Read Deuteronomy 25 – Crime and punishment – It was a big deal and punishment was carried out immediately. If the crime merited a beating, a limit of 40 lashes was imposed as more than that would humiliate the neighbor. (:3) In the New Testament, the Jews restricted such beatings to 39 lashes to be seen as merciful. Paul was the recipient of such beatings 5 times according to 2 Corinthians 11:24.
There was an interesting law on marriage and a brother’s duty to impregnate his sister-in-law, in the event of his brother’s death. (:5-10) There is a very colorful account of this law in action in Genesis 38, if you are curious about it.
The law for a wife jumping in on her husband’s fight with another man seems harsh, but I am certain there were very few one-armed ladies as a result. (:11-12) It specifically applied to her grabbing the other man’s private parts and commentators suppose this may have been in protection of reproduction.
Weights and measures must be equal. This is about integrity before God and he gives a promise and a warning for it. The promise for the man who trades with honesty is a long life, and the dishonest man is detestable to the LORD.
Beloved, hold on to that idea to be “detestable to the LORD”. When you sin, be it cheating, lying, drunkenness, anger, using the LORD’s name in vain, or any number of things, know that this is detestable to the LORD. God’s Word says, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Proverbs 1:7 and “Fear of the LORD is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment.” Proverbs 9:10 I hope each of us would take this to heart, knowing that our sin is detestable to God and fear Him so much that we would not sin, but if we do, that we are quick to confess and repent (which simply means stop doing it, turn away from it).
Please, Beloved, do not take your sin lightly. Love and fear the LORD your God so much that it rules over your conduct. As my pastor puts it: Obedience motivated by love brings joy. Disobedience brings pain. Choose love.
Judy in the Sky 