DeuteronomyStudy Guide

Chapter 24

Themes, discussion questions, Christ connections, and denomination lenses.

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Scripture

KJV

1When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house.

2And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man’s wife.

3And if the latter husband hate her, and write her a bill of divorcement, and giveth it in her hand, and sendeth her out of his house; or if the latter husband die, which took her to be his wife;

4Her former husband, which sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled; for that is abomination before the LORD: and thou shalt not cause the land to sin, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.

5When a man hath taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war, neither shall he be charged with any business: but he shall be free at home one year, and shall cheer up his wife which he hath taken.

6No man shall take the nether or the upper millstone to pledge: for he taketh a man’s life to pledge.

7If a man be found stealing any of his brethren of the children of Israel, and maketh merchandise of him, or selleth him; then that thief shall die; and thou shalt put evil away from among you.

8Take heed in the plague of leprosy, that thou observe diligently, and do according to all that the priests the Levites shall teach you: as I commanded them, so ye shall observe to do.

9Remember what the LORD thy God did unto Miriam by the way, after that ye were come forth out of Egypt.

10When thou dost lend thy brother any thing, thou shalt not go into his house to fetch his pledge.

11Thou shalt stand abroad, and the man to whom thou dost lend shall bring out the pledge abroad unto thee.

12And if the man be poor, thou shalt not sleep with his pledge:

13In any case thou shalt deliver him the pledge again when the sun goeth down, that he may sleep in his own raiment, and bless thee: and it shall be righteousness unto thee before the LORD thy God.

14Thou shalt not oppress an hired servant that is poor and needy, whether he be of thy brethren, or of thy strangers that are in thy land within thy gates:

15At his day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down upon it; for he is poor, and setteth his heart upon it: lest he cry against thee unto the LORD, and it be sin unto thee.

16The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.

17Thou shalt not pervert the judgment of the stranger, nor of the fatherless; nor take a widow’s raiment to pledge:

18But thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt, and the LORD thy God redeemed thee thence: therefore I command thee to do this thing.

19When thou cuttest down thine harvest in thy field, and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow: that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hands.

20When thou beatest thine olive tree, thou shalt not go over the boughs again: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.

21When thou gatherest the grapes of thy vineyard, thou shalt not glean it afterward: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.

22And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt: therefore I command thee to do this thing.

Key VerseDeuteronomy 24:17-18

Thou shalt not pervert the judgment of the stranger, nor of the fatherless; nor take a widow's raiment to pledge: But thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt, and the LORD thy God redeemed thee thence: therefore I command thee to do this thing.

Overview

Moses gives laws addressing divorce (a certificate of divorce is required), the exemption of newly married men from military service for one year, the prohibition of taking millstones as a pledge, kidnapping, diligent observance of leprosy laws, prompt payment of workers' wages, individual responsibility for sin, and justice for the stranger, orphan, and widow. The chapter emphasizes leaving gleanings in the field for the poor.

Key Themes

1

Protecting the Vulnerable in Legal Matters

The laws consistently protect the weak: the new bride, the poor laborer, the orphan, the widow, and the stranger — God builds a safety net for the vulnerable into Israel's legal code.

2

The Certificate of Divorce

While not endorsing divorce, the law regulates it by requiring a written certificate, protecting the woman from abandonment without documentation of her legal status.

3

Remember You Were Slaves in Egypt

God repeatedly grounds these laws in the memory of Egyptian bondage — Israel must treat the vulnerable well because they know what it feels like to be vulnerable.

Study Questions

1.

Why does God regulate divorce with a certificate rather than prohibiting it outright, and how does Jesus address this in Matthew 19:3-8?

2.

What does the one-year military exemption for newly married men teach about God's value of marital bonding?

3.

Why does God command prompt payment of wages — 'in his day thou shalt give him his hire' (v. 15) — and what does delayed payment do to the poor?

4.

How does the repeated refrain 'remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt' function as a motivation for compassion?

5.

What does the gleaning law teach about structured generosity — leaving something for others to gather with dignity rather than simply giving handouts?

Connection to Christ

Jesus cited Deuteronomy 24 when discussing divorce, explaining that Moses permitted it 'because of the hardness of your hearts' but that God's original intent was permanent, faithful union (Matthew 19:8). Christ restores marriage to God's creation ideal and provides the grace that the law could only regulate.

Personal Reflection

Take time to journal or meditate on what God is teaching you through Deuteronomy 24. How can these truths transform your thinking and actions today?

Deuteronomy

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