As we read these verses we are again reminded that there are TWO MAJOR THEMES that run through Deuteronomy that are not highlighted in Exodus or Leviticus. 

1. The first theme is this: man is utterly weak, unable to accomplish any great and lasting thing in the sphere of his own strength. As the Lord addresses the people through Moses, it is obvious that He DOES NOT EXPECT the Israelite Army to win the battle for the Promised Land in their own power. No, the Land has already been given to Israel, this in itself an action of God's great Grace. The Israelites could neither earn nor deserve this land, but were to enter the Land submissive to the empowerment of God - Who would give them the victory.

The first generation of Israel stood at this same place and made excuses to Jesus as to why they could not enter the land. They failed to understand that God didn't expect them, in THEIR OWN POWER, to take the land. God expected Israel to LOVE Him and trust Him enough to cross over the Jordan, believing that the land was already theirs. This was, after all, the basis of their training over the last forty years. To Trust God, not like the first generation "trusted", with a conditional trust, a conditional love. To that first generation the Lord said:

SUPPORTING ~ Psalms 95:7-11 "For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice, [8]  Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness: [9]  When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work. [10]  Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways: [11]  Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest."

This same Lord, the same Creator God took Israel to this same spot on the Jordan, and asked them "Trust Me, Believe Me - I Love You with an everlasting Love, and I have given the land to you. Just cross over, take it!" The First Generation rejected the Grace of God when they refused to cross over, and in rejecting His Grace they tempted, proved, and angered God. Jesus gave love, offered land by Grace - and was spurned as the people followed after a second love. Had they followed their first Love, the Lord Yeshua, they would have crossed the first time. They loved themselves more than Yeshua, more than the Lord their Creator - and the first generation lost out.

Here is a secret you need to take to heart, dear believers, to write on your heart, to keep foremost in your mind. We NEVER get to the place where we can stand on our own strength. In our arrogance we often forget that great truth, but be aware of this - Jesus never makes us so strong that we no longer need Him. We are continually dependent on our Lord for the strength to defeat our enemies. We are continually dependent on Him for the strength to make it through just one day in this evil age. King David understood this great truth when he wrote under the power of God's Spirit:

SUPPORTING ~ Psalms 30:4-10 "Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. [5]  For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. [6] And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved. [7]  LORD, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled. [8]  I cried to thee, O LORD; and unto the LORD I made supplication. [9]  What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth? [10]  Hear, O LORD, and have mercy upon me: LORD, be thou my helper."

The Israelites had their roots in slavery, in Egyptian bondage. They were NOT great soldiers, but were freed slaves. They had neither the training, nor the equipment to be a mighty army - but if they remained fixed, firmly fixed on their first Love - then and only then they would succeed in what God called them to do. As the Lord reminds us:

SUPPORTING ~ Philippians 4:13  "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

When the Israelite Army and the modern day Christian realize our weakness, and in so realizing become totally dependent upon Jesus - then this is the secret to strength and success in this life! 

2. The Second Great Theme that these passages bring to our mind is that our Lord, regardless as to HOW WE MAY FEEL AT THIS MOMENT, is in a continual, abiding presence with His people. Deuteronomy 20.1 says:

"the LORD thy God is with thee",

And Deuteronomy 20.4 states:

"For the LORD your God is HE THAT GOETH WITH YOU, to fight FOR YOU against your enemies, to save you"

We, like the Israelites, often come up against seemingly insurmountable problems in our lives. Are you out of work? Out of money? Lonely? In despair? Are you sick, burdened? Does it seem like no one loves you, and you have no friends? Is your business in trouble?

The Israelites were coming up against seven nations, TRAINED nations, EQUIPPED nations, that were ready, willing, and able to do battle. Each and every Israelite who looked westward across the Jordan probably thought the same thing: I don't have it in me - I can't do this thing - I can't deal with this. The beauty of life with Jesus is .... He doesn't expect you to do it or deal with it. He expects you to surrender to Him! The Apostle Paul, one of the greatest men who ever lived for Jesus, gave us the "secret to his success". What was it?

SUPPORTING ~ 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 "And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. [8]  For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. [9]  And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. [10]  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong."

Paul went to the Lord three times to have the "thorn in the flesh" removed from his life. What was this thorn? Some say it was Paul's eyesight, others claim it was something else, another physical ailment. The point is: WHO CARES what the thorn was? The answer is more important than the question. The answer is, "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness". Jesus calls us all to a life of surrender to His will. He told the Israelites, "Go across the Jordan, do what I tell you, and you WILL possess the land". How is this different from what our Lord told Paul, "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness". Not one iota different! When each and every one of us stops pretending that we are self sufficient and realize that ALL we have and hope to be, we HAVE FROM JESUS - then we are strong. When we realize:

SUPPORTING ~ Psalms 121:1-8 "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.[2]  My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. [3]  He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. [4]  Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. [5]  The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand. [6]  The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. [7]  The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. [8]  The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for ever more."

The themes of man's weakness and God's abiding presence and strength are the keys to success for the Israelite Army - and for you, dear believer. After salvation we are not self sufficient, but are MORE dependent upon Jesus to live this new life He has wrought in us. We are not FREED from His commandments, but should all the more heed His Word, follow His lead, do EXACTLY what He says - knowing that, when the battle is the Lord's, and He fights for us, we WILL be victorious!

Now that the priests have spiritually prepared the Israelites for battle, it is up to the "officers", {shoter [sho-tare'], scribes} to make sure that the army was made up of the MOST QUALIFIED men. In God's Army the most qualified are NOT those who have technical competence, leadership abilities, or some specialty in a chosen career field. No, the war that Israel was going to fight would be empowered by God - it was His war. As such, no "skilled" people were needed. Who then were the ones who were "qualified" to be in the Army of God? Only those who LOVED and were DEVOTED to the Lord God Almighty. Says Matthew Henry:

"In the wars wherein Israel engaged according to the will of God, they might expect the Divine assistance. The Lord was to be their only confidence. In these respects they were types of the Christian's warfare. Those unwilling to fight, must be sent away. The unwillingness might arise from a man's outward condition. God would not be served by men forced against their will. Thy people shall be willing, Psalms 110:3. In running the Christian race, and fighting the good fight of faith, we must lay aside all that would make us unwilling. If a man's unwillingness rose from weakness and fear, he had leave to return from the war. The reason here given is, lest his brethren's heart fail as well as his heart. We must take heed that we fear not with the fear of them that are afraid, Isaiah 8:12."

Our Lord Jesus said it another way:

SUPPORTING ~ Luke 9:57-62 "And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. [58]  And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. [59]  And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. [60]  Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. [61]  And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. [62]  And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."

The man who would follow the Lord YAHWEH into battle against the combined might of Canaan MUST have NO DISTRACTIONS. His eyes must be firmly fixed on the Author of his salvation. Men were exempted from the Army if they ....

FOCAL ~ Deuteronomy 20:5  "... What man is there that hath built a new house, and hath not dedicated it? let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man dedicate it."

Dedicating a new house was considered a reason for exemption from military service. In Israel, dedication of a new house was usually accompanied by festive ceremonies. Though the new homeowner was not INDEFINITELY excluded from service in Israel's Army, God was giving Israel the Promised Land as a gift ... and He wanted to encourage them to work with Him in making this gift usable. Building and dedicating new houses in the Promised Land was therefore a very valid reason for exclusion, albeit temporary, from military service.

FOCAL ~ Deuteronomy 20:6  "And what man is he that hath planted a vineyard, and hath not yet eaten of it? let him also go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man eat of it."

Again, God was giving Israel the Promised Land so that they could LIVE AND PROSPER in it. For the Israelite, the vineyard was a necessary part of the home. Though the person who was planting new vineyards was not indefinitely excluded from military service, he was excluded until the vineyards had begun to produce. Since the newly planted vineyard takes up to four years to properly produce fruit, the man who planted the vineyard could expect to be excluded from military service for up to 4 years.

FOCAL ~ Deuteronomy 20:7  "And what man is there that hath betrothed a wife, and hath not taken her? let him go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man take her."

And finally, the man who was newly married, but who had not yet consummated the marriage, was excluded from military service. God was giving Israel the Promised Land so they would marry, have children, and expand as a nation - as He had promised Abraham. The Lord did not want to take newly married men who, truth be told, had their minds on each of their wives, and take these men to battle. No, their donation to the push for the Promised Land was to consummate their marriages, reproduce in fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant - and after this, they would be expected to serve in His Army.

Building homes, planting vineyards, marrying and having children - this was the REASON that Yeshua was giving the Promised Land to Israel. Without these things, war had no meaning, no value. So these three reasons were HONORABLE and VALID reasons why a man would be released from military service - for a time, anyway.

FOCAL ~ Deuteronomy 20:8  "... What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren's heart faint as well as his heart."

Yet here was one more reason to avoid military service in Israel, and that was if a man was "fearful and fainthearted", or {yare' [yaw-ray'], filled with fear} + {rak, weak, tender}. Cowards were to be rejected from God's Army outright lest they pollute the minds of their fellow soldiers, and thus cause the Army to fall. God's injunction against cowardice was NOT made until after the priests reminded the people that THE WAR WAS GOD'S WAR, and that, as long as they KEPT THEIR EYES ON HIM, then they WOULD SUCCEED.

Cowardice in this passage is therefore recognized as a SPIRITUAL problem. The man who has allowed fear to motivate his behavior rather than the love of God in his heart - this man has ceased believing in the Creator and has started to believe that the circumstances that surround him are greater than God.

Listen believer - there are two viewpoints: a Divine Viewpoint, and the human (sometimes "politically correct") viewpoint. Jesus tells us that we are not to approach life by merging our way of life with the human viewpoint that swirls, like sewage, all around us. We are to seek out and follow after the Lord's viewpoint on everything:

SUPPORTING ~ Isaiah 55:7-9 "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. [8]  For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. [9]  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."

God alone knows what is best for us - Jesus alone can see all of history unveiled, like a banner, whereas we can only see small portions of that overall picture. His thoughts are greater than ours, His ways are mightier than ours - thus we are called to follow Him wherever He leads. We are not called to look at the situation (as the first generation of Israel did) and, once weighing out the pros and cons, decide whether or not we will do as He has commanded. NO! We are, like children at the dinner table, not to question His provision. Just to "go and do" as He has commanded.

Our focus in this life determines how we live our lives. When we are focused on Jesus, eternal God in the flesh, our Savior and Lord, then we know that we shall triumph as long as we follow His Word. The Scripture tells us:

SUPPORTING ~ 2 Timothy 1:7  "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."

How can we have fear, when He has said "Pass over yonder Jordan, for the battle is Mine, and I HAVE given it to you"? The Israelite's heritage was not only the Land, but they also had the heritage of "power, and of love, and of a sound mind". When King Darius of the Medo-Persian Empire was tricked by pride and false supporters into signing the decree forbidding Daniel to pray, Daniel prayed anyway. The morning after he was cast into the Lion's Den Daniel came out unharmed, saying:

SUPPORTING ~ Daniel 6:22-23 "My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt." [23]  Then was the king exceeding glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because HE BELIEVED IN HIS GOD."

Joseph, sold into slavery by his own brothers, kept his eyes on the Lord his Savior and, because of this:

SUPPORTING ~ Acts 7:9-10 "... but God was with him, [10] And delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house."

The Scripture is full of the testimony of Him who cannot lie, Who has delivered - over and over again - those who have kept their eyes on Him. When we who have accepted Jesus as Savior come to the realization that Christianity is not mere morality, but is a FAITH that produces a RELATIONSHIP with GOD OUR SAVIOR, a relationship that relies on Him and His Word like a drowning man relies on a life preserver. When we become focused on Him, the Author and Finisher of our Faith, as the Book of Hebrews tells us:

SUPPORTING ~ Hebrews 12:1-3 "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, [2]  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. [3]  For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds."

The coward in Israel was the one who had forgotten who his Strength and Salvation was. Thus the coward, who was, in reality, a backslidden believer, was released from serving in the Army of God. God's Army in Israel did not need great numbers. God counts hearts, not heads, when He wants a great work accomplished. He wants a people obedient to Him, to His message, to His will, totally reliant on Him.

When the Israelites went to war in the Promised Land they were under a strict CODE OF CONDUCT as to how they were to conduct themselves. It was common practice among many of the Near Eastern nations to rape and/or mistreat captives. Even as recent as the Second World War, it came to light during the "War Crimes Trials" that Japanese officers allowed and often encouraged poor treatment of prisoners of war. Why this is, I honestly do not know - but I do know that God established a policy amongst His people that THERE WOULD BE NO TORTURE of captives. This type of behavior is incompatible with the Grace of God. In fact, the Israelite men were ALLOWED to intermarry with captured women AS LONG AS they were not of Canaan:

SUPPORTING ~ Deuteronomy 7:1- 3  "When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou;  {these nations were all related to Canaan} [2]  And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them: [3]  Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son."

The Israelites were NOT allowed to intermarry with the descendants of Canaan, but were commanded by God to DESTROY all Canaanites - men, women, children - wherever they were found. This was because the Canaanites had moved far away from God and into idolatry and child sacrifice - and He did not want Israel infected by this same disease. So this passage in Deuteronomy 21 does not apply to intermarriage with the Canaanites, but to women OTHER than those of Canaan.

IF a woman was taken captive in battle, and IF she was not a Canaanite, then there were certain procedures that the soldier had to follow before marrying her:

The woman was brought home - though not touched by the soldier at this time. She was given an opportunity to get used to her surroundings, to make that home her own. This was to bring her a sense of security and identity. 

In many Eastern cultures the hair and the nails were often lavishly decorated by the women to please the man or the ethnic culture. When a woman was brought into God's Theocracy of Israel from another country, SHE was to willingly shave her head and trim her nails. This served four purposes: it gave the woman a fresh start in the new culture of Israel, it gave the woman a clean break from her past, it symbolized a time of ritual purification and mourning for the loss of her family, and by HER ACTION of shaving and paring she was demonstrating her willingness to become a part of Israelite society. This shaving of the hair and trimming of the nails is related to the Scripture that follows:

Deuteronomy 21.13 "... she shall put the raiment of her captivity from off her, and shall remain in thine house, and bewail her father and her mother a full month ..."

The woman was given a reasonable period of time, one month, to mourn the loss of her family. Only after this period of time was the man allowed to approach the woman and, if both parties were agreeable, consummate the marriage.  If the woman or the man rejected the marriage, then the man was to allow her to go her own way:

Deuteronomy 21.14 ... "then thou shalt let her go whither she will; but thou shalt not sell her at all for money, thou shalt not make merchandise of her, because thou hast humbled her ..."

NOT to treat her as a slave, nor a prostitute, but as a person with worth - for we are all created in the Image of God, and life is PRECIOUS to our Lord.

Our text starts out, "If a man have two wives", and I guess that's the best place to start. There are many cultic groups who have taken the Eastern tradition of the "Harem", or marriage to more than one wife, and have tried to say that this type of behavior is acceptable before God. Let me make this clear: In the Garden of Eden, the blueprint for marriage was that there be ONE man and ONE wife:

SUPPORTING ~ Genesis 2:21-24 "And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; [22]  And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. [23]  And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. [24]  Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh."

The Lord Jesus made ONE WOMAN to go with the ONE MAN. He didn't make two women, or three, or ten, or a thousand - but one.  Adam recognized this principle as a part of Divine Design when he said (vvs 24) "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh".  God designed man and woman to be monogamous, not polygamous.  The Bible, in fact, never portrays polygamy in a positive way, but the man is always seen as henpecked - at his wits end. Consider Abraham who, at the suggestion of Sarah, produced a child through his servant Hagar. That child, Ishmael, grew up to father the Arabic Nations - which are even today in bitter dispute with the children of Promise through Isaac. Jacob went in to Rachel and loved her more than Leah, his other wife (Genesis 29:30). God, in compassion and mercy, allowed Leah to have the firstborn child, Reuben, then Simeon, Levi, and Judah - which caused Rachel to hate her sister Leah. Since Rachel could not bear children, she demanded that Jacob father children through her servant Bilhah - any by this strange proxy she bore children. Before these two sisters were done, they had all but killed Jacob in childbearing!

No, these verses in Deuteronomy do NOT condone polygamy, though they do recognize that such a situation DID EXIST in Israel and, if this situation exists, THEN God expected the FIRSTBORN of the wives, regardless as to which wife the husband loved more, to receive the "double portion of all that he hath" in inheritance.  Regardless as to whether man ignored God's Divine Design for marriage (which, by the way, always brought self induced misery on all the parties involved), God expected justice and stability to be maintained in the family. The eldest son, no matter which wife the husband loved best, MUST receive his due: a double portion of the inheritance, control of the family matters on the death of the Patriarch, preferential treatment and respect within the society of Israel.  The only exception to this has been according to God's sovereignty when He set aside the firstborn of the family to bless the younger son, such as in the case of Jacob and Esau (Romans 9.13) and Ephraim and Manasseh :

SUPPORTING ~ Genesis 48:17-19  "And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's head. [18]  And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head. [19]  And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations."

God, who is the Potter, has the right to make that decision - but sinful man, living in unrighteous polygamy contrary to God's design, had no right to choose the Firstborn based on which wife he loved better. To do so was unjust, evil, and tore at the stability of the family in Israel.

Though these seem to be some EXTREME verses (for, after all, who among us could take our child - even if he were rebellious - to the gates of the city to be put to death?), they do emphasize the fact that God considers the STABILITY of the family to be the foundation of a strong and stable nation.  Before we go off the deep end looking at these verses, we do need to consider this:

1. The verses did not refer to the child who occasionally fell into disobedience, but a child who persisted in rebellion - even though he or she had been warned. The text says, "when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them" (vv. 18). This was an extreme violation the 5th commandment, "honor your father and mother," (5:16; Ex.20:12).  The child was called "stubborn", carar {saw-rar': v, qal, part, f, sg, absolute}; to rebel, be stubborn, be rebellious, stubborn, "total rebellion", and  "rebellious", marah {maw-raw': n, common, f, sg, construct}; to be contentious, be disobedient towards, provocative, "to provoke by defiance."

2. This Law, though given, seems to have been given for it's DETERRENT EFFECT. I can find no instance in either the Scripture, or in the writings of the early historians (such as Josephus) where this punishment was exercised. The fear of death that this Law held over the children apparently kept any from falling away and into such apostasy. 

3. Was this Law excessive? God didn't think so, so neither can I. The strength of a nation lies in its stable families, and as the family goes, so goes the nation. Though I support prayer (at least silent prayer) in the school, prayer and Bible Study is needed MUCH MORESO in the home. For too long families have relaxed and expected the government to train and educate our children. Governments can and do have a hand in training the child - in Israel, the out of control child was punished by the governing Law of Israel. But governments cannot do it all - the parent and grandparent MUST be actively involved in teaching their children that there IS a Jesus, that He is NOT a myth, that HELL is a real place, and that there is SALVATION only by believing on and calling on the name of Jesus.  As our families bond to Christ and His Word,  this nation will stabilize and become stronger. If not - look for rough times ahead. As Dr. Willmouth states, "The greatest deterrent to crime in a society is the fear of punishment. The greatest deterrent to sin in a Israelite's life was the fear of the Lord. The greatest deterrent to sin in a Christian's life is their love for the Lord (John 14:15; 2 John 2:3; 5:2-3)."