Don't Discourage Your
Brethren From Fulfilling Yahweh's Will For Them
Numbers 32 reads,
32:1Now
the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of
cattle: and when they saw the land of Jazer, and the land of Gilead, that
behold, the place was a place for cattle; 32:2the
children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spoke to Moses, and to
Eleazar the priest, and to the princes of the congregation, saying, 32:3Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jazer, and Nimrah,
and Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Sebam, and Nebo, and Beon, 32:4the land which Yahweh struck before the
congregation of Israel, is a land for cattle; and your servants have cattle. 32:5They said, If we have found favor in your
sight, let this land be given to your servants for a possession; don’t bring us
over the
32:6Moses
said to the children of Gad, and to the children of Reuben, Shall your
brothers go to the war, and shall you sit here? 32:7Why
discourage you the heart of the children of
32:16They
came near to him, and said, We will build sheepfolds here for our cattle,
and cities for our little ones: 32:17but
we ourselves will be ready armed to go before the children of Israel, until we
have brought them to their place: and our little ones shall dwell in the
fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land. 32:18We will not return to our houses, until
the children of
32:20Moses
said to them, If you will do this thing, if you will arm yourselves to go
before Yahweh to the war, 32:21and
every armed man of you will pass over the Jordan before Yahweh, until he has
driven out his enemies from before him, 32:22and
the land is subdued before Yahweh; then afterward you shall return, and be
guiltless towards Yahweh, and towards Israel; and this land shall be to you for
a possession before Yahweh. 32:23But
if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against Yahweh; and be sure your
sin will find you out. 32:24Build
you cities for your little ones, and folds for your sheep; and do that which
has proceeded out of your mouth.
32:25The
children of Gad and the children of Reuben spoke to Moses, saying, Your
servants will do as my lord commands. 32:26Our
little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our cattle, shall be there in the
cities of
32:29Moses
said to them, If the children of Gad and the children of Reuben will pass
with you over the Jordan, every man who is armed to battle, before Yahweh, and
the land shall be subdued before you; then you shall give them the land of
Gilead for a possession: 32:30but if
they will not pass over with you armed, they shall have possessions among you
in the land of Canaan.
32:31The
children of Gad and the children of Reuben answered, saying, As Yahweh has said
to your servants, so will we do. 32:32We
will pass over armed before Yahweh into the
32:33Moses
gave to them, even to the children of Gad, and to the children of Reuben, and
to the half-tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon king of
the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land, according to the
cities of it with their borders, even the cities of the land round about. 32:34The children of Gad built Dibon, and
Ataroth, and Aroer, 32:35and
Atrothshophan, and Jazer, and Jogbehah, 32:36and
Beth-nimrah, and Beth-haran: fortified cities, and folds for sheep. 32:37The children of Reuben built Heshbon, and
Elealeh, and Kiriathaim, 32:38and
Nebo, and Baal-meon, (their names being changed,) and Sibmah: and they gave
other names to the cities which they built. 32:39The
children of Machir the son of Manasseh went to
Don't the words of Moses show that when brethren have a common objective, they should not behave in a manner discouraging others of their number with respect to attaining to the objective? Isn't part of being our brethren's keeper ensuring that we provide them with all their needs when it is in our power to do so, including providing moral and psychological support? Isn't encouraging one's brethren an important requirement when there is a major task to be undertaken by one's brethren?
Yahweh Regulates How Brethren
Should Dwell Together
Numbers 36:1-12 reads,
36:1The
heads of the fathers’ houses of the family of the children of Gilead, the son
of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of the sons of Joseph, came
near, and spoke before Moses, and before the princes, the heads of the fathers’
houses of the children of Israel: 36:2and
they said, Yahweh commanded my lord to give the land for inheritance by lot
to the children of Israel: and my lord was commanded by Yahweh to give the
inheritance of Zelophehad our brother to his daughters. 36:3If they be married to any of the sons of
the other tribes of the children of Israel, then will their inheritance be
taken away from the inheritance of our fathers, and will be added to the
inheritance of the tribe whereunto they shall belong: so will it be taken away
from the lot of our inheritance. 36:4When
the jubilee of the children of
36:5Moses
commanded the children of
36:10Even
as Yahweh commanded Moses, so did the daughters of Zelophehad: 36:11for Mahlah, Tirzah, and Hoglah, and
Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, were married to their father’s
brothers’ sons. 36:12They were
married into the families of the sons of Manasseh the son of Joseph; and their
inheritance remained in the tribe of the family of their father.
Hasn't Yahweh given the children of
Yahweh's Judicial System
Handles Conflicts Among Brethren
Deuteronomy 1:9-18 reads,
1:9I
spoke to you at that time, saying, I am not able to bear you myself alone: 1:10Yahweh your God has multiplied you, and,
behold, you are this day as the stars of the sky for multitude. 1:11Yahweh, the God of your fathers, make you a
thousand times as many as you are, and bless you, as he has promised you! 1:12How can I myself alone bear your
encumbrance, and your burden, and your strife? 1:13Take
wise men of understanding and well known according to your tribes, and I will
make them heads over you. 1:14You
answered me, and said, The thing which you have spoken is good for us to do. 1:15So I took the heads of your tribes, wise men,
and known, and made them heads over you, captains of thousands, and captains of
hundreds, and captains of fifties, and captains of tens, and officers,
according to your tribes. 1:16I
charged your judges at that time, saying, Hear the causes between your
brothers, and judge righteously between a man and his brother, and the
sojourner who is with him. 1:17You
shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small and the great
alike; you shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God’s:
and the cause that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear
it. 1:18I commanded you at that
time all the things which you should do.
Didn't Yahweh establish a judicial system in Israel, for handling the conflicts that arise among the children of Israel? Shouldn't brethren dwelling together have a judicial system for addressing the matters that arise out of their dwelling together?
Never Discourage Your
Brethren From Observing Yahweh's Word
Deuteronomy 1:19-36 reads,
1:19We
journeyed from Horeb, and went through all that great and terrible wilderness
which you saw, by the way to the hill-country of the Amorites, as Yahweh our
God commanded us; and we came to Kadesh-barnea.
1:20I
said to you, You are come to the hill-country of the Amorites, which Yahweh our
God gives to us. 1:21Behold, Yahweh
your God has set the land before you: go up, take possession, as Yahweh, the
God of your fathers, has spoken to you; don’t be afraid, neither be dismayed.
1:22You came near to me everyone of
you, and said, Let us send men before us, that they may search the land for us,
and bring us word again of the way by which we must go up, and the cities to
which we shall come. 1:23The thing
pleased me well; and I took twelve men of you, one man for every tribe: 1:24and they turned and went up into the
hill-country, and came to the valley of Eshcol, and spied it out. 1:25They took of the fruit of the land in their
hands, and brought it down to us, and brought us word again, and said, It is a
good land which Yahweh our God gives to us.
1:26Yet
you wouldn’t go up, but rebelled against the commandment of Yahweh your God: 1:27and you murmured in your tents,
and said, Because Yahweh hated us, he has brought us forth out of the land of
Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us. 1:28Where are we going up? Our brothers have
made our heart to melt, saying, The people are greater and taller than we; the
cities are great and fortified up to the sky; and moreover we have seen the
sons of the Anakim there. 1:29Then
I said to you, Don’t dread, neither be afraid of them. 1:30Yahweh your God who goes before you, he
will fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your
eyes, 1:31and in the wilderness,
where you have seen how that Yahweh your God bore you, as a man does bear his
son, in all the way that you went, until you came to this place. 1:32Yet in this thing you didn’t believe Yahweh
your God, 1:33who went before you in
the way, to seek you out a place to pitch your tents in, in fire by night, to
show you by what way you should go, and in the cloud by day.
1:34Yahweh
heard the voice of your words, and was angry, and swore, saying, 1:35Surely there shall not one of these men of
this evil generation see the good land, which I swore to give to your fathers, 1:36save Caleb the son of Jephunneh: he shall
see it; and to him will I give the land that he has trodden on, and to his
children, because he has wholly followed Yahweh.
Isn't it important that brethren should never discourage one another from observing the commands that Yahweh commands them, even when the signs around them are all negative? Isn't Yahweh the All-Powerful One? Can't Yahweh succeed in undertakings that are humanly impossible? Shouldn't brethren therefore encourage one another to rely on Yahweh and wholly follow him, that they may indeed abide by Yahweh's commands to them, that he may fulfil for them his desires for them?
Levi Has No Inheritance Among
His Brethren
Deuteronomy 10:6-9 reads,
10:6(The
children of Israel journeyed from Beeroth Bene-jaakan to Moserah. There Aaron
died, and there he was buried; and Eleazar his son ministered in the priest’s
office in his place. 10:7From there
they journeyed to Gudgodah; and from Gudgodah to Jotbathah, a land of brooks of
water. 10:8At that time Yahweh
set apart the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, to
stand before Yahweh to minister to him, and to bless in his name, to this day. 10:9Therefore Levi has no portion nor
inheritance with his brothers; Yahweh is his inheritance, according as Yahweh
your God spoke to him.)
Love Yahweh Above Your
Brethren
Deuteronomy 13:6-11 reads,
13:6If
your brother, the son of your mother, or your son, or your daughter, or the
wife of your bosom, or your friend, who is as your own soul, entice you
secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which you have not known,
you, nor your fathers; 13:7of the
gods of the peoples who are round about you, near to you, or far off from you,
from the one end of the earth even to the other end of the earth; 13:8you shall not consent to him, nor listen to
him; neither shall your eye pity him, neither shall you spare, neither shall
you conceal him: 13:9but you shall
surely kill him; your hand shall be first on him to put him to death, and
afterwards the hand of all the people. 13:10You
shall stone him to death with stones, because he has sought to draw you away
from Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the
house of bondage. 13:11All
Israel shall hear, and fear, and shall not do any more such wickedness as this
is in the midst of you.
Doesn't Yahweh show that we are to love him more than we love our brethren? Doesn't Yahweh show that we are to obey his word even if the cost of so doing is losing a close relative?
Deal Kindly With Your
Brethren
Deuteronomy 15:1-11 reads,
15:1At
the end of every seven years you shall make a release. 15:2This is the manner of the release: every
creditor shall release that which he has lent to his neighbor; he shall not
exact it of his neighbor and his brother; because Yahweh’s release has been
proclaimed. 15:3Of a foreigner you
may exact it: but whatever of your is with your brother your hand shall release.
15:4However
there shall be no poor with you; (for Yahweh will surely bless you in the
land which Yahweh your God gives you for an inheritance to possess it;) 15:5if only you diligently listen to the voice
of Yahweh your God, to observe to do all this commandment which I command you
this day. 15:6For Yahweh your
God will bless you, as he promised you: and you shall lend to many nations, but
you shall not borrow; and you shall rule over many nations, but they shall not
rule over you. 15:7If there be
with you a poor man, one of your brothers, within any of your gates in your
land which Yahweh your God gives you, you shall not harden your heart, nor shut
your hand from your poor brother; 15:8but
you shall surely open your hand to him, and shall surely lend him sufficient
for his need in that which he wants. 15:9Beware
that there not be a base thought in your heart, saying, The seventh year, the
year of release, is at hand; and your eye be evil against your poor brother,
and you give him nothing; and he cry to Yahweh against you, and it be sin
to you. 15:10You shall surely give
him, and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him; because that for
this thing Yahweh your God will bless you in all your work, and in all that you
put your hand to. 15:11For the
poor will never cease out of the land: therefore I command you, saying, You
shall surely open your hand to your brother, to your needy, and to your poor,
in your land.
Yahweh Makes Distinction
Between Brethren And Outsiders
Doesn't Yahweh again make a distinction between brethren and outsiders? Doesn't Yahweh allow his people to exact after the year of release credit given to a foreigner, but forbids them from so doing with their brethren, insisting that they forgive such debts?
Yahweh Has Conditionally
Promised His People The Absence Of Poverty
Hasn't Yahweh promised his people Israel the absence of poverty, if only they listen to his word and diligently observe his commandments? Shouldn't Yahweh's people abide by his words that they might not be poor?
Doesn't Yahweh again stress to his people that they are indeed their brethren's keepers? Aren't Yahweh's people to see the needs of their needy brethren and provide for those needs when it is in their power to do so? Doesn't Yahweh show that when his people see the needs of their brethren but fail to provide for those needs, yet are able to do so, they indeed have an "evil eye"? Doesn't Yahweh show that an evil eye, a heart that does not have compassion upon the needy, is a sinful eye and heart? And doesn't Yahweh promise to bless his people for providing for the needs of their brethren?
Don't Make Bondservants Of
Your Brethren
Deuteronomy 15:12-17 reads,
15:12If
your brother, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew woman, be sold to you, and serve you
six years; then in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you. 15:13When you let him go free from you, you
shall not let him go empty: 15:14you
shall furnish him liberally out of your flock, and out of your threshing floor,
and out of your winepress; as Yahweh your God has blessed you, you shall give
to him. 15:15You shall
remember that you were a bondservant in the land of Egypt, and Yahweh your God
redeemed you: therefore I command you this thing today. 15:16It shall be, if he tell you, I will not go
out from you; because he loves you and your house, because he is well with you;
15:17then you shall take an awl, and
thrust it through his ear to the door, and he shall be your servant forever.
Also to your maid-servant you shall do likewise. 15:18It shall not seem hard to you, when you
let him go free from you; for to the double of the hire of a hireling has he
served you six years: and Yahweh your God will bless you in all that you do.
Doesn't Yahweh show that his people the children of Israel are not to make bondservants of their brethren, but are only to enter into limited duration services? Doesn't Yahweh promise to bless his people when they release their brethren who are their servants from their service?
Only One Of Your Brethren
Should Rule Over You
Deuteronomy 17:14-20 reads,
17:14When
you are come to the land which Yahweh your God gives you, and shall possess it,
and shall dwell therein, and shall say, I will set a king over me, like all the
nations that are round about me; 17:15you
shall surely set him king over you, whom Yahweh your God shall choose: one
from among your brothers shall you set king over you; you may not put a
foreigner over you, who is not your brother. 17:16Only
he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt,
to the end that he may multiply horses; because Yahweh has said to you, You
shall henceforth return no more that way. 17:17Neither
shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart not turn away: neither shall
he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold. 17:18It
shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a
copy of this law in a book, out of that which is before the priests the
Levites: 17:19and it shall be with
him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life; that he may learn to
fear Yahweh his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to
do them; 17:20that his heart not
be lifted up above his brothers, and that he not turn aside from the
commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong
his days in his kingdom, he and his children, in the midst of Israel.
Doesn't Yahweh show that his people should be ruled only by one of their number? Doesn't Yahweh also show that brethren should not have hearts that are lifted up above their fellows, but should be humble before their fellows? Doesn't Yahweh also show that by abiding by his word, keeping all the words of his law, brethren will not have hearts lifted up above their fellows? Doesn't this show that observance of Yahweh's law teaches us humility? And doesn't this show that Yahweh desires humble hearts within his people, rather than proud or arrogant hearts?
Deuteronomy 18:1-5 reads,
18:1The
priests the Levites, even all the tribe of Levi, shall have no portion nor
inheritance with Israel: they shall eat the offerings of Yahweh made by fire,
and his inheritance. 18:2They shall
have no inheritance among their brothers: Yahweh is their inheritance, as he
has spoken to them. 18:3This
shall be the priests’ due from the people, from those who offer a sacrifice,
whether it be ox or sheep, that they shall give to the priest the shoulder, and
the two cheeks, and the maw. 18:4The
first fruits of your grain, of your new wine, and of your oil, and the first of
the fleece of your sheep, shall you give him. 18:5For
Yahweh your God has chosen him out of all your tribes, to stand to minister in
the name of Yahweh, him and his sons for ever.
Yahweh's Laws Ensure That His
Ministers Are Adequately Provided For
Deuteronomy 18:6-8 reads,
18:6If
a Levite come from any of your gates out of all Israel, where he sojourns, and
come with all the desire of his soul to the place which Yahweh shall choose; 18:7then he shall minister in the name of
Yahweh his God, as all his brothers the Levites do, who stand there before
Yahweh. 18:8They shall have like
portions to eat, besides that which comes of the sale of his patrimony.
Hasn't Yahweh instituted laws to ensure that those who serve him at his Tent of Meeting have their needs provided for? Shouldn't brethren, in keeping with Yahweh's word that they are their brethren's keepers, provide for the needs of their fellows?
Yahweh's Prophesied Prophet
Like Moses To Have Been Raised From Among The Children Of Israel
Deuteronomy 18:15-22 reads,
18:15Yahweh
your God will raise up to you a prophet from the midst of you, of your
brothers, like me; to him you shall listen; 18:16according to all that you desired of
Yahweh your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear
again the voice of Yahweh my God, neither let me see this great fire any more,
that I not die. 18:17Yahweh said to
me, They have well said that which they have spoken. 18:18I will raise them up a prophet from among
their brothers, like you; and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall
speak to them all that I shall command him. 18:19It
shall happen, that whoever will not listen to my words which he shall speak in
my name, I will require it of him. 18:20But
the prophet, who shall speak a word presumptuously in my name, which I have not
commanded him to speak, or who shall speak in the name of other gods, that same
prophet shall die. 18:21If you say
in your heart, How shall we know the word which Yahweh has not spoken? 18:22When a prophet speaks in the name of
Yahweh, if the thing doesn’t follow, nor happen, that is the thing which Yahweh
has not spoken: the prophet has spoken it presumptuously, you shall not be
afraid of him.
Didn't Yahweh prophesy by Moses that he would indeed send the children of Israel another prophet like Moses, raised up from among them and not an outsider? Didn't Yahweh require the children of Israel to listen to his words by this prophet like Moses, seeing that this prophet would speak Yahweh's words and command the children of Israel all that Yahweh would command him? Didn't Yahweh say that he would require it of anyone who would not listen to his words by his prophet like Moses?
Not All Prophets Professing
Yahweh Belong To Him
Hasn't Yahweh also shown his people that not all who profess to be Yahweh's prophets are indeed Yahweh's prophets? Don't some prophets speak in Yahweh's name presumptuously, thereby causing the people to believe in a lie?
Yahweh's Words Never Fall To
The Ground
Doesn't Yahweh also indicate that his words never fall to the ground, with all the words that he utters being fulfilled at their appointed time? Doesn't this show that all can indeed rely on Yahweh's words, seeing he is always dependable and faithful?
Don't Abuse The Judicial
Process Against Your Brethren
Deuteronomy 19:16-21 reads,
19:16If
an unrighteous witness rise up against any man to testify against him of
wrong-doing, 19:17then both the men,
between whom the controversy is, shall stand before Yahweh, before the priests
and the judges who shall be in those days; 19:18and
the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the witness is a
false witness, and has testified falsely against his brother; 19:19then shall you do to him, as he had
thought to do to his brother: so shall you put away the evil from the midst of
you. 19:20Those who
remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil
in the midst of you. 19:21Your eyes
shall not pity; life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for
hand, foot for foot.
Doesn't Yahweh teach his children to deal truthfully with one another, and not seek to abuse judicial process? Doesn't Yahweh also show that the penalty for those who falsely seek a judgement against another is the judgement they falsely sought against the other?
Be Courageous And Fearless
When Doing Battle With Your Brethren For Yahweh
Deuteronomy 20:1-9 reads,
20:1When
you go forth to battle against your enemies, and see horses, and chariots, and
a people more than you, you shall not be afraid of them; for Yahweh your God is
with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. 20:2It shall be, when you draw near to the
battle, that the priest shall approach and speak to the people, 20:3and shall tell them, Hear, Israel, you draw
near this day to battle against your enemies: don’t let your heart faint; don’t
be afraid, nor tremble, neither be scared of them; 20:4for Yahweh your God is he who goes with you, to fight
for you against your enemies, to save you. 20:5The
officers shall speak to the people, saying, What man is there who has built a
new house, and has not dedicated it? Let him go and return to his house, lest
he die in the battle, and another man dedicate it. 20:6What man is there who has planted a vineyard, and has
not used the fruit of it? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in
the battle, and another man use the fruit of it. 20:7What
man is there who has pledged to be married a wife, and has not taken her? Let
him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man take
her. 20:8The officers shall speak
further to the people, and they shall say, What man is there who is fearful and
faint-hearted? Let him go and return to his house, lest his brother’s heart
melt as his heart. 20:9It shall
be, when the officers have made an end of speaking to the people, that they
shall appoint captains of hosts at the head of the people.
Doesn't Yahweh show his people that they are to be courageous and fearless when they do battle for Yahweh, for Yahweh accompanies them in their battles? Doesn't Yahweh also show that those who are not courageous and fearless should be removed from the army of Yahweh's people going to battle, for these are a liability to his army? Don't these cause the hearts of the rest of the army to become weak and fearful, thereby preventing Yahweh accomplishing his exploits through them? Doesn't this show that it is indeed essential for those battling for Yahweh to have courage and fearlessness when they so battle for him?
Preserve Your Brethren's
Property
Deuteronomy 22:1-4 reads,
22:1You
shall not see your brother’s ox or his sheep go astray, and hide yourself from
them: you shall surely bring them again to your brother. 22:2If your brother isn’t near to you, or if
you don’t know him, then you shall bring it home to your house, and it shall be
with you until your brother seek after it, and you shall restore it to him. 22:3So shall you do with his donkey; and so
shall you do with his garment; and so shall you do with every lost thing of
your brother’s, which he has lost, and you have found: you may not hide
yourself. 22:4You shall not see
your brother’s donkey or his ox fallen down by the way, and hide yourself from
them: you shall surely help him to lift them up again.
Doesn't Yahweh show that the principle of being our brethren's keeper does not stop with providing our brethren with their needs when it is in our power to do so, but also extends to protecting or preserving their property when it is in our power to do so?
Yahweh Makes Distinction
Between Brethren And Foreigners
Deuteronomy 23:19-20 reads,
23:19You
shall not lend on interest to your brother; interest of money, interest of
victuals, interest of anything that is lent on interest: 23:20to a foreigner you may lend on interest;
but to your brother you shall not lend on interest, that Yahweh your God may
bless you in all that you put your hand to, in the land where you go in to
possess it.
Doesn't Yahweh again make distinction between brethren and outsiders in the dealings a person has with them? Doesn't Yahweh forbid brethren lending to one another on interest, but allows them to do so when lending to outsiders? Doesn't this show that it is not wrong to lend upon interest, but that one's close relatives should be given preferential treatment in one's dealing with them?
Deuteronomy 24:7 reads,
24:7If
a man be found stealing any of his brothers of the children of Israel, and he
deal with him as a slave, or sell him; then that thief shall die: so shall you
put away the evil from the midst of you.
Doesn't Yahweh repeatedly show that one is not to defraud one's brethren in any matter, including that of personal freedom?
Deuteronomy 24:14-15 reads,
24:14You
shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether he be of your
brothers, or of your sojourners who are in your land within your gates: 24:15in his day you shall give him his hire,
neither shall the sun go down on it; for he is poor, and sets his heart on it:
lest he cry against you to Yahweh, and it be sin to you.
Doesn't Yahweh show that it is oppression for one to withhold or delay payment of those who are one's servants, whether brethren or not? Doesn't Yahweh command his people not to oppress those under their authority, seeing it is sin to do so? Shouldn't Yahweh's people avoid this sin of oppressing those under their authority?
Deuteronomy 25:1-3 reads,
25:1If
there be a controversy between men, and they come to judgment, and the judges
judge them; then they shall justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked; 25:2and it shall be, if the wicked man be
worthy to be beaten, that the judge shall cause him to lie down, and to be
beaten before his face, according to his wickedness, by number. 25:3Forty stripes he may give him, he shall not
exceed; lest, if he should exceed, and beat him above these with many stripes,
then your brother should seem vile to you.
Doesn't Yahweh show that in our dealings with our brethren we should maintain their dignity, even when they are punished for their iniquity?
Take Care Of Your Brethren,
Even In Death
Deuteronomy 25:5-10 reads,
25:5If
brothers dwell together, and one of them die, and have no son, the wife of the
dead shall not be married outside to a stranger: her husband’s brother shall go
in to her, and take her to him as wife, and perform the duty of a husband’s
brother to her. 25:6It shall be,
that the firstborn whom she bears shall succeed in the name of his brother who
is dead, that his name not be blotted out of Israel. 25:7If the man doesn’t want 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 raise up to his brother a name in
Israel; he will not perform the duty of a husband’s brother to me. 25:8Then the elders of his city shall call him,
and speak to him: and if he stand, and say, I don’t want to take her; 25:9then his brother’s wife shall come to him
in the presence of the elders, and loose his shoe from off his foot, and spit
in his face; and she shall answer and say, So shall it be done to the man who
does not build up his brother’s house. 25:10His
name shall be called in Israel, The house of him who has his shoe loosed.
Doesn't Yahweh again reiterate that we are indeed to act as our brethren's keepers, even when they are dead? Aren't we to ensure that their name or inheritance is preserved, thereby fulfilling our duty to our brethren?
Yahweh Does Not Force Us To
Keep Our Brethren
Doesn't Yahweh also show that he does not force us to fulfil our duty? Nevertheless, doesn't he also show that when we do not do so, we incur shame by our omission and deserve to be treated in a shameful manner?
Don't Have An Evil Eye
Against Your Brethren
Deuteronomy 28:45-57 reads,
28:45All
these curses shall come on you, and shall pursue you, and overtake you, until
you are destroyed; because you didn’t listen to the voice of Yahweh your God,
to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded you: 28:46and they shall be on you for a sign and
for a wonder, and on your seed forever. 28:47Because
you didn’t serve Yahweh your God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart,
by reason of the abundance of all things; 28:48therefore shall you serve your enemies
whom Yahweh shall send against you, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness,
and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron on your neck, until
he have destroyed you. 28:49Yahweh
will bring a nation against you from far, from the end of the earth, as the
eagle flies; a nation whose language you shall not understand; 28:50a nation of fierce facial expressions,
that shall not regard the person of the old, nor show favor to the young, 28:51and shall eat the fruit of your cattle,
and the fruit of your ground, until you are destroyed; that also shall not
leave you grain, new wine, or oil, the increase of your cattle, or the young of
your flock, until they have caused you to perish. 28:52They
shall besiege you in all your gates, until your high and fortified walls come
down, in which you trusted, throughout all your land; and they shall besiege you
in all your gates throughout all your land, which Yahweh your God has given
you. 28:53You shall eat the fruit
of your own body, the flesh of your sons and of your daughters, whom Yahweh
your God has given you, in the siege and in the distress with which your
enemies shall distress you. 28:54The
man who is tender among you, and very delicate, his eye shall be evil toward
his brother, and toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the remnant of his
children whom he has remaining; 28:55so
that he will not give to any of them of the flesh of his children whom he shall
eat, because he has nothing left him, in the siege and in the distress with
which your enemy shall distress you in all your gates. 28:56The tender and delicate woman among you,
who would not adventure to set the sole of her foot on the ground for
delicateness and tenderness, her eye shall be evil toward the husband of her
bosom, and toward her son, and toward her daughter, 28:57and toward her young one who comes out
from between her feet, and toward her children whom she shall bear; for she
shall eat them for want of all things secretly, in the siege and in the
distress with which your enemy shall distress you in your gates.
Isn't it clear that an evil eye is synonymous with a heart that is not concerned for the needy among his brethren, caring only for its own interests?
Doesn't Yahweh show in 28:46 that his terrible curses would be on the seed of the children of Israel forever, on account of their rebellion against Yahweh in not listening to his words? Shouldn't we listen to Yahweh's words to avoid bringing upon our seed and ourselves curses?
Love Yahweh More Than You
Love Your Brethren
Deuteronomy 33:8-11 reads,
33:8Of
Levi he said,
Your Thummim and your Urim are with your
godly one,
Whom you did prove at Massah,
With whom you did strive at the waters of
Meribah;
33:9Who
said of his father, and of his mother, I have not seen him;
Neither did he acknowledge his brothers,
Nor knew he his own children:
For they have observed your word,
Keep your covenant.
33:10They
shall teach Jacob your ordinances,
Israel your law:
They shall put incense before you,
Whole burnt offering on your altar.
33:11Bless,
Yahweh, his substance,
Accept the work of his hands:
Smite through the loins of those who rise up
against him,
Of those who hate him, that they not rise
again.
Doesn't Yahweh show, through the example of Levi, that we should love him more than we love our brethren? Doesn't loving Yahweh above our brethren entail obeying Yahweh even when there are adverse consequences against our brethren?
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