deuteronomy 19 and 20

Read Deuteronomy 19 and 20 at Bible Gateway.

The Hebrew paragraph divisions for today’s chapters are:

Deu 19:1-10 {p} Three cities of refuge
Deu 19:11-13 {s} The murderer shall not find refuge
Deu 19:14 {s} Do not remove or change boundaries
Deu 19:15-21 {s} Justice in the case of false witnesses
Deu 20:1-9 {s} Who shall serve in the army
Deu 20:10-18 {s} Waging just warfare
Deu 20:19-20 {p} Do not destroy fruit trees in warfare

I believe we have left the explanation of the 5th commandment, Honor father and mother (and by extension, Honor God’s authority that He has delegated), and have moved to the 6th commandment, Do not murder. The command is murder not, not kill not. If someone is trying to kill you, you may have to kill them in self-defense. That killing is not murder. If a murderer murders someone, and appears before the judge, God’s command is to atone for the murder with the blood of the murderer. That killing as a capital punishment in the case of a capital crime is not murder. So then what do these paragraphs have to do with murder? Let us restate them:

Deu 19:1-10 {p} Establish three cities of refuge, for manslaughter is not murder
Deu 19:11-13 {s} The murderer shall not find refuge
Deu 19:14 {s} Do not remove or change boundaries
Deu 19:15-21 {s} Bearing false witness to cause a sentence of death is murder
Deu 20:1-9 {s} Release the faint of heart from army service, so that they do not cause murder by warfare
Deu 20:10-18 {s} Waging war unjustly is murder
Deu 20:19-20 {p} Do not cause murder by famine

Here is the chiastic structure for Do not commit murder:

1a) Deu 19:1-10 {p} Three cities of refuge (manslaughter: blood is not shed to atone for death);

1b) Deu 19:11-13 {s} The murderer shall be put to death;

central axis) Deu 19:14 {s} Do not remove the ancient boundaries which the men of old have set;

2b) Deu 19:15-20:20 {s} The innocent shall not be put to death (whether by false witness, war, or famine);

2a) Deu 21:1-9 {s} Unworked heifer (unsolved murder: blood is not shed to atone for death).

I borrowed from Deu chapter 21 to complete the structure. But what does the central axis have to do with murder? Beloved, Torah is the ancient boundary stone. These are the laws which the men of old have set, under the direction and instruction of Almighty God. This is the wisdom of God which describes justice. Some have called this Natural Law, the Law of Nature and of Nature’s God.

What happens when the ancient boundary stone of Torah is moved? Someone is encroached upon, and justice is no longer served. Aggressors become emboldened and victims created, when the ancient boundary stone is moved. So specifically in this case, Deu 19:14 is saying, Do not change these definitions of murder, and do not change the judgments for murder. The most basic right is to life, and the most fundamental responsibility of government is to protect the life of its citizens. When the ancient boundary stone of Torah is moved, the lives of citizens are put into jeopardy — which is murder.