Tanak Foundations-Concepts in Deuteronomy-Chapter 24

Deut 24.1-22 will tell us about the laws of divorce; exemption from war; a millstone cannot be taken as a pledge; kidnapping; leprosy; obtaining and restoring a pledge; proper treatment of a hired man; an individual is responsible for his own sin; justice to the widow, orphan and the stranger; biblical giving and charity to those who do not own land, olive trees or vineyards.

v 1…”When a man takes a wife, and marries her (full marriage), and it happens that he finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency (“Ervat” meaning improper, indecent behavior that would would make their lives together impossible amd would lead to cruelty. It does not mean “adultery” because that would punishable by death-Lev 18. In Matt 5.32 and 19.1-6;. Mark 10.11 and Luke 16.17 has to do with sending a wife out without a legal divorce, and she cannot remarry yet. Yeshua is freeing this verse from the false interpretations of the Pharisees and the Oral Law) in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce (called a “Get” with a gimmel and a tav, two letters that are never together in the Torah) and puts it in her hand and sends her out from his house (divorce was allowed in the Scriptures, and sometimes it is God’s will for a divorce, as seen in Ezra 10.1-44 and Neh 13.23-31. God himself divorced Israel),

v 2…and she leaves his house and goes and becomes another man’s wife,

v 3…and if the latter husband turns against her and writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, or if the latter hussband dies who took her to be his wife,

v 4…her former (the first one) husband who sent her away is not allowed to take her again to be his wife, since she has been defiled (to her first husband because of her marriage to another man); for that is an abomination before the Lord, and you shall not bring sin on the land which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance (this verse has an eschatological aspect to it. Yehovah and Israel have only reached the betrothal stage, not the full marriage. If you were engaged and wanted to separate, you had to have a divorce certificate. And if the two married someone else, and they got divorced or died, the first couple can remarry again because they had not reached a full marriage in their relationship. So when God divorced Israel he can remarry her based on this law because the Lord and Israel were only only in the betrothal stage. There has been a lot of misunderstanding about divorce because teachers do not know the Torah).

v 5…When a man takes a new wife, he shall not go out with the army or be charged with any duty (public duty, tribute, taxes and anything related to war, etc); he shall be free at home one year and shall give happiness (rejoice with) to his wife whom he has taken (Yeshua is told this in Luke 14.20 when he called a person to follow him).

v 6…No one shall take a handmill (millstone) of an upper millstone in pledge (there were two millstones, and removing one would make the other useless), for he would be taking a life in pledge (took his livelihood away from him).

v 7…If a man is caught kidnapping any of his countrymen of the sons of Israel, and he deals with him violently, or sells him, then that thief shall die, so you shall purge the evil from among you (Exo 21.16).

v 8…Be careful (take heed) against an infection of leprosy (tzara’at), that you diligently observe and do according to all that the Levitical priests shall teach you (Ezek 44.23); as I have commanded them, so you shall be careful to do.

v 9…Remember what the Lord your God did to Miriam on the way as you came out of Egypt (she was the sister of Moses and a prophetess and a shaliach or “apostle” but she was sent out for seven days; so watch what you say because punishment can be upon them).

v 10…When you make your neighbor a loan of any sort, you shall not enter his house to take his pledge (of whatever you want; respect and be kind to your neighbor).

v 11…You shall remain outside, and the man to whom you make the loan shall bring the pledge out to you (but it had to be near the value of the loan).

v 12…And if he is a poor man, you shall not sleep with his pledge (being poor, he probably gave a necessary piece of clothing; you can’t use their pledged things-Amos 2.8).

v 13…When the sun goes down you shall surely return the pledge to him, that he may sleep in his cloak and bless you (it’s cold at night); and it will be righteousness (tzedakah-see v 22) for you (generosity and charity) before the Lord your God.

v 14…You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your country men or one of your aliens (Ger Ha Shaar) who is in your land in your towns.

v 15…You shall give him his wages on his day (the same day he works) before the sun sets, for he is poor and sets his heart on it (he needs it to buy food for his family); so that he may not cry against you to the Lord and it become a sin in you.

v 16…Fathers shall not be put to death for their sons, nor shall sons be put to death for (in addition to) their fathers; everyone shall be put to death for his own sin (2 Kings 14.5-6; Ezek 18.4; Prov 17.4, 17.26; in Josh 7.24 Joshua punished Achan not his children; all Israel stoned “him” and they burned “them” meaning his goods, not children, with fire).

v 17…You shall not pervert the justice due to an alien (Geer ha Sha’ar) or an orphan, nor take a widow’s garment in pledge.

v 18…But you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and that the Lord your God redeemed you from there (an act of great kindness and charity); therefore I am commanding you to do this thing (and not pervert justice due to other widows or fatherless).

v 19…When you reap your harvest in your field and forgotten a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back and get it; it shall be for the alien (Ger ha Sha’ar), for the orphan, and for the widow, in order that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands (this was seen as tzedakah or righteousness).

v 20…When you beat your olive tree, you shall not go over the boughs again; it shall be for the alien (Ger Ha Sha’ar), for the orphan, and for the widow (seen as tzedakah or righteousness).

v 21…When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not go over it again; it shall be for the alien (Ger Ha Sha’ar), for the orphan, and for the widow (seen as tzedakah or righteousness).

v 22…And you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore I am commanding you to do this thing (this is a Torah concept called “tzedakah” or righteousness-see v 13; what you give to the alien, orphan, the widow or the poor is not really yours, it belongs to God and it was entrusted to you for safekeeping until they need it. and you must give it to him; “tzedakah” is not charity but is rooted in the word for righteous,”tzedek”, which means justice basically; giving someone what belongs to them is justice, not charity).”

Posted in All Teachings, Articles, Idioms, Phrases and Concepts, Prophecy/Eschatology, The Festivals of the Lord, The Tanak, Tying into the New Testament

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