Deuteronomy 25 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study

Deuteronomy 25 Summary - A Quick Overview

WHEN:

• Moses’ speech, recorded in the opening chapters of Deuteronomy, occurred immediately following the Israelites’ 40 years of wandering in the wilderness.  

• The Israelites were in the wilderness from approximately 1490-1450 B.C.

• The Book of Deuteronomy opens on the 1st day of the 11th month in the 40th year (Deu 1:3) following the Israelites departure from Egypt (approximately 1450 B.C.).

CHARACTERS:

• Israelites (Hebrews) – The descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God granted them freedom after several hundred years in slavery in Egypt. Leading up to the book of Deuteronomy, the Israelites had spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness as they made their way to Canaan, the land God promised to give them as a home.

• Moses – Moses was selected by God to lead the Israelites to Canaan. God spoke directly to Moses and Moses communicated God’s words and laws to the people.    

WHERE:

• Deuteronomy 1:5 tells us Moses spoke the words recorded in Deuteronomy while in Moab, probably on the plains of Moab near Pisgah (Numbers 22:1).

OUTLINE:

• VARIOUS LAWS AND COMMANDS (25:1-19):

  • If a man was found guilty of wrongdoing and was sentenced to a punishment of whipping, his beating was to be proportional to his crimes, but no one was to be whipped more than 40 times.

  • When an ox was used to tread grain, they were not to be muzzled, they were to be allowed to eat while working.

  • If a man died but didn’t have a son to carry forward his family name, his brother was responsible for marrying his widow and raising up offspring in the name of the deceased brother.

  • If the brother refused to fulfill this responsibility, his whole household would be shamed in Israel.

  • If two men were fighting and the wife of one man grabbed the other man by the genitals, her hand was to be cut off.

  • The Israelites were forbidden from having weights and measures that weren’t accurate. Dishonesty in business was “an abomination to the Lord.”

  • God told the Israelites to destroy the Amalekite nation when they entered Canaan because the Amalekites attacked Israel on their way out of Egypt when they were faint and weary (Ex 17:8).

APPLICATION:

• What does it mean to tread out grain in verse 4?

• Oxen are sometimes used to walk on piles of grain stocks after they are harvested. The weight of the oxen’s feet separates the grain from the stocks. When the process is complete, the grain is collected, and the stocks are discarded.

• Muzzles were not to be attached to the oxen as they worked, they were to be allowed to eat from the grain they were treading.

• This verse is referenced a few times in the New Testament, see 1 Corinthians 9:9-12 and 1 Timothy 5:17-18.

• In Corinthians and Timothy, Paul refers to this verse and applies the principle contained within it to those who labor in the Church.

• People who are engaged in serving the Lord and caring for the believers have a right to be paid.