Deuteronomy 17 brings up a lot of significant topics. First is the mention of a moral authority for the Jews, a central judge that would be the end of the line on difficult issues. The idea of a central authority is at the core of Catholicism, wherein the Church, founded by Christ and guided by the Holy Spirit, provides the definitive interpretation of the Law and the Scriptures. So it is interesting to see its forerunner here in the Old Testament. Deuteronomy 17:9-11 says, "And thou shalt come to the priests of the Levitical race, and to the judge, that shall be at that time: and thou shalt ask of them, and they shall shew thee the truth of the judgement. / And thou shalt do whatsoever they shall say, that preside in the place, which the Lord shall choose, and what they shall teach thee, / According to his law: and thou shalt follow their sentence; neither shalt thou decline to the right hand nor to the left hand." God very clearly
does not leave it up to personal judgment. It is clear that when it comes to the Law, to foundational morals, each man and woman must follow that which is taught by the highest authority in the land. The Law is found in the Bible, yes, but when it comes to issues that men disagree on, what then? The Bible, from the oldest books of the Torah through the New Testament, was written through the use of human language, and thus, even though it is inspired, it is subject to imperfections and confusions. When one of these confusions arise, God does not leave us to blindly figure it out for ourselves. If He had done so, His Law would be unrecognizable before long. Instead he provides a teaching authority. Now, the central authority found in the Old Testament is far inferior to that which we have today. It was imperfect the way the Law was imperfect, prior to the coming of Christ. Now, the Magisterium of the Church provides the definitive authority on faith and morals and Scriptural interpretation. The only thing that can now lead men astray is pride (combined with the promptings of the evil one).
The second topic of significance that intrigued me in Deuteronomy 17 was the mention of a king. It has been said that God didn't intend on men being led by kings. In God's perfect plan, kings were not needed. Furthermore, kings (as God well knew) led to wars, greed, power and pride in men. But man in his fallen state, God conceded, would be best to follow a virtuous king. So God provides instruction on how a king ought to be. As we know from history, not every king was virtuous, and the kingship came with all the foreseeable problems. But when a king
was virtuous, and ruled by God's law, the people benefited. One interesting verse in Deuteronomy 17 says that "Thou mayst not make a man of another nation king, that is not thy brother" (Deuteronomy 17:15). The Jews famously broke this commandment when Herod became their king around the time of Christ. Fascinatingly, though, this was all foretold. In Genesis 49:10 it is written, "The sceptre shall not be taken away from Juda, nor a ruler from his thigh, till he come that is to be sent, and he shall be the expectation of nations." The scepter was taken away from Juda's line when Herod assumed the throne, which occurred when the "expectation of nations," Jesus Christ, was sent to save the world. The Word never ceases to amaze me.
Deuteronomy 17 brings up a lot of significant topics. First is the mention of a moral authority for the Jews, a central judge that would be the end of the line on difficult issues. The idea of a central authority is at the core of Catholicism, wherein the Church, founded by Christ and guided by the Holy Spirit, provides the definitive interpretation of the Law and the Scriptures. So it is interesting to see its forerunner here in the Old Testament. Deuteronomy 17:9-11 says, "And thou shalt come to the priests of the Levitical race, and to the judge, that shall be at that time: and thou shalt ask of them, and they shall shew thee the truth of the judgement. / And thou shalt do whatsoever they shall say, that preside in the place, which the Lord shall choose, and what they shall teach thee, / According to his law: and thou shalt follow their sentence; neither shalt thou decline to the right hand nor to the left hand." God very clearly does not leave it up to personal judgment. It is clear that when it comes to the Law, to foundational morals, each man and woman must follow that which is taught by the highest authority in the land. The Law is found in the Bible, yes, but when it comes to issues that men disagree on, what then? The Bible, from the oldest books of the Torah through the New Testament, was written through the use of human language, and thus, even though it is inspired, it is subject to imperfections and confusions. When one of these confusions arise, God does not leave us to blindly figure it out for ourselves. If He had done so, His Law would be unrecognizable before long. Instead he provides a teaching authority. Now, the central authority found in the Old Testament is far inferior to that which we have today. It was imperfect the way the Law was imperfect, prior to the coming of Christ. Now, the Magisterium of the Church provides the definitive authority on faith and morals and Scriptural interpretation. The only thing that can now lead men astray is pride (combined with the promptings of the evil one).
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