LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?
THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
Today's readings are from the specific stipulations in Moses' second speech (Deuteronomy 25-26) and the beginning of the blessings and curses in Moses' third speech (Deuteronomy 27). To see the outline for Deuteronomy again, you can see the write-up for that in Day 62, here. For a free and easily accessible, modern, online commentary from a trustworthy and reputable resource, The Gospel Coalition Commentaries are once again a good resource--specifically this commentary written by J. Gary Millar.
(A) What is the deal with Levirate marriage? According to the very good site GotQuestions.org, the article on this topic reads in part: 'A levirate marriage is literally a “marriage with a brother-in-law.” The word levirate, which has nothing to do with the tribe of Levi, comes from the Latin word levir, “a husband’s brother.” In ancient times, if a man died without a child, it was common for the man’s unmarried brother to marry the widow in order to provide an heir for the deceased. A widow would marry a brother-in-law, and the first son produced in that union was considered the legal descendant of her dead husband... Levirate marriage became part of the Law in Deuteronomy 25:5–6. There, the Israelites are commanded to care for women whose husbands died before they had children. An unmarried brother of the deceased man bore a responsibility to marry his sister-in-law: God called it “the duty of a brother-in-law” (Deuteronomy 25:5). God’s purpose for levirate marriage is stated: “The first son she bears shall carry on the name of the dead brother so that his name will not be blotted out from Israel” (verse 6). In ancient Israel the passing on of the family name and the inheritance within a tribe were vitally important (see Numbers 36:7 and 1 Kings 21:3).'
(B) The Mount Ebal curse tablet. This is part of a current, ongoing discussion in the archaeological scholarly community. There may be a lead tablet found at Mt. Ebal which invokes the name of Yahweh (translated as all-caps "LORD" in most Old Testament translations), from the late Bronze Age II period (c. 1400-1200 BC). A reconstruction of the Mount Ebal tablet reads in part "You are cursed by the God yhw [Yahweh], cursed. You will die, cursed--cursed, you will surely die. Cursed you are by yhw [Yahweh]--cursed." It would seem to be written in an archaic proto-Hebrew script, and it is from the right time period and location to be closely connected to the words of Deuteronomy 27. But scholars are still vigorously debating what can be known about the find at this time--it is tough to know what to make of it right now.
RESPOND | WHAT IS OUR PART?
How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? In terms of worship, regardless of whether this Mount Ebal curse tablet turns out to be legitimate, there are many other archaeological finds which prove the veracity of the Bible in ways great and small (I wrote about this a little bit more, here). This is a great affirmation of faith, which is founded upon the actions of God carried out in real human history. In terms of actions, while I would not recommend reviving the practice of levirate marriage, the existence of the laws surrounding that kind of arrangement in the Old Testament are a reminder to us to care for others who are part of our family, and to carry on their name and promote their reputation to others where we can--though there are, of course some situations where doing so would be inappropriate.
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