Dt. 24: More Laws to Enjoy!

Deuteronomy 24:5 "If a man has recently married, he must not be sent to war or have any other duty laid on him. For one year he is to be free to stay at home and bring happiness to the wife he has married."

Lets say a guy ends up not liking his wife. He divorces her, and then the second guy she marries ends up not liking her. It is detestable to God for that first man to remarry her. It is a sin, even. God does not want this sin upon the land.

I love how a man can have no duty forced on him (ie, military service) for one year after he is married. This is so he can bring joy to his wife. That's pretty amazing as to what a husbandly duty is. For one year straight, she must be his lone priority.

Let's see...millstones are a livelihood....kidnapping punishable by death...remember Leviticus 13 for skin diseases....

V. 10-13 are interesting...when you loan something to someone, don't be a jerk and go to his house to get the pledge, let him bring it to you, you greedy jerk. Don't keep what he needs to live overnight like a jerky jerk.

OK...don't take advantage of hired poor...

Fathers are not to be punished for the sins of their children, or vice versa. I wonder what was happening that brought this to mention. I know about the "sins of the fathers" idea, but this is probably a more immediate punishment, like some kid throws a rock at a camel, and the camel owner kills the kid's father...something like that.

The Israelite time of slavery in Egypt is the great source for their empathy for slaves, the poor, the aliens and the oppressed. Good thing they went through that, because they are apparently dealing with that a lot.

Leave some harvest behind in the field for the poor, widow, etc...You know.

Dt. 23: More Weirdy Laws

Deuteronomy 23:12 "Designate a place outside the camp where you can go to relieve yourself."

Another list of laws... lets see.

The first part of the chapter includes those who will not be admitted to assembly. I don't really find it hard to believe that there were exclusions. Israel was an exclusive nation. God was an exclusive God. Why? Israel was a holy and separate nation. This is why someone who was emasculated by crushing or cutting was not allowed in. I presume that this wasn't just some agricultural accident. I would guess that castration was some sort of ceremonial thing, for a sexually impure faith practice. Forbidden marriages, and anyone who had anything to do with Balak (who hired Balaam to curse Israel) were not allowed in. Edomites, and Egyptians, they were alright, since Edom is Israel's brother nation (Jacob and Esau), and the Israelites were aliens in the Egyptian land.

There seems to be some honor in being an alien in someone's land, and vice versa...someone being an alien in your land. As though they are strangers in an unfamiliar place...needing some sort of hospitality...

Uncleanness through nocturnal emission and defecation was dealt with. The emission more for a purity thing (see Leviticus 15), and the defecation probably for a practical health thing. God did not want to see that sh...stuff laying around the camp, since it was holy ground, presumably.

I had been wondering about paying off loans in a timely fashion after reading through the first half of Deuteronomy...you know, how loans are to be forgiven every 7 years...God will demand vows made to Him in short order, so mean what you say, when you vow to God.