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Scripture Reading: Deut. 24:7, 16; 25:1-3, 5-16
In this message we will consider the six remaining matters concerning the government among the people.
In 24:7 we have the judgment on kidnapping. If a man kidnapped someone from among his brothers of the children of Israel and dealt with him as a slave or sold him, then that kidnapper was to be put to death (v. 7a). This death sentence indicates the seriousness of kidnapping; it is equal in seriousness to the crime of murder. To kidnap a person is equal to killing him. Through the execution of the kidnapper, the evil was to be utterly removed from the midst of the children of Israel (v. 7b).
Kidnapping is a serious sin that annuls one's human rights in a cheating way. We should not think that there cannot be any kind of kidnapping among brothers today. In recent years, certain ones have attempted to "kidnap" some of the brothers and to "enslave" them and then to "sell" them. These ones have not tried to kidnap the outsiders; they have tried to kidnap the brothers, the members of the Body of Christ. This kidnapping must be condemned.
Deuteronomy 24:16 is a word concerning judgments on fathers and on their children. Fathers were not to be put to death because of their children, nor were the children to be put to death because of their fathers (v. 16a). Rather, every man was to be put to death for his own sin.
Verse 16 reveals God's justice. Actually all the points concerning the divine government among the children of Israel show us that God is a God of justice. As a God of justice, God will not allow anything unjust to be among His people.
Deuteronomy 25:1-3 deals with the judgment on a dispute brought before the children of Israel. If there was a dispute between some among the children of Israel, and they approached the court, the judges were to justify the righteous and condemn the wicked (v. 1). Justifying the righteous and condemning the wicked maintains justice among God's people.
In 1 Corinthians 6:1-8 Paul tells us that a dispute among brothers in the church should be settled by certain able ones in the church. This indicates that sometimes the church may be like a court where judgments are made regarding disputes. In settling any dispute, we must be just, justifying the righteous and condemning the wicked.
According to Deuteronomy 25:2, if the wicked one was worthy of beating, the judge was to make him lie down and have him beaten before him as was sufficient for his wickedness, by number. The judge could give him forty blows (v. 3a). The judge was not to exceed this number, lest, in exceeding, his brother would be degraded before his eyes (v. 3b).
Today we should never degrade any brother in the Lord. If we must speak about a brother's wrongdoing, we should be restrained and be careful not to exaggerate. If our speaking about him is excessive, we may degrade him in the eyes of others. Since every brother is precious to the Lord Jesus and is treasured by Him, having been purchased by Him with His blood, a great price, it is sinful to degrade a brother. If we degrade a brother by criticizing him or by speaking excessively of his wrongdoing, the divine life within us will condemn us. Therefore, in speaking concerning the saints, we need to be restricted and careful.
Deuteronomy 25:5-10 speaks regarding the judgment over a brother who was not willing to do the duty of a husband's brother. If Israelite brothers dwelt together, and one of them, having no son, died, his brother was to take the deceased brother's wife as his wife and was to do the duty of a husband's brother for her (v. 5). The firstborn whom the wife bore was to assume the name of her deceased husband, so that his name would not be blotted out of Israel (v. 6).
This judgment reveals God's love, for in His love for the one who died, God wanted the name of that one to be preserved among the people. This judgment also reveals that God wants His people to be productive. God loves His people and desires that they be productive.
If the dead husband's brother did not desire to take his brother's wife, she was to appeal to the elders at the gate, saying that her husband's brother was not willing to do his duty for her (v. 7). The elders of the city were to find out if this was true. If it was true, then she was to draw near to her husband's brother in the sight of the elders and remove his sandal from off his foot, spit in his face, and say, "Thus shall it be done to the man who does not build up his brother's house" (vv. 8-9). This man's name was to be called in Israel, "The house of him whose sandal has been removed" (v. 10). To bear such a name was an insult and a shame.
The brother who died without having a son had his "sandal" removed. This means that his walk had ceased and that he could no longer move. Because he had no successor, his name would be blotted out from among the children of Israel, and his entire house would cease. This was a shame. Since his brother would not do his duty, the brother's name was to be called, "The house of him whose sandal has been removed."
We may apply this judgment to our situation today, although in a limited way. In making the application, I would point out that this judgment indicates that we need to be spiritually productive and have spiritual children as our successors. If we have spiritual children, we can die in peace. On the one hand, we all need to have spiritual children as our successors; on the other hand, we need to help our brothers in the Lord to have spiritual children.
The judgment in 25:11 and 12 concerns a wife who immorally helps her husband as he is fighting. When two men fought together, a man and his brother, and the wife of the one came to rescue her husband from the hand of his beater, and her hand took hold of the beater's private parts, her hand was to be cut off (vv. 11-12a). No eye was to pity her (v. 12b), for she had done something indecent. This judgment reveals that God is not only strict in His government but also that He is detailed.
Deuteronomy 25:13-16 covers the judgment concerning weights and measures. The children of Israel were not to have in their bag differing weights, one heavy and one light, nor were they to have in their house differing measures, one heavy and one light (vv. 13-14). For everyone who did these things, everyone who did unrighteousness, was an abomination to Jehovah their God (v. 16).
To have differing weights and measures is a lie, and all lies come from the enemy, Satan. The dishonest practice of having differing weights and measures is surely from Satan.
The children of Israel were to have a full and righteous weight and a full and righteous measure in order that their days might be extended upon the God-given land (v. 15). Here longevity is related to righteousness. Those who have lived a long life often attribute their longevity to such matters as taking care of their health, getting adequate sleep, and having a proper diet. Have you ever heard anyone attribute longevity to being fair, righteous, and just? In this verse living long upon the land is clearly related to having full and righteous weights and measures.
Those who have differing weights and measures actually have differing scales. In the church life today, we may have differing scales — one scale for measuring others and a different scale for measuring ourselves. Having differing scales, we may condemn a certain thing in others but justify the same thing in ourselves. Certain saints may use one scale to weigh the actions of the elders and the co-workers but a different scale in weighing their own actions. Because they weigh the elders and co-workers in one scale and themselves in a different scale, they find fault with the elders and co-workers but vindicate themselves.
In the house of God, the church, there should be only one scale. This means that the same scale should be used to weigh everyone. If we have only one scale, we will be fair, righteous, and just, even as God is. Because God is fair, righteous, and just, He measures everyone according to the same scale. He does not have differing weights or measures. For eternity He will use the same scale.
Worldly people often use different kinds of scales. Because people use many different kinds of scales, there is a great shortage of justice in human society. For instance, wives and husbands use different scales in their married life. These different scales are the reason for the quarreling between husband and wife. Both the husband and wife have two sets of scales.
Although we should not have differing scales in the church life, one scale for weighing ourselves and other scales for weighing the brothers and sisters, we all have failed in this matter. Not one of us is an exception. Using the language of accounting, we may say that it is easy for us to "debit" others and "credit" ourselves. Instead of doing this, we should give others more credit and ourselves more debit. For instance, a sister may weigh the elders in one scale, giving them a debit, and weigh herself in a differing scale, giving herself a credit. If she would give the elders more credit and give herself more debit, she would have a much more positive view of the elders and of the church in her locality. However, if she persists in using different scales, none of the elders will be satisfactory in her eyes.
Some saints who have the practice of using differing scales may move from one locality to another, hoping to find a more satisfactory church with more satisfactory elders. But because these saints have differing scales, no matter where they may go, they do not find the church and the elders to be satisfactory.
I emphasize the practice of having differing scales because this practice is a sickness, a disease, in the church life. This is the source of disaccord. Instead of keeping the oneness and the one accord, we have disaccord. May we all receive mercy from the Lord to no longer have differing scales but, like our God, to have the same scale for everyone.
