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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadPaul Kretzmann Commentary - Deuteronomy 13:6 - 13:11
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Seducers Among Relatives
v. 6. If thy brother, the son of thy mother, one with whom a person is connected by the ties of the most intimate relationship, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, the very nearest relative, or thy friend which is as thine own soul, with whom one shares secrets unknown even to the very nearest kinsman, Pro_17:17; Pro_18:24, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods which thou hast not known, thou nor thy fathers;
v. 7. namely, of the gods of the people which are round about you, nigh unto thee, or far off from thee, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth, whether the idols mere those of their heathen neighbors or such as were worshiped by heathen in the remote places of the world;
v. 8. thou shalt not consent unto him nor hearken unto him, neither shall thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him, the accumulation of synonyms serving to emphasize the greater duty toward God, one which exceeded that of any obligation toward any human being;
v. 9. but thou shalt surely kill him, immediately take the steps which were necessary to bring the Lord's punishment upon him; thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, as accuser, witness, and even first avenger, and afterwards the hand of all the people.
v. 10. And thou shalt stone him with stones that he die, because He hath sought to thrust thee away from the Lord, thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, from the place where they were bondmen, serfs, and slaves.
v. 11. And all Israel shall hear and fear, and shall do no more any such wickedness as this is among you; the severity of the punishment as meted out to the seducer should serve to keep them from indulging in similar attempts and, in so far at least, cause the Law to be observed. So far as the Christians are concerned, it is the will of God that they separate themselves from every open, idolater and sinner who seduces others, by excommunicating him. Here the ties of even the closest relationship must be set aside in the interest of God's honor, 1Co_5:11-13.