The Sixth Word and Grace

Dennis Tuuri

Outline: Deuteronomy 19:1-13 The Sixth Word and Building A Nation The Sixth Word, Part Two Sermon Notes for November 14, 2010 by Pastor Dennis Tuuri Deuteronomy 5:17 ( ESV ) You shall not murder. Sixth Word: Deuteronomy 19:1 - 22:8 "Preserving Life from Violence" by James B. Jordan 1. Violence: a. Negligent Manslaughter, 19:1-13 b. Assault by stealth, 19:14 (1 Kings 21:1-3) c. Assault by tongue, 19: 15-21 (1 Kings 21:7-13) 2. War: a. Militia, 20:1-9 b. Normal war, 20: 10-15 c. Holy war, 20: 16-18 d. War and devastation, 20:19 -20 (2 Kings 3:19 -27) 3. Violence and Persons: a. The discovered corpse, 21:1-9 b. Women, 21:10-14 c. Children, 21:15-21 d. The displayed corpse, 21:22-23 4. Additional laws: These four cases follow the order of the previous four, to wit: a. Promote your neighbors good (anti-violence) -- if you find his animals out in the open country. b. 22:5 - women not to wear mens gear (war dress) and vice versa. 3.b. warbride (woman military) c. 22:6-7 - the bird law. Cp. children in 3.c. above. d. 22:8 - Potential Negligent Manslaughter - The Roof Law. Corpse high in 3.d., a high roof. Word Biblical Commentary A Laws on manslaughter and the cities of asylum 19:110 B The case of intentional murderno asylum 19:11 13 X Laws on encroachment (riddle at the middle) and witnesses in court 19:1421 B Intentional killingwarfare and military deferments 20:120 A Unsolved murderrole of elders and judges 21:19 A The six cities of refuge in the promised land 19:110 B Intentional murderersPurge the guilt of innocent blood 19:11 13 X The inviolability of boundary markers 19:14 B Laws about witnessesPurge the evil from your midst 19:15 19 A Lex talionis is intended as a deterrent to false witness 19:20 ,21 Deuteronomy 19:1-13 1 When the Lord your God cuts off the nations whose land the Lord your God is giving you, and you dispossess them and dwell in their cities and in their houses, 2 you shall set apart three cities for yourselves in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess. 3 You shall measure the distances and divide into three parts the area of the land that the Lord your God gives you as a possession, so that can flee to them. any manslayer 4 This is the provision for the manslayer , who by fleeing there may save his life. If anyone kills his neighbor unintentionally without having hated him in the past 5 as when someone goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and his hand swings the axe to cut down a tree , and the head slips from the handle and strikes his neighbor so that he dies he may flee to one of these cities and live, 6 lest the avenger of blood in hot anger pursue the manslayer and overtake him, because the way is long, and strike him fatally, though the man did not deserve to die, since he had not hated his neighbor in the past. 7 Therefore I command you, You shall set apart th ree cities. 8 And if the Lord your God enlarges your territory, as he has sworn to your fathers, and gives you all the land that he promised to give to your fathers 9 provided you are careful to keep all this commandment, which I command you today, by loving the Lord your God and by walking ever in his ways then you shall add three other cities to these three, 10 lest innocent blood be shed in your land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance, and so the guilt of bloodshed be upon you. 11 But if anyone hates his neighbor and lies in wait for him and attacks him and strikes him fatally so that he dies, and he flees into one of these cities, 12 then the elders of his city shall send and take him from there, and hand him over to the avenger of blood, so that he may die. 13 Your eye shall not pity him, but you shall purge the guilt of innocent blood from Israel , so that it may be well with you. Observations on the Text 1. This is preparation for a victorious future. The meek shall inherit the earth. What shall we do with it? 2. The meek are those who love God and keep His commandments. 3. Biblical sanctuary is the principle undergirding these laws - ecclesiastical checks on civil state. Levitical Cities - Numbers 35, Joshua 20,21; Num 35:24 4. The underlying assumption is the quick prosecution of justice. Ecc. 8:11 5. Manslaughter does not merit the death penalty. 6. Cities are the basic institution of government. 7. Failure to implement these laws brings God ' s judgment. Num. 35:33,34 8. Pity must be restrained. 9. The promise of the Fifth Word is attached to the Sixth - the good life.