Deuteronomy - Remember What God Has Done and Said , Sarah Barry
JUSTICE AND RESPECT FOR PERSONS
Passage: Deuteronomy 25:1~19  
Key verse: 1
25 When people have a dispute, they are to take it to court and the judges(A) will decide the case,(B) acquitting(C) the innocent and condemning the guilty.(D) 2 If the guilty person deserves to be beaten,(E) the judge shall make them lie down and have them flogged in his presence with the number of lashes the crime deserves, 3 but the judge must not impose more than forty lashes.(F) If the guilty party is flogged more than that, your fellow Israelite will be degraded in your eyes.(G)
4 Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.(H)
5 If brothers are living together and one of them dies without a son, his widow must not marry outside the family. Her husband’s brother shall take her and marry her and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to her.(I) 6 The first son she bears shall carry on the name of the dead brother so that his name will not be blotted out from Israel.(J)
7 However, if a man does not want to marry his brother’s wife,(K) she shall go to the elders at the town gate(L) and say, “My husband’s brother refuses to carry on his brother’s name in Israel. He will not fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to me.”(M) 8 Then the elders of his town shall summon him and talk to him. If he persists in saying, “I do not want to marry her,” 9 his brother’s widow shall go up to him in the presence of the elders, take off one of his sandals,(N) spit in his face(O) and say, “This is what is done to the man who will not build up his brother’s family line.” 10 That man’s line shall be known in Israel as The Family of the Unsandaled.
11 If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to rescue her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, 12 you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity.(P)
13 Do not have two differing weights in your bag—one heavy, one light.(Q) 14 Do not have two differing measures in your house—one large, one small. 15 You must have accurate and honest weights and measures, so that you may live long(R) in the land the Lord your God is giving you. 16 For the Lord your God detests anyone who does these things, anyone who deals dishonestly.(S)
17 Remember what the Amalekites(T) did to you along the way when you came out of Egypt. 18 When you were weary and worn out, they met you on your journey and attacked all who were lagging behind; they had no fear of God.(U) 19 When the Lord your God gives you rest(V) from all the enemies(W) around you in the land he is giving you to possess as an inheritance, you shall blot out the name of Amalek(X) from under heaven. Do not forget!
Cross references
- Deuteronomy 25:1 : S Ex 21:6
- Deuteronomy 25:1 : Dt 17:8-13; 19:17; Ac 23:3
- Deuteronomy 25:1 : 1Ki 8:32
- Deuteronomy 25:1 : S Ex 23:7; Dt 1:16-17
- Deuteronomy 25:2 : Pr 10:13; 19:29; Lk 12:47-48
- Deuteronomy 25:3 : Mt 27:26; Jn 19:1; 2Co 11:24
- Deuteronomy 25:3 : Jer 20:2
- Deuteronomy 25:4 : S Nu 22:29; 1Co 9:9*; 1Ti 5:18*
- Deuteronomy 25:5 : Ru 4:10, 13; Mt 22:24; Mk 12:19; Lk 20:28
- Deuteronomy 25:6 : Ge 38:9; Ru 4:5, 10
- Deuteronomy 25:7 : Ru 1:15
- Deuteronomy 25:7 : S Ge 23:10
- Deuteronomy 25:7 : Ru 4:1-2, 5-6
- Deuteronomy 25:9 : Jos 24:22; Ru 4:7-8, 11
- Deuteronomy 25:9 : Nu 12:14; Job 17:6; 30:10; Isa 50:6
- Deuteronomy 25:12 : S Dt 7:2
- Deuteronomy 25:13 : Pr 11:1; 20:23; Mic 6:11
- Deuteronomy 25:15 : S Ex 20:12
- Deuteronomy 25:16 : Pr 11:1
- Deuteronomy 25:17 : S Ge 36:12
- Deuteronomy 25:18 : Ps 36:1; Ro 3:18
- Deuteronomy 25:19 : S Ex 33:14; Heb 3:18-19
- Deuteronomy 25:19 : Est 9:16
- Deuteronomy 25:19 : S Ge 36:12
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source:  BibleGateway
1. Just and fitting punishment (1-16)
Slavery degrades men and destroys justice. It breeds irresponsibility. These laws seek to restore justice and human dignity and teach responsible living: i) Guilty persons must be punished, but not degraded. ii) The man who does not want to marry his brother's widow is treated with disrespect, for he is selfish and irresponsible [See Ge 38 and Ru 4.]. iii) Even in the heat of anger or passion, men and women must stay within certain limits and preserve human dignity. iv) Cheating and lying are marks of the slave mentality. The Lord detests anyone who deals dishonestly.
2. God's judgment on the Amalekites (17-19)
The Amalekites had no fear of God. They were the desert people who attacked the Israelites when they were most vulnerable--at the time of the Exodus (Ex 17:8-15). At that time, Moses, supported by Aaron and Hur, held up his hands in prayer while Joshua fought. With God's help, Israel won a victory, but the Amalekites were marked for God's judgment, for they respected neither God nor his people (1Sa 15:2).
Prayer: Lord, help me to love justice and honesty, and to respect people created in your image.
One Word: Justice and respect