Seder 90: Leviticus 17-18 as Precursor of the Apostolic Decree in Acts 15

 At the Jerusalem Council described in Acts 15, the leaders of the early Jesus movement decided on basic requirements for Gentiles whom God had added to their ranks.  In a letter to congregations, the council stated, 

"For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements:  that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality.  If you keep these, you will do well.  Farewell" (vv 28-29).

The four basic requirements are stated in shorthand, and the Jerusalem church sent emissaries along with its letter to unpack for congregations what was entailed in these four items.  It seems that these requirements had two basic purposes:  

• to enable unified fellowship between Jewish and Gentile members, who would be eating meals together.
• to lay out basic moral principles, cautioning against sinful behavior that was considered to be acceptable in the Greco-Roman world.

Scholars have looked for antecedents of this list in biblical and Jewish tradition, as scholar David Instone-Brewer discusses in a 2009 paper.  One possible precursor comes from Leviticus 17-18, a section of Leviticus that lays out instructions for holy living for both Israelites and resident aliens in the land of Israel.  Those instructions include prohibition of 

• idolatry (17:1-8);
• blood (17:10-16);
• sexual immorality (18:1-20, 22-23);
• child sacrifice, a form of infanticide (18:21).

Instone-Brewer proposes that "things strangled" may refer to both improper butchering of meat and to infanticide, which was a common birth control practice in the Greco-Roman world.

Three of the four items---idolatry, bloodshed, and sexual immorality---are linked together in several contexts.  In Jewish tradition these are three things that one should not do even if one's life is in danger.  These are also three things that will defile the land in which they are committed:  

• sexual immorality (Lev 18:24-25)
• bloodshed (Nu 35:33-34; Dt 21:1-9)
• false worship, especially idolatry (Lev 19:31; Jer 16:18)

Seder 151: Deuteronomy 21:10-23---More on War, Executions, and Other Matters

 Much of Deuteronomy 21 deals with cases related to the commandment, "You shall not murder."  Verses 1-9 discuss a case of unsolved murder.  

Verses 10-14, like 20:19-20, are about curbing the kinds of abuses that accompany war.  These verses describe a case where a man wants to marry a woman who has been taken as a prisoner of war.  As noted in verse 14, this woman has been "humiliated," since (1) her people have been defeated; (2) she has been taken captive; and (3) a warrior wants to marry her.  

Moses lays out guidelines to ensure that this woman, who has been  forced to join the Israelite community, is not mistreated.  The woman shaves her head, pares her nails, and is given new clothes, symbolizing the fact that she is leaving an old life behind and taking on a new identity.  The woman also is given time to mourn the deaths of her parents, while the future husband has this same time to be sure that he wants to go through with the marriage.  

If the man subsequently divorces the woman, she is free to return home or remarry.  She is not to be treated as a slave.

It's possible that the prisoner of war in verses 10-14 is the man's second wife.  Another way in which a second wife could be mistreated would be to have her children treated as inferior to those of the first wife.  Verses 15-17 rule against that possibility, saying that if a man's firstborn son comes from a less-favored wife, that son should still have the privileges of a firstborn son that accompany the responsibilities entailed by that position.

 Verses 18-21 deal with the case of a son who rebels against his parents. Since the future of Israel depends upon children embracing community values, this is a serious matter, one that is to handled by the community.  The seriousness is reflected in the fact that in an extreme case, the son can be put to death.  These verses are meant to preserve community holiness and deter children from engaging in such rebellion.  The ideal is that this kind of execution never be carried out.  

Hosea 11:1-9 later portrays the house of Israel as a whole as a rebellious son.  God is pictured agonizing over what to do with his son.  He decides not to destroy the house of Israel, opting for restoration over judgment. 

Verses 22-23 addresses the custom of publicly displaying the body of an executed person as an example to the community.  When this custom is followed, Moses says, the body should not be left out overnight.  The one being punished is, as a serious criminal, "cursed by God," and his body would defile the land.  An important consideration here is that bodies left exposed would be eaten by animals.  Humans are created in God's image, so their bodies should not be desecrated and mutilated.

We see Joshua following this instruction in Joshua 8:39; 10:26-27.  The New Testament connects the crucifixion with this passage (Acts 5:30; 10:39-40; 13:28-29).  Paul also makes this connection in Gal 3:13-14, quoting Deuteronomy 21 to explain that Jesus, in his crucifixion, took upon himself in our place the curse due to us for our sins.  

There is a traditional story connecting these cases in Deuteronomy 21.  By deciding to marry a prisoner of war, the man in verses 10-14 sets off an unfortunate chain reaction.  The war bride is a less-favored wife but bears the man's firstborn son.  The first son of the favored wife, feeling slighted, rebels and is put to death. His body is hung on a tree to deter further rebellious behavior.  (The story is not continued into chapter 22, so the son does not go on to become a cross-dressing zombie---see 22:5.)  

Reflecting on the discussion of war in Deuteronomy 20-21, Kyle Kettering gave a sermon at Church of the Messiah on July 8, 2023.  He talked about the spiritual war in which we are involved, the greatness of our King the Messiah, and the beauty of his kingdom.  

Seder 150: Deuteronomy 21:1-9---The Case of an Unsolved Murder

 In Deuteronomy 21:1-9 Moses describes the case of an unsolved murder.  The victim's blood pollutes the land, crying out like the blood of Abel (Gen 4:10), but there is no one to prosecute.  An investigation has not revealed the identity of the murderer.  

Moses lays out a ritual that will honor the life of the victim and bring closure.  A heifer's neck is broken in a valley where there is running water.  Elders of the town nearest the scene of the crime wash their hands over the heifer, affirm their innocence, and ask for forgiveness.

As with other rituals in the Pentateuch, we are left to infer the possible symbolism.  This one has been classed as an "elimination ritual," like the scapegoat ritual in Leviticus 16, where a sin is being removed from the community.  In this case, the pollution of the shedding of blood is removed as the heifer's blood is carried away by the running water.  

One proposal for the symbolism of the heifer is that this is a kind of reenactment of the murder..  As the victim's blood was shed, the animal's blood is shed.  Another possibility is that the heifer represents the unknown murderer and is being killed in place of the murderer.

Whatever the precise symbolism, the ritual communicates 

• the responsibility of the community for what has happened;
• the importance of maintaining the holiness of the community;
• the sanctity of life.  Life is precious, and a murder can't just be ignored.  

It's comforting to know that God in each case knows what occurred and will make things right in the end. 

This case is discussed right after the instructions on warfare in Deuteronomy 20.  During times of war, there is a tendency to not value life as it should be valued.  Deuteronomy 21:1-9 gives a reminder of the value of life.