Deuteronomy 16:18-17:20 Comments by Stephen Ricker
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The Flawless Sheep for Sacrifice
Comments for Study 15

Deuteronomy 16:18-17:20
Memory Verse: 17:1

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I. Judges (16:18-20)

>1. What are judges? (18)

* Deuteronomy 16:18 "Appoint judges and officials for each of your tribes in every town the LORD your God is giving you, and they shall judge the people fairly."

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>How should one serve as judges? (19)

* Deuteronomy 16:19 "Do not pervert justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous."

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>What happens when judges are just? (20)

* Deuteronomy 16:20 "Follow justice and justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land the LORD your God is giving you."

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>How did the apostles establish a similar system among the church? (Acts 14:23; 1 Cor. 6:1-6; 1 Tim. 5:17; Titus 1:5-9)

* Acts 14:23 "Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust."

* 1 Corinthians 6:1-6 "If any of you has a dispute with another, dare he take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the saints? Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life! Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, appoint as judges even men of little account in the church! I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers? But instead, one brother goes to law against another--and this in front of unbelievers!"

* 1 Timothy 5:17 "The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching."

* Titus 1:5-9 "The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. Since an overseer is entrusted with God's work, he must be blameless--not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it."

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II. Laws of Morality (16:21-17:7)

>2. What was an Asherah pole and a sacred stone? (21-22)

* Deuteronomy 16:21-22 "Do not set up any wooden Asherah pole beside the altar you build to the LORD your God, and do not erect a sacred stone, for these the LORD your God hates."

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>Why is a defective sacrifice unacceptable to the Lord? (17:1)

* Deuteronomy 17:1 "Do not sacrifice to the LORD your God an ox or a sheep that has any defect or flaw in it, for that would be detestable to him."

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>What is a modern equivalent? (Matt. 15:7-9; Heb. 12:1-3)

* Matthew 15:7-9 "You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: 'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.'"

* Hebrews 12:1-3 "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

* John 12:24-26 "I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me."

* 1 John 2:15-17 "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever."

>3. What does verses 2 and 3 say about Israel society? (2-3)

* Deuteronomy 17:2-3 "If a man or woman living among you in one of the towns the LORD gives you is found doing evil in the eyes of the LORD your God in violation of his covenant, 3 and contrary to my command has worshiped other gods, bowing down to them or to the sun or the moon or the stars of the sky,"

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>When a person was accused of idolatry what where the judges to do? (4)

* Deuteronomy 17:4 "and this has been brought to your attention, then you must investigate it thoroughly. If it is true and it has been proved that this detestable thing has been done in Israel,"

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>What is the sentence for worshiping other gods? (5)

* Deuteronomy 17:5 "take the man or woman who has done this evil deed to your city gate and stone that person to death."

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>What would be the equivalent in the church? (1 Cor. 5:9-13)

* 1 Corinthians 5:9-13 "I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people-- not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat. What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. "Expel the wicked man from among you."

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>4. How many witnesses are needed to put an idolater to death?

* Deuteronomy 17:6 "On the testimony of two or three witnesses a man shall be put to death, but no one shall be put to death on the testimony of only one witness."

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>Who is to be the first to execute the judgement? (7)

* Deuteronomy 17:7 "The hands of the witnesses must be the first in putting him to death, and then the hands of all the people. You must purge the evil from among you."

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>How did Jesus expand the executor's position? (John 8:3-7)

* John 8:3-7 "The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."

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III. Courts (17:8-13)

>5. What were the local judges to do with hard cases? (8)

* Deuteronomy 17:8 "If cases come before your courts that are too difficult for you to judge--whether bloodshed, lawsuits or assaults--take them to the place the LORD your God will choose."

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>Who were the higher judges? (9)

* Deuteronomy 17:9 "Go to the priests, who are Levites, and to the judge who is in office at that time. Inquire of them and they will give you the verdict."

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>6. Why was it important to keep the decision made? (10)

* Deuteronomy 17:10 "You must act according to the decisions they give you at the place the LORD will choose. Be careful to do everything they direct you to do."

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>What does "teach you" and "decisions" tell us about the role of a judge? (11)

* Deuteronomy 17:11 "Act according to the law they teach you and the decisions they give you. Do not turn aside from what they tell you, to the right or to the left."

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>How are we to know if we are in a congregation that makes sound decisions and keeps the will of the Lord?

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>7. What was to be done with rebellious people? (12)

* Deuteronomy 17:12 "The man who shows contempt for the judge or for the priest who stands ministering there to the LORD your God must be put to death. You must purge the evil from Israel."

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>Review what is written about church elders in 1 Timothy 5:17-22.

* 1 Timothy 5:17-22 "The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, "Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain," and "The worker deserves his wages." Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses. Those who sin are to be rebuked publicly, so that the others may take warning. I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism. Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, and do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure.'

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>8. When the call to holiness is upheld what happens? (13; Acts 5:9-11)

* Deuteronomy 17:13 "All the people will hear and be afraid, and will not be contemptuous again."

* Acts 5:9-11 "Peter said to her, "How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also." At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events."

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IV. The King (17:14-20)

>9. Was the people eventually going to ask for a king? (14)

* Deuteronomy 17:14 "When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, "Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,"

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>Why was this going to be wrong? (1 Sam. 8:6-9)

* 1 Samuel 8:6-9 "But when they said, "Give us a king to lead us," this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD. And the LORD told him: "Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do."

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>Who were they sure to appoint? (15)

* Deuteronomy 17:15 "be sure to appoint over you the king the LORD your God chooses. He must be from among your own brothers. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not a brother Israelite."

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>How might we seek a king other than Jesus?

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>10. What are some of the things that leaders of God's people to avoid? (16-17)

* Deuteronomy 17:16-17 "The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the LORD has told you, "You are not to go back that way again." 17 He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold."

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>What is the basis of a good and wise leader? (18-19)

* Deuteronomy 17:18-19 "When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests, who are Levites. 19 It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees"

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>What will assure a long dynasty? (20)

* Deuteronomy 17:20 "and not consider himself better than his brothers and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel."

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>As we are given joint leadership under Jesus what can we learn from this study about how to conduct ourselves and the church?

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