Day 38, February 7 Bible Reading

Day 38,  February 7

Deut. 18:9-14        Detestable practices and sacrifices

Lev. 20:1-9, 27      Punishments for detestable practices

Ex. 21:12-32 / Lev. 24:17-22 / Num. 35:16-21   Punishments for murder and personal injuries

Num. 35:29-34      Other laws regarding murder

Lev. 24:10-16, 23 / Deut. 21:18-21       Punishment for blasphemy / Punishment for a rebellious son

Deut. 18:9-14

• Deut. 18:9 Instructions were given to the children of Israel to not learn to follow the abominations of the nations when they come to the land which God will give them.

• Deut. 18:10-11  What were some of these abominations? 

• 1.) Burning your children in fire as sacrifices, ←  This an obvious one.

• 2.) Practicing witchcraft ← Obvious again

• 3.)  Engaging a soothsayer, that is, one who claims to be able to foretell events or predict the future.   Question: What is the difference between this and being a prophet?  How different is this and the people who “prophelied” that Trump will win?

• 4.) Don’t engage someone who always see signs everywhere, especially to come up with numbers for a lottery, always full of omens

• 5.) Generally, anyone who engages in abracadabra, charms, conjurings, hocus-pocus, voodoo, necromancy, spells, enchantments  ← Do you see a pattern here?

• What is the pattern? Anything that is not sourced from the Voice of God is fake and is akin to witchcraft. This includes all the nonsensical hocus pocus, “Thus says the Lord:” stuff in church, but is really a form of soothsaying, as it is usually focused on calling down a “blessing”. Unfortunately a lot of prophetic ministries today specialize in manipulating people at the level of their carnal desires to fulfill, dare I say, predetermined resolutions. This was nothing new. Our role model in prophetic ministry is Jesus and not Elijah nor Moses.

• Deut. 18:12-14 It was because of these abominations these nations were driven out and dispossessed.  So what about the church today?

Lev. 20:1-9, 27

• Lev. 20:1-5 Similar to Deut 18, God described those who sacrifice their children to Molech by fire, as prostitutes and committing harlotry. They need to be put to death.  If the people don’t stone or execute them, God said he will cut them off themselves.

• Lev. 20:6 Once again God describes those who turn to mediums and spirits as prostitutes and should be cut off.

• Lev. 20:7-8 The opposite of prostitution is to consecrate and separate yourselves to only One God.  The Lord is holy, that is, He also is uniquely separated and apart from all those fake spirits, and has separated Himself to only One people.  Therefore, Israel should be holy, that is uniquely separated and set apart towards Him. The keeping of His statutes, which modifies and sometimes drastically changes the current Hammurabi Codes, sets them apart from other nations.  

• Lev. 20:9 Well so far the focus was on parents offering their children as sacrifices by fire.  Now reciprocally, children should not curse mother of father, else they will be pout to death.

• Lev. 20:27 

Ex. 21:12-32

• Ex. 21:12-23 When was the death penalty enacted?

• Ex. 21:12 Strike a man so that he dies? Death Penalty

• Ex. 21:13 You did not lie in wait, but God delivered him? You can flee to a sanctuary city [Yeah but how can you prove this?]

• Ex. 21:14 Premeditated murder? No Altar to shelter you.  Death Penalty.

• Ex. 21:15 Hit mother or father? Death Penalty

• Ex. 21:16 Kidnapping? Sold for slavery? Death Penalty

• Ex. 21:17 Curse mother or father? Death Penalty

• Ex. 21:18-19 You have a bar brawl, and the person who hit does not die? You pay for his hospitalizations, recuperation costs and loss wages/ time.

• Ex. 21:20-21 If you beat a male of female servant/ slave and he/she dies, the master is punished.  Note it does not say what the nature of the punishment is. If the slave is ok, or even lives for a day or two, nothing happens to the master because the slave is his property. ← Can you imaging how many people used this verse to justify slavery in America?

• Ex. 21:22-25 If a man fights a pregnant woman (scumbag), and the baby is born prematurely but unharmed, the woman’s husband can impose a fine, and agreed to by the judge. However if the baby is harmed, whatever harm happens to the baby, happens to the man. An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth, a burn for a burn, foot for a foot, stripe for a stripe.  ← Did you realize that “an eye for an eye” originated from doing harm to a baby? Now supposed that was the case for a woman who aborted? Hmm.

• Ex. 21:26-27 Remember the master beating the slave above, and the assertion that if the slave does not die it seems ok? Well in this case there is a warning. If there is any bodily harm or injury, that same injury must be meted out to the master, eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth.

• Ex. 21:28-32 What about damage from livestock and pets? If upon a first offense, an ox kills a man or woman, it should be stoned, but the owner acquitted. But if ox was known to be aggressive and the owner knew, both ox and owner should be put to death. It may be possible for the owner to redeem his life, if a sum was placed on his life.  ← This is our second introduction to the principle of redemption.  

• If the ox goes a male or female servant, restitution should be made in the form 30 shekels of silver to the master.

• God allowed the “ox”, the Serpent in the Garden, which gored and killed the man and woman. He knew that the Serpent would do this.  By this law both the Serpent and Owner should be put to death.  Both were. Only one can raise Himself from the dead.

Lev 24:17-22

• Similar laws. Kill a man? Death. Kill an animal? Make it good. Kill your animal. Restore it.

• Limit your tenacity of violence to the harm and injury that was caused.

• Same law should be for strangers and for citizens, because The Lord is their God.

Num. 35:16-21

• If you kill a man with an iron, stone, wooden hand weapon, out of hatred, the avenger has a right to put you to death.

Num. 35:29-34

• So even though we read about the right of the avenger above, and the murderer needs to be put to death, more details are given here.

• There must be more than one witness

• Don’t redeem a murderer.

• Why? You cannot defile the land.

Lev. 24:10-16, 23/ Deut. 21:18-21

• Lev. 24:10-16, 23 We read all the laws; how let’s look at an example.  A son of an Egyptian father, and Israelite woman, fought a man of Israel, and blasphemed the name of the Lord.  What do you think this means?  What did he actually say?

• Well whatever was said, they had to figure out his punishment from the Lord.  The Lord indicated to have everyone lay their hands on his head and stone him.

• Deut. 21:18-21 Here is a law for all ages.  You have a rebellious son, who is stubborn, and will not listen to his mother and father, and even after you talk hard to him, discipline him, he will not listen.  What do you do?  Have him stay in your basement and be a parasite on your resources? No. You take him to the elders and tell them he is stubborn and rebellious.  You tell them he likes to party, gets drunk, and is a glutton.  So what's the punishment? Send him to military camp? No. He should be stoned.  How about that for discipling your wayward sons.