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Deuteronomy 21 - Coggle Diagram

- - - - This chapter appears to be concerned with the respect of life and land. Since both the people of God, and the land that he is giving to them is holy, it should not be defiled. However, should God's people defile either themselves or the land, action must be taken to purge the evil from the people or land. (Fernando 495)
        
        Numbers 35:34
        
        Viewed in the light of the deuteronomistic insistence on the holiness of Israel, it can be read as stressing upon the Israelite people the necessity of purging itself of all sinfulness and corruption. The defiant or dissolute individual pollutes the holiness of all Israel. Only his utter extermination can purify the people and avert Yahweh's wrath. (WORD FOR WORD Beliefontaine 24)
      - the Scripture immediately preceding this text deals with protecting the first born from a capricious father, now the immediate text deals with strengthening the authority of the father which was vital to keeping a stable family, and thus a stable community. (Thompson 230)
    - - a lack of respect for parents meant a lack for general authority, and like a little yeast, it threatens to work itself through the whole batch.
        
        The parents have done all they can, and now they must turn to the state, as the problem ceases to be correctable within the home.
        
        This is not a case of minor and occasional disobedience, rather the text indicates that the son is a repeat offender. (Tigay 197)
        
        Stubborn and rebellious are used to describe his nature and should not be confused with a son who sometimes sins in moments of rebellion and stubborness.
        
        These parents have faithfully attempted to discipline their offspring. This is not a case of Eli and his worthless sons whom he neglected to properly discipline. (Harstad 565)
      - Those who fail to honor and obey their parents, forfeit their protection. This is parallel to Israel's relationship to God and the curses God lays out for his people at the end of Deuteronomy. When Israel fails to honor and obey God, he will withdraw his protection. The law we are looking at is a microcosm of that reality.
        
        Matthew Henry observes that if this law was acted upon, it would "early destroy the wicked of the land (Ps. ci. 8), and prevent the spreading of the gangrene, by cutting off the corrupt part betimes; for those that were bad members of families would never make good members of the commonwealth." (Henry 813)
  - - - What evil?
        
        a son who does not heed the advice and authority of his parents is going to be a son who is given over to all kinds of sins, which is harmful to the whole congregation.
        
        Interestingly, the parents are not the one to carry out the execution. Normal practice in the Torah is for the injured party to be the first to cast the stone. Thus, this passage communicates that the injured party is the corporate body, and thus why the sentence is so grave. (Tigay 197)
        
        "This type of communal execution was designed to bring home to the entire community the crime was not just an individual matter - it was a physical and religious threat to the entire population of the city." (Matthews 109)
        
        Proverbs 30:17 seems to describe the end result of this passage, as a son who is executed would have been denied an honorable burial and would have been exposed to the birds and animals. (Braun 194)
        
        If the people gave way to rebellion towards Joshua, the punishment was death (Jos. It 18)· (Beliefontaine 19)
        
        The limits of toleration being reached, the culprit was purged from the group. In such cases, and in others such as incest, witchcraft, and sacrilege, there was always the threat of divine vindication upon the group who failed to purge the evil-doer from its midst. The execution of the sinner/criminal purified the community and averted the threat /32/· The biblical story of Achan and of Israel's misfortune until he had been eliminated (Jos. 7*6-26) is to be understood in this light /33/· (WORD FOR WORD Beliefontaine 21)
        
        There is no repentance in this son, though he has had plenty of time to do so through this developed pattern of sinful living. (Harstad 565)
        
        This law is not designed to rehabilitate the son. The time for rehabilitation came to a close with his unrepentant living over the years. The function of this law is to serve as preventative measure, and as a deterrant. (Braun 193)
        
        Infidelity bred through rebellion.
        
        A drunkard and glutton is one who is a parasite to society. They take excessively without giving back and contributing to society. (Beliefontaine 21)
        
        Proverbs 23:20
    - - Rebellion was at the heart of Adam and Eve when they first failed to honor and obey the authority of God. As a result, God purged the garden by kicking them out. Rebellion is what will lead to the Israelites being purged from the land which God warns about in the later chapters of Deuteronomy.
        
        In Deuteronomy 31:27 Moses charges the people with being rebellious and stubborn (same word?), and in verse 28 he calls the elders, along with heaven and earth to hear his charge against them. Here, Israel stands as the rebellious child who will be purged from the land for her rebellion (32:19-22) (Schnittjer 220)
        
        In fact, in most instance in the OT where the Hebrew word for stubborn is used, it refers to Israel's rebellion against Yahweh (Is. 30:1, 65:2, Jer. 5:23, Hos. 4:16). This is also true of the Hebrew word for rebellious. Whenever this word is used in Deuteronomy, outside of this passage, it is used to describe Israel's rebellion (1:26, 43; 9:7, 23, 24; 31:27) (Harstad 563-564)
        
        This is not just a rebellion against one's parents, and a therefore a threat to society. First and foremost, this son demonstrates a hostility and rebellion to God who gave his people the 5th Commandment to obey.
        
        It is a violation against his order.
        
        Israel's government relied on stable family dynamics, as do all nations, in order to find stability and peace. Sustained rebellion was seen as equivalent to an act of treason. (Redd 148)
        
        This is further backed up by the fact that the two words are used in Psalm 78:8 to describe the generation that rebelled against God and wandered in the wilderness. (Skidmore 917)
        
        The son is essentially saying through his rebellion that they are not his parents, and he is not their son. (Explain how this is a hair's breath away from the same type of rebellion towards God and an attack on the covenant promise that I will be your God and you will be my people.
        
        Rebellion not only denies authority, but it also rejects the relationship. (Beliefontaine 19)
  - - - both individual and corporate health are determined by a fear or sin and its consequences. (Fernando 503)
        
        children shall be compelled by fear to respect their authority, and thus lead to a land that is not filled with defilement (Henry 813)
        
        We see striking similarity between this passage and Deut. 13:7-12. If a son has given himself over to foreign gods, he is not to be pitied or spared, but put to death so that all of Israel will hear and fear.
    - - Furthermore, it is likely that death would have been the rightful sentence carried out, only if the state found no other way to restore what had been broken. (think ex-communication)
      - The Romans granted the power of life and death of a child to the father. (Calvin 15)
    - - Furthermore, the mother must be present to present the charge, which keeps a father from falsely charging his firstborn from an unfavored wife (previous passage) in order to keep him from the inheritance. (Tigay 197)
      - Parents in Israel were to understand that the law protected and supported them from rebellious children, but it also limited them regarding the degree to which they could punish their son. (Harstad 565)
    - - The majority of texts in which they occur in some form refer to Israel's relationship with Yahweh and its infidelity to him. Thus, as early as the desert period Israel showed itself a "stubborn and rebellious generation" (jLôr^j^ê^^^ôreh; Ps. 7818; cf. w . 17, 40, 56; Num. 20tl0; Dt. 3127; Bzek. 20t21; Ps. IO617). Throughout its history it continued to be a "rebellious people" (cam sorer) following its own way (is. 652) and turning a "stubborn shoulder11 (katgp s6reret) to Yahweh in disobedience (Neh. 9 29). The prophets proclaim that Israel's is a "stubborn and rebellious heart" (leb soreT Gm5reh;'jer. 523; cf. 6128) and its princes are all "rebels" (sSr^rîmt Is. It23 Hos. 9 13) · Time and again his people have rebelled against the Lord (Dt. 97» 24; Is. 6310; Jer. 417$ Bzek 20:8, 21; Ps. 511)9 against his commandments (Num. 20:24; Dt· 1:26, 43; 923; 1 Sam. 12:15; Bzek. 56; cf. 1 Sam. 12:14), against his words (Num. 27:14; Lam. 1:8; P8. 105:28). Nehemiah sums up Israel's consistent attitude towards Yahweh: "They were disobedient and rebelled against thee" (Neh. 9*26). (WORD FOR WORD Beliefontaine 18)
        
        equally significant for our study is the prophetic portrayal of the Israelites as Yahweh's disobedient children. Isaiah views them as "rebellious children" (is. 30:l) and "children of transgression" (is. 574) while Jeremiah calls them "dtupid children" who do not know how to do good (Jer. 4 22). Although chosen as the beloved son of Yahweh, Israel must be punished for its waywardness (Hos. llilff.). Finally, Yahweh is driven to bring a lawsuit against his iniquitous and rebellious sons (is. l:2ff.)· While these texts undoubtedly reflect covenant terminology and denounce Israel as a violator of the covenant relationship we may also accept that the prophets and their audience would also have been aware of Israel's own legal provision for disobedient sons /25/· (WORD FOR WORD Bellefontaine:18-19)
        
        In addition to its juridical function, this legal text had special affinity with the vital message of the deuteronomio historian and would have added to its impact. The covenant theology which permeates Deuteronomy proclaims the absolute necessity of fidelity to Yahweh and obedience to his word. The choice of life or death (3015-20), of blessing or curse (especially chapter 28) depends upon Israel's acknowledging and preserving the covenant relationship by observance of Yahweh's law. In relation to Dt. 2118-21 it is significant that the author several times reminds the people of their bond with Yahweh in terms of the fathers-son relationship "You are the sons of the Lord your God..." (l4l). The Lord bore his people from Egypt "as a man bears his son" (l3l)· Yet, because of its infidelity Yahweh disciplines Israel "as a man disciplines his son" (85; cf. 32 19f·)· Further, the author frequently describes sinful Israel as disobedient and rebellious "Prom the day you came out of the land of Egypt, until you caaie to this place, you have been rebellious against the Lord" (97, 24)· "You rebelled against the commandment of the Lord your God, and did not believe him or obey his voice" (923; cf. 126, 43). "Por I know how stubborn and rebellious you are" (3127) /45/· This is all covenant terminology and would explain why the text about the incorrigible and dissolute son would have had special appeal for the deuteronomist. As the persistent waywardness of the son finally aroused the wrath of his parents and brought him to an evil end, so Yahweh will be moved to deal harshly with his rebellious and sinful people. It is worth noting that Israel's sins in the desert period, which the author frequently recalls (l26ff., 43ff·; 97, 22-24), had to do with food (Ex. 16; Num.11; Dt. 83, 16) and drink (Ex. 171-7; Num. 202-13; Dt. 815) as well as with direct breaking of the covenant through the worship of idols accompanied by eating and drinking (Ex. 32; cf. v.6; Dt. 98-21). Because of the latter sin, Moses fasted from food and drink for forty days (Dt. 918). (WORD FOR WORD Beliefontaine 24-25
        
        The deuteronomio phrase of v. 21bB has been called the "public example form" intended to move the listener to avoid the ways of the evil-doer /46/· The example cited in our text, therefore, serves a deterrent function in the same fashion as Deuteronomy itself is meant to serve. On the juridical level, it was designed to motivate the individual Israelite to conduct himself in accordance with the Yahwistic faith and the Israelite way of life. Within the structure and theology of the Book of Deuterononqr, it could receive a wider application as the son was to die for disobedience and rejection of the parental relationship, as the fathers in the desert had to die without reaching the promised land because they obstinately refused to do the Lord's will (Dt. 1 31-40), so the Israelite people should note that the full weight of the covenant curses would fall upon them if they rebelled against their covenant Lord and followed their own will instead of his. (WORD FOR WORD Beliefontaine 25-26)
  - - - In the Reformed camp this commandment is understood to relate to authority structures beyond the family.
        
        Though this law typically deals with man's horizontal relationships, the 5th Commandment still deals with man's vertical relationship. Parents are God's authoritative representatives in the family. He has placed them over the family, and charged children to obey.
        
        "An attack on the authority of parents is most grevious because it threatens the most precious heritage of Israel, its knowledge of God, and thereby also threatens possession of the blessings flowing from this knowledge ("that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you," Exodus 20:12b)" (Poythress 88-89)
      - It is the 5th Commandment that demanded respect for authority figures outside of the family to include prophets, priests, and kings. Therefore, this commandment was foundational to Israel's social, political, theological, and economical community. The 5th Commandment helped to develop a social hierarchy. (Skidmore 915)
        
        The stubborn and rebellious son threatens this social stability and identity in the land, by his actions, and thus must be acted upon. (Skidmore 915)
    - - requires death for striking a parent. Compare this to the Law of Hammurabi, which requires only that the son's hand be cut off. (Tigay 196-197)
    - - This passage makes it clear that Israel's wellbeing in the land is directly linked to her obedience to the law. (Skidmore 917)
        
        Thus, the rebellious and stubborn son serves as a serious threat to the nation's wellbeing if others follow the example set by this individual which is a likely occurrence if his example is allowed to stand and not be removed.
        
        The threat of this behavior being copied by others is nothing less than the likely abandonment of the Torah. (Skidmore 917)
        
        This passage asserts that the community's abandonment of the Torah will be responsible for the communal disasters the people will face as a result. (Skidmore 918)
- - - - even a vow to give a gift to the Temple does not break our obligation to honor our parents.
    - - Parents are commanded not to provoke their children to wrath, but the children are also commanded to honor and obey their parents.
- - - - Passive obedience (he took on our punishment as rebellious and stubborn children).
      - Active obedience (He lived as the perfect son)
        
        (Luke 2:51-52, John 19:26-27, 2 Cor. 5:21)