Provide Godly Protection for Each Other
Scripture Passage: Deuteronomy 25:1-10 (NASB)
1“If there is a dispute between men and they go to court, and the judges decide their case, and they justify the righteous and condemn the wicked, 2 then it shall be if the wicked man deserves to be beaten, the judge shall then make him lie down and be beaten in his presence with the number of stripes according to his guilt. 3 He may beat him forty times but no more, so that he does not beat him with many more stripes than these and your brother is not degraded in your eyes.
4 “You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing.
5 “When brothers live together and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the deceased shall not be married outside the family to a strange man. Her husband’s brother shall go in to her and take her to himself as wife and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her. 6 It shall be that the firstborn whom she bears shall assume the name of his dead brother, so that his name will not be blotted out from Israel. 7 But if the man does not desire to take his brother’s wife, then his brother’s wife shall go up to the gate to the elders and say, ‘My husband’s brother refuses to establish a name for his brother in Israel; he is not willing to perform the duty of a husband’s brother to me.’ 8 Then the elders of his city shall summon him and speak to him. And if he persists and says, ‘I do not desire to take her,’ 9 then his brother’s wife shall come to him in the sight of the elders, and pull his sandal off his foot and spit in his face; and she shall declare, ‘Thus it is done to the man who does not build up his brother’s house.’ 10 In Israel his name shall be called, ‘The house of him whose sandal is removed.’
SUMMARY
When there is a dispute between two men, the judges are to justify the righteous and condemn the wicked. The wicked man shall be beaten no more than 40 times, so that he will not be degraded. An ox should not have a muzzle during the threshing time. If a man dies without a son, the wife shall be taken by her deceased husband’s brother. If the brother refuses his duty, he will be humiliated by the widow as she shall take off his sandal and spit at his face.
MEDITATION & REFLECTION
In verses 1-3, I see God’s mercy and sympathy for His people. The law requires the judges to protect the wicked man by not abusing their power over him that could cause him to be degraded. Continuing on to verses 4-10, I meet God who cares for an ox and a widow. In this law, God presents the importance of the duty of the owner of an ox and the family of a widow, because both an ox and a widow cannot live without the care and support of others.
From today’s passage, I see God’s grace and sympathy toward people, and even toward animals. I see God as the creator who cares for His creation to have cared for their livelihoods. I see God who wants us to protect and provide needs for each other. God protects even the wicked man from being humiliated as he receives his punishment. God’s act of love and care for the wicked man reminds me and convicts me how my actions and words toward my children were disobedient in the past when they were young. Sometimes I punished them for disobedience with anger and frustration. I realize they may have been humiliated because of my careless actions and words. Even though they did wrong, I was supposed to punish them for their wrong actions, not degrade them. I thank God for showing me today what I have done wrong. As I see God’s mercy and sympathy toward His people, I repent myself of abusing my power and authority over my children.
APPLICATION
I will repent before God for my unloving careless actions and words toward my children. I will ask forgiveness from my children for hurting their feelings. I pray that God would heal my children’s heart of being humiliated and ashamed of themselves. I will tell them that they are so precious before God, and they have worth because Jesus gave his life for them.
PRAYER
Abba Father, thank you for your grace and mercy toward us. I repent for my actions and words toward my children when they were young. I mistreated them with the wrong motivation of a careless heart. I ask You to heal my children’s wounded heart if they have any. I pray that they would realize how precious and loved they are by You, their parents, and the people around them. Help me to respect, love, and care for my children and Your people. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
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