We'll conclude the portion titled "Various Laws" today by looking at the last three things on this list.
"When you build a new house, make a parapet around your roof so that you may not bring the guilt of bloodshed on your house if someone falls from the roof." (Deuteronomy 22:8) In those days the roofs of houses were usually flat and were often used as extra living space. A roof could be a nice cool place to sleep on summer nights and could serve as a guest room.
Several examples are provided in the Bible of people using the flat roofs of their houses. In the book of Joshua we'll find Rahab of Jericho hiding the two Jewish spies on her roof under some stalks of flax. In 1 Samuel 9 we'll find the prophet Samuel talking to King Saul on the roof of Saul's house. In 2 Samuel 11 David was walking around on the roof of his palace at night when he accidentally spotted the beautiful Bathsheba bathing. In 2 Samuel 16, when trying to usurp his father's authority as king, David's son Absalom slept with all of David's concubines in a tent on the palace roof so all Israel would know he intended to take his father's place. In 2 Kings 4 a woman set up a room on the roof of her house in which the prophet Elijah could stay whenever he was in town. There are a number of other examples but we can see that the flat rooftops were utilized extensively. That's what made a railing around the roof so important. A responsible homeowner had to take such a precaution so he would not be responsible for someone accidentally falling from his roof. I work in the insurance industry and one thing we check for when inspecting a property is to make sure the porches and steps have railings. It's a liability issue if they do not, and that is what is in view here in verse 8: it is a liability issue if a person doesn't put a railing around his rooftop space.
Next we'll look at examples of things that must not be mixed together. "Do not plant two kinds of seed in your vineyard; if you do, not only the crops you plant but also the fruit of the vineyard will be defiled. Do not plow with an ox and a donkey yoked together. Do not wear clothes of wool and linen woven together." (Deuteronomy 22:9-11) We previously saw these prohibitions in Leviticus 19:19. It is believed that the primary reason for such restrictions is to serve as a perpetual reminder to the Israelites that they are not to mix closely with unbelievers. They are not to make political alliances, business partnerships, or marriage partnerships with heathen idolaters. The Apostle Paul said a similar thing to the members of the Christian church in 2 Corinthians 6:14-16: "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God."
The final item on the list of "Various Laws" is this: "Make tassels on the four corners of the cloak you wear." (Deuteronomy 22:12) This is the perfect way to sum up all the previous laws because this is the purpose of these tassels: "You will have these tassels to look at so you will remember all the commands of the Lord, that you may obey them and not prostitute yourselves by chasing after the lusts of your own hearts and eyes. Then you will remember to obey all My commands and will be consecrated to your God." (Numbers 15:39-40) All day long a person would see these tassels swinging on the edges of their cloak and would be reminded of their obligation to obey the Lord.
This concludes the segment regarding various laws. Tomorrow we'll look at some of the laws of ancient Israel regarding marriage and engagements.
No comments:
Post a Comment