not low ranking officials or policemen but held a pretty high office with the task of administering justice. In some parts of Deuteronomy like chapter 20 and 29 and 31 these officials are mentioned without any specific reference to judges. These were to work together to maintain order and justice. Note that we must not think of them in a kind of professional sense except that we should recognize some of them would be involved in more difficult cases. Righteousness should be the basis of carrying out their function. It was God who gives and it was God who could take away so the emphasis clearly is the fact that God has given them their ‘gates” wherever they were. The people were therefore to be judged with just or righteous judgment. They were always to do what was right. Verse 19. Remember now therefore that these people are to obey and serve God wholeheartedly. Here Moses now spells out what judges and officials were not to do. They were not to distort or pervert justice. This meant that they were not to literally be “turning aside anyone’s right”. Exodus 23 stresses that justice is perverted when judges side with many and failed to protect the poor, the fatherless and the widow. So also does Deuteronomy 24 and 27. The word basically means “to stretch out”, “extend”, and so this pictures what is being extended or stretched out so that it becomes unjust. The next negative is that judges and officials were not to “recognize faces”, that is to show partiality. Justice is to be blind. Judges were not to treat someone in any special way because of their appearance or on the basis of what, or who he or she is. There must be no bias, prejudice or favoritism to anyone including sons, high officials, or sports superstars. There must be one standard for everybody. Proverbs 24: 23 and 28: 21 reminds us that partiality is prohibited throughout the Bible using different phrases. Torah teaches us that Israel was not to be partial even to the poor man in his lawsuit, or give favour to the great and the rich. Proverbs 18 warns us not to be partial to the wicked and Psalm 82:2 laments that the judges of Israel judged unjustly and showed partiality to the wicked Then the other strong negative is with respect to accepting a bribe. Judges and officials were told not to take a present or gift for those that give presents and gifts would be expecting something in return maybe not immediately but one day. The wealthy and powerful would use bribes to manipulate the judiciary and make sure that the poor and the vulnerable who needed fair judgment would suffer. The Bible says that that practice was wicked. See Proverbs 17:23 Ecclesiastes 7:7 and Psalms 15:5. This problem of obtaining bribes and gifts was regarded as so serious that Deuteronomy 10: 17-18 specifically tells us that God is not partial and takes no bribes but executes justice for the fatherless and the widow. So it makes no sense for you to be giving tithes and offerings to God so that you can bribe Him to accept that whatever you’re doing wrong is acceptable to Him. This is such a serious matter that the practice of bribery will make even the wise and the righteous go astray. It is therefore absolutely forbidden. Our Study Text does not include the prohibition against charging interest or usury but that is dealt with in other parts of Deuteronomy. Following any of these three negative practices means that a person would never be able to judge fairly in everything for in the administration of justice there would be distortion, corruption, prejudice, favoritism, partiality, dishonesty, or undue influence. These practices do not reflect the characted of God and so is absolutely condemned. Many people in churches and in the society have been victims of those that violate the specific commandments of God given by Moses. We should understand that we have the responsibility to make sure that that does not occur, and if it occurs we should not sit idly by for in doing so we would be complicit in sin. Verse 20. The specific advice to Israel and the instruction to us is as one writer states: “Justice, justice, you shall pursue”. The repetition of the word is its own stress. It signifies justice or righteousness. This was to be followed after as if in hot pursuit, as if panting, as the verb indicates. It is the call Amos made to Israel, though they would not heed- “But let justice run down like water, And righteousness like a mighty stream”. Amos 5:24. When water runs down in the world, it pursues its path. Any obstacle to it is circumvented and the water continues on. This is what Moses is calling for now”. It is critically important that we note that Moses warns that there are consequences if the people and judges do not follow the ways of God. There is special responsibility on those that are known for their intellectual and practical wisdom for they are not to turn aside from fair judgment. God links life, well-being and good quality of life with the inheritance of the Promised Land and this is all linked to the pursuit of justice. For a good life in the Land which the Lord their God had given them all the people as well as the judges and officials, had to pursue justice. We must hasten to add that same advice applies to us. The book of Revelation warns us: “Blessed are those who do his commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. But outside and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie”. Deuteronomy 8 Verse 8. Moses was well aware that the people would sometimes have difficulties in making decisions at the local level in order to be fair to everyone. There would be family and sundry tribal and custom and practice issues. Sometimes the rule for evidence to be accepted only if there are two or three witnesses would run into roadblocks. Sometimes it would be difficult to determine the degrees of guilt for bloodshed for sometimes both parties in an issue would bear some guilt. There will always be matters of controversy between people. We see this ourselves if we pay attention to what is happening in the modern courts of law. We sometimes refer to these kind of thorny issues as requiring the wisdom of Solomon. In such a case especially where for example the decision has to be made between manslaughter or murder, the matter had to be taken to a higher court rather than a decision being made by local judges. The people were to go to the place where the Lord God had chosen and that of course refers to the Sanctuary or later the Temple. Verse 9. It was instructed that the people should go to the place that the Lord God had appointed and that would be the Sanctuary or the Temple. There the priests and Levites would constitute a Higher Court along with some of the senior elders for they would be wiser judges because of their knowledge of the word of God. It seemed that the Levitical priests and the Judge would handle the cases together and in 2 Chronicles 19: 5-11 we see King Jehoshaphat setting up a court similar to that referred to in this chapter composed of Levites, priests and laymen with the High Priest as head of the Court in religious matters while a layman would act as Chief Judge in secular matters, otherwise called the King’s matters. That Court would have the authority to pronounce judgment and render a sentence of judgment. Verse 10. There was no appeal against the authority of the Court. There should be respect for any decision that was rendered and any disagreement or rejection of the court’s decision would be regarded as contempt of court and a capital crime. People should therefore be very careful for once they went to the Higher Court they had to do everything that was ordered to them, Verse 11. Whatever was instructed should be obeyed and they should do according to the judgment rendered. They should not turn to the right or to the left from the sentence that was pronounced. Verse 12. Anyone who acted in such a way to reject the decision of the Court was being presumptuous. They should be regarded as people who did not heed the Priest who was ministering before the Lord their God. The Priest therefore would make a decision based on what the Lord their God said. The secular Judge was acting in the place of God and so anyone who disregarded the decision should die. Their death would put away evil from Israel. Verse 13. This will have a strong effect on the nation for all those who heard of the decision and the rejection of the decision would fear and would no longer act presumptuously. Nobody would be allowed to turn away from the instruction of the priests. Note carefully therefore that the Priests and Judges were not making decisions based on exploiting legal technicalities to justify their questionable practices. They were not only acting as good lawyers but they were also acting as good theologians. They would recognize that the decisions made in the secular courts were really theological issues and not only legal and technical ones. All decisions were based on the laws and commandments of God and we know that the Priests and the Judges had to go to God for direction on occasion. CONCLUSION Justice is the word that sums up these case laws. They stress our need to speak truth. Moral authority with respect to bearing false witness and how to treat our neighbor comes from the 10 Commandments. The believer the prophet Micah tells us, is to love mercy, do justice, and to walk humbly with God. These laws tell us what practical justice looks like. So we need three things. First, we need a righteous law which we must follow. Second, we need a righteous laity or citizenry willing to accept their responsibility before God. And third, we need righteous leadership. No society will exist and bring a good quality of life apart from having a just legal standard, manifesting itself in just laws. Laws that are just cannot be arbitrary and must be the same for everyone in the society. Note that this justice of God reflects the unchanging character of God and therefore God’s laws are reliable. God’s laws are to be reflected in our relationship with one another. So therefore note that biblical justice is predictable and that is why God wanted His laws to be read to every resident of Israel during the year of release or every seven years according to Deuteronomy 31: 9-13. In addition the king had to personally copy the Laws and keep the copy for his personal reference. It is very interesting to note that the apostle Paul tells us in Romans 1-2 that everyone on earth knows the rules. The rules have been written on our hearts so if we want justice all we have to do is to see what the Judge, the lawgiver has written. God has so structured the world that apart from the law of God there can be no justice anywhere in the society. When we look at history we see that millions of people have been unjustly killed and abused by anti-Christian governments, communist governments, dictatorial governments, as well as governments that claim to be Christians. God commands all to do justly and to speak the truth. None of the systems that have ever existed can say that they have an excuse. The Book of Daniel tells us that God looks at the nations as wild beasts while men look at nations as represented in the image of gold, silver and precious metals as things of value. That is why God will set up a kingdom that will sweep away all kingdoms and why His kingdom will remain forever. God needs righteous citizenry. God condemns untruthful witnesses. God condemns those that follow the crowd and those that follow peer pressure. The prophet Amos and others stressed all of these things and we stand condemned when we follow the mischievous and unreliable witnesses and the peer pressure brought on us by the wicked. We saw some of these instructions as to how we should behave in our previous Lesson. So do not doubt that God has given these commands. We cannot ignore the call of God for righteous leadership and righteous judges and righteous people and we cannot go along with corruption, and supporting people that turn evidence around, perverting evidence and rendering a dishonest judgment. We can see judges accepting bribes and say nothing. We can see people perverting justice and say nothing. This our choice and it will have sad consequences. It is amazing to see that the people of Israel despite all of these instructions finally say that they wanted a king like the other nations. The prophet Samuel warned them not to act wickedly for they wanted a king like the other nations. That of course would lead to disaster for them. But we should not be self-righteous and we should understand that all the laws of God ultimately point to the Lord Jesus Christ. The law of God is perfect and reveals the sinfulness and the deep sinfulness of sin and we should sweep away our sins through the blood of Jesus. God is just and He will not clear the guilty. God will not turn a blind eye for He sent his son to die for sinners and to show people what a righteous judge is. But let us remember that God is able to justify the guilty and also to remain just and God will exercise unbelievable compassion to poor sinners while He acts to uphold His laws. But Israel wanted a king like the nations. And so do we often. We want judges, rulers and kings that are in the style of the pagan nations of the world. The tragedy is that a man as wise as Solomon was a notorious breaker of the commands of God and he accumulated for himself everything that he had been told not to accumulate. But he didn’t seem to know the commands of Deuteronomy 17. Christian as well as many leaders fall because of power, pleasure, or money. God’s commands and we have to always look today to the word of God and depend on the truths of God so that we can develop proper reverence for God and live holy lives. We are to understand however that given the complications of modern life there might be difficulties in applying an ancient text to a modern context for we have developed complicated rules and regulations. We also note that we have developed sensitivity on cultural issues which in some cases seem to run counter to biblical instruction. We also believe in the separation of church and state and this of course is different the structure of ancient Israel. But the principles apply. Justice must be pursued by judges, officials and the community. The practices outlined which make those in positions seek power, money, and the ability to abuse others remain condemned. God requires citizens to remain willing to ensure justice and demand that the practices of justice be followed by the professionals and those in the judiciary. Those in these positions are accountable. They are required to serve fairly and correctly. If we choose to disregard the way of God we will suffer. We will even complain that God is not helping but in fact in many cases the problem is caused by us. There is no doubt that we face immense challenges in this area of justice denied. But we must recognize our personal responsibility in not going along with the perversion of justice, giving truthful testimony when called on to do so, and not telling lies. We must remember that we cannot skirt the law, stretching the laws of God to go around it. We must avoid prejudice and doing harm to others. We must be people of justice. God requires that loyalty and obedience to His word irrespective of the challenges that we face in living in this sinful, pagan world.

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