Week 62, Day 1: A brothers wife

Today’s Reading:  Deut 25:1-19

Some thoughts from today’s reading…

Another command given under the law of Moses that emphasizes the difference in what God expects from us today is regarding when a brother died.  When this takes place the dead man’s brother was supposed to take his wife and raise up a child to his brother.  The child was supposed to be named after the dead brother so that his name would not be blotted out from Israel.  I think that this command is interesting and emphasizes the importance a person’s lineage would of had to an Israelite.  But the command contains a provision for what was to happen if the brother refuses to go into his dead brother’s wife.  We also see in Israel’s history the story of Judah and Tamar.  Judah’s son died and his other son did not want to raise up children who would not be his so he wasted his seed on the ground to avoid giving offspring to his brother.  God took his life because of his action.  The Lord expected the Israelites to honor this command.  It was one thing for them to refuse to go to the dead brother’s wife but in Tamar’s case we see an occasion where the  brother went in to her but then acted in a way to avoid producing children.  It is a shame when men act in a way contrary to God’s commands.  In Onan’s case it cost him his life.  In Deut 25 the man was to be publicly shamed.  Again, this command stands in sharp contrast to what we are commanded of today.  It underscores the way that the Israel we are part of today is a spiritual household.  We do not have any similar commands for not allowing someone’s name to be blotted out today because the nation itself has changed from the physical to be a spiritual people.  Very interesting to see these contrasts.

Question:  Why do you think someone in the OT time not want to raise up children to his dead brother?

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