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Deuteronomy Chapter
Nineteen
Deuteronomy 19
Chapter Contents
The cities of refuge
The man-slayer
The murderer.
(1-13) Landmarks not to be removed. (14) The punishment of false witnesses.
(15-21)
Commentary on Deuteronomy 19:1-13
(Read Deuteronomy 19:1-13)
Here is the law settled between the blood of the
murdered
and the blood of the murderer; provision is made
that the cities of
refuge should be a protection
so that a man should not die for that as a
crime
which was not his willing act. In Christ
the Lord our Righteousness
refuge is provided for those who by faith flee unto him. But there is no refuge
in Jesus Christ for presumptuous sinners
who go on still in their trespasses.
Those who flee to Christ from their sins
shall be safe in him
but not those
who expect to be sheltered by him in their sins.
Commentary on Deuteronomy 19:14
(Read Deuteronomy 19:14)
Direction is given to fix landmarks in Canaan. It is the
will of God that every one should know his own; and that means should be used
to hinder the doing and suffering of wrong. This
without doubt
is a moral
precept
and still binding. Let every man be content with his own lot
and be
just to his neighbours in all things.
Commentary on Deuteronomy 19:15-21
(Read Deuteronomy 19:15-21)
Sentence should never be passed upon the testimony of one
witness alone. A false witness should suffer the same punishment which he
sought to have inflicted upon the person he accused. Nor could any law be more
just. Let all Christians not only be cautious in bearing witness in public
but
be careful not to join in private slanders; and let all whose consciences
accuse them of crime
without delay flee for refuge to the hope set before them
in Jesus Christ.
── Matthew Henry《Concise Commentary on Deuteronomy》
Deuteronomy 19
Verse 2
[2] Thou shalt separate three cities for thee in the midst
of thy land
which the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it.
In the midst of the land — Namely
beyond
Jordan
as there were three already appointed on this side Jordan: In the midst
of the several parts of their land
to which they might speedily flee from all
the parts of the land.
Verse 3
[3] Thou shalt prepare thee a way
and divide the coasts of
thy land
which the LORD thy God giveth thee to inherit
into three parts
that
every slayer may flee thither.
Prepare thee a way — Distinguish it by
evident marks
and make it plain and convenient
to prevent mistakes and
delays.
Verse 8
[8] And if the LORD thy God enlarge thy coast
as he hath
sworn unto thy fathers
and give thee all the land which he promised to give
unto thy fathers;
Enlarge thy coast — As far as Euphrates.
Verse 9
[9] If thou shalt keep all these commandments to do them
which I command thee this day
to love the LORD thy God
and to walk ever in
his ways; then shalt thou add three cities more for thee
beside these three:
If thou shalt keep all these commandments — But the Jewish
writers themselves own
that the condition not being performed
the promise of
enlarging their coast was not fulfilled
so that there was no need for three
more cities of refuge. Yet the holy
blessed God
say they
did not command it
in vain
for in the day's of Messiah the Prince
they shall be added. They
expect it in the letter: but we know
it has in Christ its spiritual
accomplishment. For the borders of the Gospel - Israel are inlarged according
to the promise: and in the Lord our righteousness
refuge is provided for all
that by faith fly to him.
Verse 15
[15] One witness shall not rise up against a man for any
iniquity
or for any sin
in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two
witnesses
or at the mouth of three witnesses
shall the matter be established.
Rise — Or be established
accepted
owned as sufficient: it
is the same word which in the end of the verse is rendered
be established.
Verse 16
[16] If a false witness rise up against any man to testify
against him that which is wrong;
A safe witness — A single witness
though he speak
truth
is not to be accepted for the condemnation of another man
but if he be
convicted of false witness
this is sufficient for his own condemnation.
Verse 21
[21] And thine eye shall not pity; but life shall go for
life
eye for eye
tooth for tooth
hand for hand
foot for foot.
Eye for eye — What punishment the law allotted
to the accused
if he had been convicted
the same shall the false accuser
bear.
── John Wesley《Explanatory Notes on Deuteronomy》
19 Chapter 19
Verses 1-13
That every slayer may flee thither.
Cities of refuge
I. There are many
besides the murderer of Uriah
who have need to cry with him
“deliver me from
blood guiltiness
O God.”
1. And
first
since a preacher must address his own conscience
as
well as those of the hearers
I cannot forget the fearful applicability which
this charge of blood guiltiness may have to Christian ministers. If ministers
neglect to warn the wicked
if they keep back from the people any part of the
counsel of God
either doctrinal or practical
and do not declare it; if they
omit in their teaching either “repentance towards God
” which is the beginning
of the Gospel
or “faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ
” which is the body and
substance of it--blood lieth at their door
the angel of Divine vengeance is
abroad in pursuit of them: blood for blood
life for life
this is His legal
requirement; His eye shall not pity
neither shall it spare; the manslayer’s
life--not the life of his body
but the life of the soul--is justly forfeit
unless
indeed
there be
under the economy of grace
some spiritual city of
refuge appointed for him
into which he may flee and be safe.
2. Consider
then
I pray you
that subtle
undefinable thing
conveyed in a single remark
or in a single glance
or even sometimes in a
single gesture
called influence. Consider how it propagates itself
and runs
along like beacon fires--how alarmingly contagious and infectious its nature
is.
3. But the influence which all people professing religion exercise on
society at large
and claim to exercise
is too important to go without some
remark.
II. The sinner’s
spiritual refuge
I need not tell you
is Jesus Christ
who represents also the
merciful elders and the anointed high priest; and the road by which we flee to
Christ spiritually is the road of faith.
1. First
he must fly to Christ
as if for his life
as a man flies
from a falling house or a beleaguered town--as righteous Lot was directed to
flee from the cities of the plain.
2. As impediments were removed out of the manslayer’s way
and the
road was made as easy and obvious to him as possible
so it is a very simple
thing to believe in Christ
and thus to flee to our spiritual City of
Refuge--so much so
that its extreme simplicity sometimes puzzles us
and makes
us look with distrust upon faith
as if so very obvious a thing could not be
the appointed way of coming to God.
3. When the merciful Elder
Jesus Christ
comes to the gate of the
city of refuge
what have we to plead with Him? We have nothing to plead but
our own sin and misery
and the Divine covenant which was ratified by His
blood--the Divine assurance that He is able to save to the uttermost those who
come unto God by Him. We must insist upon our right to receive a “strong
consolation” for our troubled conscience
even because we have in God’s
appointed way “Cried for a refuge to lay hold on the hope set before us” in
Him. And surely the merciful Elder will receive and comfort us
and give us a
place that we may dwell with Him.
4. Again
the manslayer was to abide in the city of his refuge--and
so must we abide in ours
if we would be safe. The justice of God may arrest us
the moment we are out of Christ.
III. Such
then
are
some of the points of analogy between the Jewish city of refuge and its New
Testament Antitype. There are two points of glorious contrast.
1. The city of refuge was permanently available only to such
manslayers as had acted without any evil intent. Not so our City of Refuge!
Christ is able to save to the uttermost.
2. The manslayer was to remain in the city until the high priest
died. But our High Priest never dies. “He ever liveth to make intercession for
us.”
IV. Do we wish to
know whether we are abiding in this City of Refuge
under the wing of the
merciful Elder
under the auspices of the Great High Priest? There is only one
safe test of this
and it is very easily applied. “He that saith he abideth in
Him ought himself also so to walk even as He walked”; and again
“Whosoever
abideth in Him
sinneth not”; and again
“He that keepeth His commandments
dwelleth in Him.” As the evidence of our being in Christ at all is our bearing
fruit
so the evidence of our abiding in Him is our bearing much fruit; “He
that abideth in Me
and I in him
the same bringeth forth much fruit.” And the
fruit is this: “love
joy
peace
long-suffering
gentleness
goodness
faith
meekness
temperance
against which there is no law.” (Dean Goulburn.)
Deliver him into the hand
of the avenger.
No refuge for a man hater
The universe was not constituted to give security to murderers:
there is no shelter for a man hater. He may get into a city of refuge
but he
is to be dragged out of it: the evil-doer may make a profession of religion
but his cloak
though of velvet and gold braided
must be torn from his
shoulders. The universe has no lodgment for the man of malicious heart and
murderous spirit; the city of refuge in Israel was not built for him; he has no
right in it; to pity him is to despise the law; to pity the murderer is to
forget the murdered. The eyes of justice are fixed upon both points in the
case. It is an evil sentiment that spares the wrong-doer and forgets the
wrong-endurer
the sufferer of wrong. There is one place appointed for the
murderer. Who is the murderer? Not the shedder of blood:--whoso hateth his
brother without a cause is a murderer. This is the great law
not of Israel
only
but of the Church of Christ in all ages. Beware of malice! It does not
always begin in its broadest form
or leap at once in all its intensity into
human action: it begins in little frets and spites and jealousies; it starts
out of a root of criticism
of fault finding
and investigations into
consistency; it may begin as a clever action
showing the spirit of judgment
and proving itself to be equal to the analysis of the most hidden motive; but
it grows; disappointed
it begins to justify itself; foiled in its attempts to
succeed
it retires that it may increase the supposed evidence that is at
command; then it returns to the onslaught; it grows by what it feeds on; at
last
philanthropy--love of man--dies
and misanthropy--hatred of man--takes its
place. Then is the soul a murderer; and
thank God
there is no city of refuge
for the murderer of life
of hope
of love
of trust!--open the door and thrust
ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness!--the sun will not spare a beam
to bless the murderer. Christ is not a refuge in the sense of a criminal being
able to outrun justice. The picture in Israel was the picture of a man fleeing
for refuge and an avenger fleeing after him; and if the avenger were swifter of
foot
the man slayer might be killed outside the city. There is no such picture
in Christianity. In Christ we do not outrun justice: justice itself
by a
mystery we can neither understand nor explain
has been satisfied by Christ. (J.
Parker
D. D.)
Verse 14
Thou shalt not remove thy neighbour’s landmark.
Ancient landmarks removed
Stones indicating boundaries might easily be removed. Ditches
could be secretly levelled. This would materially affect property
and be a
great evil in land where territory was distributed by lot. Removal would be--
I. To disregard
ancient custom. “They of old have set
” with care and justice. “Custom is held
as law.” Fixed law and fixed boundaries should he respected. But many scorn
ancient landmarks as relics of bygone days. Impatient of restraint
they seek
wider range of thought and action
indulge in novelties
and cry
Down with
temples
and away with creeds and the Bible!
II. To violate the
law of God. Heathen nations held every landmark as sacred. God
as the
proprietor of all the earth
set bounds for Israel
allotted their lands which
they held in trust
and bound them in terms imposed by His will (Deuteronomy 27:17). Hence removal of
landmarks is violation of His command
and direct insult to His authority.
III. To defraud our
neighbour. Landmarks were witnesses of the rights of each man. Removal was
selfish and unjust invasion of property. To enlarge your own estate at the
expense of your neighbour’s is theft. Each one should know his own
and not
defraud another by concealment
forgery
or robbery. “Thou shalt not defraud
thy neighbour
neither rob him” (Leviticus 19:13; Mark 10:19; 1 Thessalonians 4:6).
IV. To expose to a
dreadful curse. The execration of men is something
but who can bear the curse
of God? The field of the fatherless is under Almighty protection. The poor may
seem helpless
but special warning is given against their oppression. “Remove
not the old landmark
and enter not into the fields of the fatherless” (by acts
of violence or removal of boundaries)
“for their Redeemer is mighty to
vindicate outraged innocence” (Proverbs 23:10-11). This in after times
was the great affront of national provocation (Hosea 5:10). (J. Wolfendale.)
──《The Biblical Illustrator》