Verses 20-23 deals with the area of sexual sin. As such this covers the Seventh Commandment.
The area of sexual sin has been dealt with back in chapter 22 and also in Leviticus 18 and 20. Here several areas are covered. Firstly, sex with one’s father’s wife. Secondly, bestiality (sex with an animal). Thirdly, sex within the family with siblings and lastly, sex with one’s mother-in-law. Here again are sins that could remain invisible but, to anyone who participated in them, there was a reminder that God would see and punish them.
Bestiality is mentioned in Exodus 22:19 and in Leviticus 18:23 and 20:15-16 and is a sin punishable by death. What made this sin so serious is that man is created in the image of God. He is to rule over the animals; hence man’s placing in the God-given order of creation would be subverted and tarnished. But there is more to it than that. In the Ancient Near East animals often represent deities; hence sex with an animal that represented a deity could be seen as obtaining union with that deity.[1] So, this action also broke the First commandment and Second Commandment as it was a form of idolatry. The other sexual sins mentioned here are to do with sex between relations. This was a warning again against the influence of Egypt as incest was common among the royal family. Once again, Israel is to identify itself by not following these practices that they would have been acquainted with when they were enslaved. Just like them, we are to reject the practices of the world. To go back to them would be like Israel going back to bondage in Egypt. For us it would be much more serious, it would be going back to the slavery of sin when we have been offered a new life and freedom that Christ gives!
Next the sixth Commandment is covered, as the next set of curses in verses 24-25, deal with the idea of someone getting away with murder and also someone accepting payment to murder an innocent person. In verse 24 the verb used refers to an assault but can also refer to murder, so we could be talking about more than manslaughter here. Verse 25 could be translated as: ‘cursed is the one who takes a bribe to strike down a person who is innocent.’[2] As well as the intent to murder the acceptance of a bribe was an offence in itself whether or not the action for which the bribe was given was carried out (see Exodus 23:8). Here again the emphasis is on secrecy as the one excepting the bribe would not profit unless the deed was carried out in secret.
The last section of these curses (v26) is focused on a failure to be totally obedient to the Law. The New Testament reminds us that failure to keep even one point of the Law is failure to keep it all (James 2:10). Paul when writing to the church in Galatia even quotes this verse (Galatians 3:10). This could make grim reading because it begs the question, how can we ever get right with God? After all, after Paul has quoted verse 26 he then writes: ‘Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” (Galatians 3:11). The answer is we cannot get right with Him, He has to do it for us! And He does that by even wonderfully supplying that faith (Ephesians 2:8). In Romans 3:21-22 Paul writes: ‘But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it — the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction.’ That’s really good news, because we are reminded in what Paul then writes that: ‘ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’ (Romans 3:23). At first there seems to be a tension here with Deuteronomy 6:25 where we read that obedience to the Law would be seen as a form of righteousness. But issue the issue that is being highlighted is that obedience to God that should naturally come from faith in Him.
Due to the teaching and work of Christ through the cross we should realise as Christians we fall well short of what the Law requires, hence we need Christ’s work on the cross to bring us into relationship with God. In Galatians 3:13 Paul reminds his readers that ‘Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree” picking up on the theme of Deuteronomy 21:23. Yet out of the forgiveness that is made possible by Christ being made a curse for us should come an attitude that wants to obey God in every aspect of what He requires. Jesus made it very clear He did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfil it (Matthew 5:17). If we truly love God then obedience to His will by keeping His law is the natural way to show it!
[1] The exception was Hittite law which restricted bestiality, but even then not every case was restricted. A person was exempt from penalties if bestiality occurred with a horse or a mule! ‘The Old Testament allows no exceptions.’ John D Currid, Deuteronomy, an EP Study Commentary (Evangelical Press, Darlington, 2006) 428.
[2] Currid, Deuteronomy, 429.