The Lord cares about justice, and that justice is upheld among His people. This is because He is righteous and good and holy. This means he cannot stand unrighteousness, evil, and unholiness.

Our hearts long for justice for our enemies, and often mercy for ourselves. This dual longing for justice and mercy is perfectly met in Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf, which satisfies God’s wrath at our breaking of His standards and offers us mercy in our new life covered in Christ’s righteousness.

Something to notice about the rules God gives is that they require witnesses to prosecute people and additional resources to take to difficult cases. Not even a king would be above the law; he is to study and obey it. As 17.19 says: 19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them.

God gave safeguards to protect justice among His people and to help them rightly relate to Him. The heart of the law that God gives helps His people to rightly relate to God and to others.

[Deuteronomy 16.18-17.20]

16.18 “You shall appoint judges and officers in all your towns that the LORD your God is giving you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment. 19 You shall not pervert justice. You shall not show partiality, and you shall not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of the righteous. 20 Justice, and only justice, you shall follow, that you may live and inherit the land that the LORD your God is giving you.

Forbidden Forms of Worship

21 “You shall not plant any tree as an Asherah beside the altar of the LORD your God that you shall make. 22 And you shall not set up a pillar, which the LORD your God hates.

17.1 ”You shall not sacrifice to the LORD your God an ox or a sheep in which is a blemish, any defect whatever, for that is an abomination to the LORD your God.

2 “If there is found among you, within any of your towns that the LORD your God is giving you, a man or woman who does what is evil in the sight of the LORD your God, in transgressing his covenant, 3 and has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, or the sun or the moon or any of the host of heaven, which I have forbidden, 4 and it is told you and you hear of it, then you shall inquire diligently, and if it is true and certain that such an abomination has been done in Israel, 5 then you shall bring out to your gates that man or woman who has done this evil thing, and you shall stone that man or woman to death with stones. 6 On the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses the one who is to die shall be put to death; a person shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness. 7 The hand of the witnesses shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.

Legal Decisions by Priests and Judges

8 “If any case arises requiring decision between one kind of homicide and another, one kind of legal right and another, or one kind of assault and another, any case within your towns that is too difficult for you, then you shall arise and go up to the place that the LORD your God will choose. 9 And you shall come to the Levitical priests and to the judge who is in office in those days, and you shall consult them, and they shall declare to you the decision. 10 Then you shall do according to what they declare to you from that place that the LORD will choose. And you shall be careful to do according to all that they direct you. 11 According to the instructions that they give you, and according to the decision which they pronounce to you, you shall do. You shall not turn aside from the verdict that they declare to you, either to the right hand or to the left. 12 The man who acts presumptuously by not obeying the priest who stands to minister there before the LORD your God, or the judge, that man shall die. So you shall purge the evil from Israel. 13 And all the people shall hear and fear and not act presumptuously again.

Laws Concerning Israel’s Kings

14 “When you come to the land that the LORD your God is giving you, and you possess it and dwell in it and then say, ‘I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me,’ 15 you may indeed set a king over you whom the LORD your God will choose. One from among your brothers you shall set as king over you. You may not put a foreigner over you, who is not your brother. 16 Only he must not acquire many horses for himself or cause the people to return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses, since the LORD has said to you, “You shall never return that way again.’ 17 And he shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold.

18 “And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests. 19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them, 20 that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel.”

[ WHAT ] is this passage saying and what is a key truth or thought that we learn?

+ What are the precautions given for upholding justice? [vv. 16.18-20]

+ Why should God’s people uphold justice? [v. 16.20]

+ What are the commandments concerning worshipping other gods? [vv. 16.21-17.7]

+ What are the people supposed to do with difficult cases? [vv. 17.8-13]

+ What are the guidelines for Israel’s future kings? [vv. 17.14-20]

[ HOW ] is the Lord calling me to action/obedience?

+ Is there sin to confess or a next step to take? How has it gone since last time?

+ Do I believe that God is truly just and righteous and that all that falls short or violates that justly deserves wrath?

+ Do I understand how much God cares about righteousness and how much God hates wickedness?

+ Do I care about justice and righteousness like the Lord does? Or is my own self-interest more compelling to me?

+ Is there something that I can do to uphold justice better in my life or in my local community?

[ WHO ] am I walking with and praying for to discover Jesus?

+ What is my next step?