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Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Saturday, 17 May 2025:
Deuteronomy 25:1–3 — “If there is a dispute between men and they come into court… then if the guilty man deserves to be beaten… he may be given forty lashes but not more, lest… your brother be degraded in your sight.”
This law outlines proportional punishment and protects human dignity even in guilt. Justice must be fair, not brutal. Even when correcting someone, God insists they still be treated as “your brother.” God’s discipline aims at restoration, not humiliation. When someone wrongs you or faces consequences, are you more interested in their punishment—or their restoration?
- 2 Corinthians 2:6–8 – “The punishment… is enough… you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him… or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.”
Deuteronomy 25:3 – “Forty stripes may be given him, but not more, lest, if one should go on to beat him with more stripes than these, your brother be degraded in your sight.”
The letter of the law was no more than forty lashes, but the intent was to prevent cruelty, to preserve human dignity, and to preserve merciful justice. However, hard-hearted people, who had lost sight of the intent of the law, learned how to stick to the letter of the law while still being cruel and merciless by making more destructive whips. The flagellum used to scourge Jesus was a whip with several (at least three) thongs or strands, each perhaps as much as three feet long, and the strands were weighted with lead balls or pieces of bone. Many did not survive scourging with this instrument. The letter of the law is not enough – it cannot do the work of the Holy Spirit to change the heart. We need the power of the Holy Spirit which uses the law, God’s word, to convict our hearts and to coach us along the way to develop an increasingly Christ-like heart, increasingly united with Him in genuine love and purpose. Apart from the Holy Spirit, the heart is wicked beyond imagination and will always find a way to do evil despite the law. The heart of a man’s problem is the problem with his heart.
In 2 Corinthians 11:24, Paul writes, “Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one.” Paul endured this excruciating sentence not once, but five times. These were not metaphorical trials or poetic laments—he bore literal stripes across his back for proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. While Jesus Himself was scourged under Roman law (John 19:1), and Paul was later beaten with rods by Roman authorities (Acts 16:22), this particular punishment came from his own people, those who should have recognized the truth of the Messiah he preached.
That Paul willingly subjected himself to repeated punishment from religious leaders shows his total commitment to Christ and his love for those who would persecute him. He did not withdraw, compromise his message, or seek self-preservation. Instead, he embraced suffering as part of his calling and for the opportunity to share Christ with those who did not know him and who would naturally treat him accordingly — “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves.” (Matthew 10:16) In Galatians 6:17, he declares, “I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.” His scars were not just signs of pain, but living proof of his union with Christ and of his authority as an apostle. Paul’s perseverance is a challenge to all who claim to follow Jesus: are we willing to suffer rejection, misunderstanding, maltreatment, even physical hardship, for the sake of the gospel? Are you willing to press into hurtful relationships with grace and forgiveness in order to show love to the unloving? Discipleship is not about comfort or ease, but cross-bearing. “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. What are you willing to endure for sake of others in your life who are still sinners and need to know Jesus? “And he said to all, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.’” (Luke 9:23)
The stripes on Paul’s back bear witness to a deeper truth—that faithfulness to Jesus is costly, often bringing us into direct conflict with the world, even with ungodly religious systems, but daily as we pay the personal cost to radically give to others and forgive others who don’t deserve it. Yet in every trial, God’s grace is sufficient, and His strength is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).
- Hebrews 12:4 — In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
Deuteronomy 25:4 — “You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain.”
This law, while literally about oxen, is applied in the New Testament to people who labor in ministry or service. God is concerned that workers—human or animal—benefit from their labor. If someone is serving you spiritually or practically, are you supporting them appropriately?
- 1 Timothy 5:18 – “The laborer deserves his wages.”
- 1 Corinthians 9:9–11 – Paul applies this verse to support those preaching the gospel.
Deuteronomy 25:5–10 — “If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies… his wife shall not marry outside the family… her husband’s brother shall go in to her… to perpetuate the name of his brother…”
This is the law of levirate marriage—intended to preserve family legacy and protect widows in a patriarchal culture. While foreign to us, this was a practical system of love and provision. This law is central to the story of Ruth and Boaz, which leads to the line of David and ultimately Jesus. In Matthew 22:24–30, Jesus references this law to teach about resurrection. The Sadducees (who didn’t believe in the resurrection) tried to stump Jesus with a question concerning whose wife a women would be in heaven who had been married several times on earth. Jesus points out that in Heaven concerns about preservation and protection are nonexistent without death, and everyone will be one in Christ, in perfect unity. Nothing we love about our relationships with others will be lost, only perfected, and what currently hinders our relationships will be removed – nothing lost, everything gained.
Deuteronomy 25:11, 12 – “When men fight with one another and the wife of the one draws near to rescue her husband from the hand of him who is beating him and puts out her hand and seizes him by the private parts, then you shall cut off her hand. Your eye shall have no pity.”
Throughout the Old Testament, there are very strict laws to protect the production and reproduction capacities of both people and animals. God protects livelihood and future growth.
This law may seem shocking but reflects God’s concern for both order and decency. In a society where lineage and reproductive ability were key to inheritance, damaging a man’s ability to reproduce was a serious matter. The punishment underscores the importance of moderation even in conflict.
While not directly echoed in the New Testament, the broader principle is clear: do not violate another’s dignity or future, even when trying to help. Be careful that your attempts to defend don’t cross the line into destruction.
Deuteronomy 25:13–16 — “You shall not have in your bag two kinds of weights… a full and fair weight you shall have… For all who do such things… are an abomination to the Lord your God.”
God demands integrity in business and honesty in every transaction. Cheating, even in small things, is “an abomination” to God. Our lives should reflect consistency and trustworthiness. Are you the same person in private as in public? Do you weigh others fairly—or cheat them when it’s convenient? Dishonesty is an abomination to the Lord. Do we take dishonesty that seriously?
- Proverbs 11:1 – “A false balance is an abomination to the Lord.”
- Luke 16:10 – “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much.”
Deuteronomy 25:17–19 — “Remember what Amalek did to you… how he attacked you when you were faint and weary… Therefore… you shall blot out the memory of Amalek… you shall not forget.”
Amalek represents a pattern of opportunistic evil—attacking the vulnerable. God commanded Israel to remember this and act with justice. The Amalekites are symbolic of spiritual enemies that attack when we are weak. In Galatians 5:17, the flesh wars against the Spirit—our internal Amalek. Do not forget your enemy, and do not tolerate sin that targets you when you’re spiritually tired. Stay spiritually alert and dependent on Christ’s strength. In Exodus 17, Moses held up his hands while Joshua fought Amalek—symbolizing God’s role in our victories. Don’t try to resist temptations with willpower alone. When tempted, always turn to the Lord for strength.
- 1 Corinthians 10:13 — No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way [the way, not a way. Jesus is The Way, turn to Him] of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
- Psalm 19:12-13 — Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression.
“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 17 May 2025: Meditate upon Deuteronomy 25:13–16. Take inventory of your integrity: Are your “weights” honest? Are you consistent in character, both when seen and unseen? Repent of any duplicity. Then reflect on verse 4: Are you honoring and supporting those who labor for your good—spiritually, physically, or emotionally?
Defenders Bible Reading Plan 