Moses lays out several cases in this section of Deuteronomy. In 24:19-22, farmers are told to not harvest every bit of a crop, but to leave some for the poor. We see this instruction in action in Ruth 2, where Boaz leaves grain in his field for Ruth to glean.
In commenting on this passage at Church of the Messiah on August 5, 2023, Frank Fenton observed that a person who obeys this instruction is, in effect, giving some of one's life to one's friends (Jn 15:13).
Deuteronomy 25:1-3 places limitations on a punishment for wrongdoing so as not to humiliate the criminal. For a beating, the stated limit is 40 lashes. In practice the limit was set at 39 in order to make sure that the number did not exceed 40 by mistake.
Paul later made reference to this practice in 2 Corinthians 11:24 when he mentioned, "Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one." In a sermon at Church of the Messiah on August 5, 2023, Kyle Kettering pointed out this example as further evidence for a Torah-observant "Paul within Judaism." In receiving such a punishment, Paul was submitting to the authority of a local synagogue, an indication that he was still working within synagogue communities when he planted his congregations.
Deuteronomy 25:4 is a principle stated as a proverb: "You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain." This principle is applied in the New Testament to argue that church workers are entitled to be supported by their congregations (1 Cor 9:1-14; 1 Tim 5:17-18).
Deuteronomy 25:5-10 deals with the ancient institution of levirate marriage, where if a man died childless, his brother might marry his widow in order to continue the man's family line. We see an example of this institution in Ruth 4, where Boaz marries Ruth to perpetuate the line of Elimelech. There is another example in Genesis 38, where Tamar, the wife of Judah's oldest son Er, makes sure that Judah carries out this responsibility after he and his other sons neglect it.
Deuteronomy 25:11-12 is another case meant to ensure that family lines are continued. Verses 13-16 emphasize the importance of honest weights and measures. Finally, verses 17-19 are on Israel's responsibility to punish the Amalekites for their unwarranted attack on the Israelites shortly after their departure from Egypt (Ex 17). This attack was, in effect, an attempt to thwart God's plan to bless all nations through the descendants of Abraham. Moses also mentions here that the Amalekites took advantage of the weak in their cowardly offensive.
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