DEUTERONOMY 16:18-17:13
LET JUSTICE BE DONE
INTRODUCTION
History records many examples of societies where people were regarded as belonging to the state.
Ancient Sparta is a striking example of this. Individual Spartan citizens were regarded as property of
the state from the moment they were born. They were expected to live for the state, and if necessary to
die in its service. The word spartan, which has come to mean 'disciplined and austere', was derived
from their regimented lifestyle and lack of material comforts. Spartans dressed in coarse clothes. Their
meals consisted primarily of porridge and black soup made with pig’s blood. An Athenian pundit once
joked that observing how the Spartans lived made him understood why they were so eager to die in
battle. Sparta was the only Greek city-state with a permanent standing army. Sparta dominated Greece
for long periods of time. It was a ‘success’, but at the cost of personal liberty. At the other extreme, in
western countries today the individual reigns supreme. In theory every person is free to seek his own
happiness. We are constantly implored to seek our ‘rights’. Societies choose a style of organisation
that settles somewhere along the spectrum between state control and individual sovereignty. However
the Bible imposes another dimension: it teaches that the individual does not belong to the state, nor to
him or her self. Rather the individual belongs to God. This perspective means that justice is not what
the state deems best, nor what the individual sees as right. True justice is what God through his Word
decrees is right. Justice is rooted in the character of God and is the outworking of his attributes.
LET JUSTICE BE DONE (16:18-20)
Moses decreed that the people of Israel were to appoint judges in every town once they had settled in
the land of Canaan. These judges were to “judge the people with righteous judgment.” In verse 19
three things were specifically forbidden:
1. Justice was not to be denied to anyone, “You shall not pervert justice.” No one seeking justice was
to be turned aside.
2. Justice was to be impartial, “You shall not show partiality.” There was to be no favouritism.
Everyone was to be treated equally.
3. Bribery was not permitted. “you shall not accept a bribe.”Justice was not to be for sale to the
highest bidder.
LET GOD BE WORSHIPPED ARIGHT (16:21-17:7)
People are to be treated with justice, and so is God. The lewd cultic furniture of the Canaanites was not
to be tolerated alongside an altar of the Lord. But this was not just a religious issue; it also had to do
with authority. “In Canaanite religion, alongside the feminine Asherah, there was a pillar which was
the corresponding masculine cult object. Like the Asherah, the pillar was not just an object of worship
but also a means of obtaining verdicts in judicial procedures. In the Ugaritic texts Asherah is called
‘Asherah of deposits, Asherah of oracles’. Israel was to have no source of authority other than the
LORD himself.” But also God was to be worshipped in a way commensurate with his holiness. (17:1)
In the theocratic state of Israel idolaters were not to be tolerated, (17:2-5) An idolater was to be put to
death once due process had been followed. A thorough investigation was to be conducted. Gossip and
hearsay were not adequate grounds for a person to be condemned and then executed.
LET THE JUDGMENTS OF THE HIGHEST COURT BE ACCEPTED (17:8-13)
When Moses lived, the more difficult legal cases were brought to him for judgment. With his passing,
provision was made for an authority to be set up as a kind of High Court, to settle these cases. (17:8 &
9) The Levitical priests and the appointed Judge of the day were to consult together and make
decisions in these more serious and difficult cases. The decisions made by these men were to be taken
seriously. Justice was to prevail. This has not changed in the New Testament church. 1 Timothy 5:19
says, “Do not receive a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses.” This
is exemplary in dealing with all matters of church discipline. Justice is to be done, and to be seen to be
done.