Reflections on Deuteronomy 24

Deuteronomy 24 (Contemporary English Version)

1. Suppose a woman was divorced by her first husband because he found something disgraceful about her. He wrote out divorce papers, gave them to her, and sent her away.
   
2. Later she married another man,
   
3. who then either divorced her in the same way or died.
   
4. Since she has slept with her second husband, she cannot marry her first husband again. Their marriage would pollute the land that the LORD your God is giving you, and he would be disgusted.
   
5. If a man and a woman have been married less than one year, he must not be sent off to war or sent away to do forced labor. He must be allowed to stay home for a year and be happy with his wife.
   
6. When you lend money to people, you are allowed to keep something of theirs as a guarantee that they will pay back the loan. But don't take one or both of their millstones, or else they may starve. They need these stones for grinding grain into flour to make bread.
   
7. If you are guilty of kidnapping Israelites and forcing them into slavery, you will be put to death to remove this evil from the community.
   
8. I have told the priests what to do if any of you have leprosy, so do exactly what they say.
   
9. And remember what the LORD your God did to Miriam after you left Egypt.
   
10. When you lend money to people, you are allowed to keep something of theirs as a guarantee that the money will be paid back. But you must not go into their house to get it.
    
11. Wait outside, and they will bring out the item you have agreed on.
    
12. Suppose someone is so poor that a coat is the only thing that can be offered as a guarantee on a loan. Don't keep the coat overnight.
    
13. Instead, give it back before sunset, so the owner can keep warm and sleep and ask the LORD to bless you. Then the LORD your God will notice that you have done the right thing.
    
14. If you hire poor people to work for you, don't hold back their pay, whether they are Israelites or foreigners who live in your town.
    
15. Pay them their wages at the end of each day, because they live in poverty and need the money to survive. If you don't pay them on time, they will complain about you to the LORD, and he will punish you.
    
16. Parents must not be put to death for crimes committed by their children, and children must not be put to death for crimes committed by their parents. Don't put anyone to death for someone else's crime.
    
17. Make sure that orphans and foreigners are treated fairly. And if you lend money to a widow and want to keep something of hers to guarantee that she will pay you back, don't take any of her clothes.
    
18. You were slaves in Egypt until the LORD your God rescued you. That's why I am giving you these laws.
    
19. If you forget to bring in a stack of harvested grain, don't go back in the field to get it. Leave it for the poor, including foreigners, orphans, and widows, and the LORD will make you successful in everything you do.
    
20. When you harvest your olives, don't try to get them all for yourself, but leave some for the poor.
    
21. And when you pick your grapes, go over the vines only once, then let the poor have what is left.
    
22. You lived in poverty as slaves in Egypt until the LORD your God rescued you. That's why I am giving you these laws.
    

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    In this chapter Moses addresses divorce, new marriages, kidnapping, collateral for loans, justice for the oppressed, and generosity toward the poor.
    
    The topic of divorce provides an example of God making an accomodation for the common, though sinful, practices of His people. Divorce was never an agreeable practice to the Lord. Jesus made it clear, as recorded in Matthew 19:8, that this ruling in Deuteronomy 24 was indeed an accomodation made to Israel because of "the hardness of your hearts." Therefore, this ruling on divorce God handed down through Moses was regulating a practice already occuring rather than establishing an ideal. No definition is provided for what might be considered "improper" and therefore sufficient grounds to write a certificate of divorce. In practice, however, it seems the Israelites were considering even frivolous things as "improper" and grounds for divorce. The regulation this ruling brought to the practice was to forbid a man to remarry a woman he divorced after she had been married to another man and also divorced from him. Such practice was "detestable" to the Lord.
    
    A newly married man was exempted from military duty for one year so he could be with his wife and bring her joy. Kidnapping was evidently common in the ancient Near East for the purpose of slavery and profit. But the Lord considered it a practice worthy of death and akin to murder. Taking a man's freedom was similar to taking his life. Moses gave three prohibitions regarding security for loans. A millstone was not to be used as such since it was a person's livelihood. Nor was a person's garment to be used for this purpose and kept overnight since it also served as a covering at night. Furthermore, the lender was to afford dignity to the lendee by not entering his house to take whatever he wanted as security. He was to stay outside while the lendee went to get whatever was to be provided as security.
    
    The last section of the chapter has to do with acting justly toward others. The hired hand was to be paid his wages daily so he could provide food for his family. No one was to be punished for another person's sin. Foreign residents, fatherless children, and widows who were commonly take advantage of, were to be treated justly. Finally, landowners, when harvesting, were not to glean their grain fields, olive trees, or vineyards of all produce. They were to take what they could in a first pass over the field, tree, or vineyard, and not return for a second pass to get what was left. This was a provision for the "foreign resident, the fatherless, and the widow."  It allowed them to provide for themselves without having to beg.