The detailed laws in Deuteronomy 23:15-25:29 demonstrate how seriously God intended the nation of Israel to act justly and fairly to all its people. While the laws in Deuteronomy 25 seem strange to us, behind them we see glimpses of God's wisdom and justice.

Corporal punishment was a common form of punishment everywhere in biblical times. But verses 1-3 contain a law which limits the lashes to forty to prevent the person from being ″degraded″. Punishment must not violate the dignity of a human being made in the image of God. While corporal punishment has been outlawed in many places, it is still important for Christians to use utmost care when disciplining people.

Verse 4 gives an example of consideration to animals (see 5:14; 22:1-4). Oxen were used to loosen the grain from the stalks by pulling sledges. They needed to be well fed while they worked. Later, Paul used this command to encourage giving adequate wages to Christian workers (1 Corinthians 9:9; 1 Timothy 5:18).

Deuteronomy 25:5-6 describe ″levirate″ marriages, which were common in ancient Israel. This is a provision to protect widows from shame and want. It was the responsibility of a dead man's brother or next-of-kin to carry on the dead man's name through marrying and supporting the widow within the family (see Ruth 4:1-6). The first son from the second marriage carried the dead man's name and inherited his property. If the brother of the deceased refuses to marry the widow, a way was given to shame him (Deuteronomy 25:7-10). The Law could not force a man to marry his widowed sister-in-law. The Law, however, did all it could to protect the vulnerable. So, it permitted her to express her outrage in a concrete way. Likewise, we also have a responsibility to care for widows today-especially those without children to take care of them (see 1 Timothy 5:8).

Deuteronomy 25:11-12 prescribes severe punishment for a wife who does what looks like a heroic act on behalf of her husband. While her intentions are perhaps honourable, seizing his assailant ″by his private parts″ is an act of gross indecency. Even more serious is the fact that the man's genitals could be so badly injured that he would not be able to father children. God places a high value on anything related to bearing children and does not tolerate actions that undermine that ability. This implies that God abhors the kicking and hitting of men's genitals that is sometimes seen in movies today.

Verses 13-16 prohibit dishonest business practices. Unscrupulous traders had two kinds of ″weights″: the ″light″ and ″small″ ones for dishonest selling and the ″heavy″ and ″large″ ones for buying (see Proverbs 11:1; Amos 8:5; Micah 6:11). Even today, God's people could be tempted to use dishonest business practices considered normal in society. One of the strongest arguments for shunning dishonesty is the sure prospect of God's judgment for it. God blesses honesty (″live long″) and punishes dishonesty (″God detests″). We must warn people about the dangerous consequences of dishonesty.

For reflections on Deuteronomy 25:17-19, which is similar to chapter 7, see Day 25.