Ep 981 – Deuteronomy 21:15-21

Today’s passage is a doozy. It deals with two potential scenarios involving the relationship between a father and his son. And these two sample situations could not be any more different or disparate in their outcome. One involves how to handle an inheritance when a man has more than one son because he has more than one wife. There was to be no place for favoritism. God had rules concerning the inheritance of the firstborn and He expected those rules to be followed. The second scenario also involves a son receiving what he justly deserves. Except in this case, rather than an inheritance, he is to receive a death sentence for his stubborn and unrepentant behavior. In one case, God is preserving the rights of the firstborn. In the other, God is preserving the spiritual integrity of the community. But in both cases, He is expecting His people to live according to His laws – for their own good.