Deuteronomy 25-27; Psalm 48; Galatians 5

Deuteronomy 25
1-4 More miscellaneous laws

• If flogging is punishment decided by a judge, number of lashes may not exceed 40. Alluded to by the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 11:24, "Five times I received from the Jews the 40 lashes minus one."
  
• Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain. Quoted by Paul in 1 Corinthians 9:9.

5-10 Levirate Marriage (From Latin lēvir, husband's brother)

• Widow of man who has no heir is given to his brother as a wife, to raise up heirs for her deceased husband.
• If he refuses, he's called before the elders.
• If he still refuses, she takes off one of his sandals and spits in his face.
• From then on his family will be known as "the house of him whose sandal was pulled off."

11-19 Other Commandments

• If a wife tries to interfere in a fight by grabbing her husband's opponent's genitals, her hand is to be cut off. Show no pity.
• Don't cheat others by using two standards of weights or measures. General rule: "All who act dishonestly are abhorrent to the LORD your God."
• When you get to the promised land, remove all remembrance of Amalek from the earth, because he attacked you when you were weary.

Deuteronomy 26
1-15 First Fruits and Tithes

• When bringing to the priest the first fruits of your harvest in the new land, you must recite this detailed recitation of your history, from Abraham to Egyptian bondage to the new land: "Today I declare to the LORD your God...So now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground that you, O LORD, have given me" (verses 3-10).
  
• When you give your 3rd year tithe for Levites, aliens, orphans, and widows, here is the declaration you must make to affirm your honesty: "I have removed the sacred portion from the house...bless your people Israel...." (verses 13-15)

16-19 Concluding Exhortation

• "Today the LORD your God is commanding you..."
• "Today you have obtained the LORD's agreement to be your God...."
• "Today the LORD has obtained your agreement to be his treasured people...." It goes both ways.
  

Deuteronomy 27
1-10 The Inscribed Stones and Altar on Mount Ebal
Moses and the elders to Israel:

• When you cross the Jordan, set up large stones on Mount Ebal and cover them with plaster
• Write the words of this law on the stones
• Build an altar of unhewn stones and offer sacrifices
• "This very day you have become the people of the LORD your God." Like a new beginning; "old things have passed away."

11-16 Twelve Curses

• [The tribes of] Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin to stand on Mount Gerizim for the blessing.
• [The tribes of] Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali to stand on Mt. Ebal for the curse.
• The Levites will shout the curses, and the people will respond, "Amen!"
• Cursed be anyone who:
  
• Makes an idol
• Dishonors father or mother
• Moves a neighbor's boundary marker
• Misleads a blind person on the road
• Deprives the alien, orphan, or widow of justice
• Lies with his father's wife
• Lies with any animal
• Lies with his (full or half) sister
• Lies with his mother-in-law
• Strikes down a neighbor in secret
• Takes a bribe to shed innocent blood
• Does not uphold the words of this law by observing them In case you want to limit your obedience to these commandments, remember there are many others I want you to observe as well.
  

Psalm 48 A Tribute to the City of God, Mount Zion
9 - "We ponder your steadfast love, O God, in the midst of your temple."

Galatians 5
2-15 The Nature of Christian Freedom

• Paul's warnings:
• If you're circumcised, your faith in Christ is useless
• If you're circumcised, you're obligated to carry out the whole law
• If you're circumcised, you have fallen from grace.
• Circumcision counts for nothing. The only thing that counts is faith working through love.
• About those who would lead you astray:
• Such persuasion does not come from "the one who calls you" - Christ?
• Even a little Judaizaing teaching will grow like yeast and will permeate you through and through, like yeast in dough
• Whoever is confusing you will pay the penalty
• It's obvious I don't preach circumcision. If I did, I would not still be suffering persecution.
• Those who unsettle you should castrate themselves! (The NRSV's words -- other versions use words like "mutilate" (RSV, NASV); "go beyond circumcision" (ASV); "I would they were cut off" (KJV); "I would they would cut themselves off" (NKJV); "I wish [they] would cut off much more!" (CEV).
• Instructions to you, brothers and sisters. Friends, children, and now brothers and sisters.
  
• Do not mistake freedom for license
• Become slaves to each other in love, for the whole law is this: Love your neighbor as yourself.
• If you fight each other, you'll all lose

16-26 Works of the flesh versus Fruit of the spirit

• Living by the spirit is the opposite of giving into your fleshly desires
• If you live by the Spirit, you don't need to be concerned with the law

Works of the flesh defined

• The works of the flesh are obvious. No one has to be told these things -- you all know when you're following your fleshly desires.
• But in case you need a specific list, here's one.
  
• It's not all inclusive, though, because at the end Paul adds: "and things like these."

Fruit of Walking in the Spirit

• By contrast: If you walk in the Spirit, these will be your attributes. These are not things to strive toward, in my mind. It is not a checklist of attributes to achieve; they are byproducts of crucifying our worldly tendencies (we know what they are).
• A warning here: If you look at this like a checklist, you're bound to be comparing where you are on the list with where others are. ("I'm sure I'm more peaceable, patient, self-controlled, etc. etc. than she is.")
  
• Therefore: "Let us not be conceited, competing against one another, envying one another."