Deuteronomy Trivia Question:
Blemished animal sacrifices are abominations to God

17:1
1
Thou shalt not
sacrifice unto the LORD thy God any bullock, or sheep, wherein is blemish,
or any evilfavouredness: for that is an abomination unto the LORD thy God.
Moses continues his instructions to the Israelites, saying,
Don't sacrifice an animal with a blemish. [1]
It is an abomination to God.
Stone to death anyone who worships another god
2
If there be found among
you, within any of thy gates which the LORD thy God giveth thee,
man or woman, that hath wrought wickedness in the sight of the LORD thy God, in transgressing his
covenant,
3
And hath gone and
served other gods, and worshipped them, either the sun, or moon, or any
of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded;
4
And it be told thee,
and thou hast heard of it, and enquired diligently, and, behold, it be true,
and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought in Israel:
5
Then shalt thou bring
forth that man or that woman, which have committed that wicked thing,
unto thy gates, even that man or that woman, and shalt stone them with
stones, till they die.
Stone to death those who have religious beliefs that are different from your own. [2]
6
At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy
of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be
put to death.
You must have two witnesses [3] to stone someone to death.
7
The hands of the
witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterward the
hands of all the people. So thou shalt put the evil away from among you.
When someone is stoned to death, the witnesses must throw the first stones.
Then everyone else joins in.
Stone to death anyone who will not listen to a priest or judge
8
If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment, between blood and
blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters
of controversy within thy gates: then shalt thou arise, and get thee up into
the place which the LORD thy God shall choose;
9
And thou shalt come unto the priests the Levites, and unto the judge that
shall be in those days, and enquire; and they shall shew thee the sentence
of judgment:
When you can't figure out what to do, ask a priest or a judge.
10
And thou shalt do according to the sentence, which they of that place
which the LORD shall choose shall shew thee; and thou shalt observe to do
according to all that they inform thee:
11
According to the sentence of the law which they shall teach thee, and
according to the judgment which they shall tell thee, thou shalt do: thou
shalt not decline from the sentence which they shall shew thee, to the right
hand, nor to the left.
Do whatever they tell you to do.
12
And the man that
will do presumptuously, and will not hearken unto the priest
that standeth to minister there before the LORD thy God, or unto the judge,
even that man shall die: and thou shalt put away the evil from Israel.
13
And all the people
shall hear, and fear, and do no more presumptuously.
Whoever refuses to do what a priest or judge tells them to do must be killed.
The king is chosen by God (and must not be a foreigner)

17:14-20
14
When thou art come unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, and
shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, I will set a king
over me, like as all the nations that are about me;
15
Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the LORD thy God shall
choose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee:
thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother.
God will choose the king to rule over you.
Do not allow a foreigner to be king.
16
But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to
return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the
LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.
17 Neither shall he multiply wives
to himself, that his heart turn not away:
neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.
The king must not have too many horses, wives [4],
or silver and gold.
18
And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he
shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the
priests the Levites:
19
And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his
life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of
this law and these statutes, to do them:
20
That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not
aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end
that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the
midst of Israel.
Notes
- Thou shalt not sacrifice unto the LORD thy God any bullock, or sheep, wherein is blemish.
(v.1)
God's very picky about his bloody animal sacrifices!
- Stone them with stones, till they die. (vv.2-15)
What the Bible says about stoning
- At the mouth of two witnesses (v.6)
Jehovah's Witnesses and the Two Witness Rule
- Neither shall he multiply wives to himself. (v.17)
Is polygamy OK?
- Don't offer God any blemished animals.
- Thou shalt not sacrifice unto the LORD thy God any bullock, or sheep, wherein is blemish, or any evilfavouredness: for that is an abomination unto the LORD thy God. 17:1
- Stone to death anyone who worships another god.
- If there be found among you, within any of thy gates which the Lord thy God giveth thee, man or woman, that hath wrought wickedness in the sight of the Lord thy God, in transgressing his covenant,
And hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them ... Then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman, which have committed that wicked thing, unto thy gates, even that man or that woman,
and shalt stone them with stones, till they die. 17:2-5
- At least two witnesses are required to convict someone of a crime.
- At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death. 17:6
- If something comes up and you don't know what to do, go to the place where the Lord chooses and ask a priest to tell you what to do. Then do whatever he says.
- If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within thy gates: then shalt thou arise,
and get thee up into the place which the Lord thy God shall choose; And thou shalt come unto the priests the Levites, and unto the judge that shall be in those days, and enquire; and they shall shew
thee the sentence of judgment: And thou shalt do according to the sentence, which they of that place which the Lord shall choose shall shew thee; and thou shalt observe to do according to all that
they inform thee: According to the sentence of the law which they shall teach thee, and according to the judgment which they shall tell thee, thou shalt do: thou shalt not decline from the sentence
which they shall shew thee, to the right hand, nor to the left. 17:8-11
- Kill anyone who refuses to obey a priest.
- And the man that will do presumptuously, and will not hearken unto the priest that standeth to minister there before the Lord thy God ... even that man shall die: and thou shalt put away the evil from Israel.
17:12a
- Kill anyone who refuses to obey a judge.
- And the man that will do presumptuously, and will not hearken unto ... the judge, even that man shall die: and thou shalt put away the evil from Israel. 17:12b
- Accept as king whomever God chooses.
- When thou art come unto the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, I will set a king over me, like as all the nations that are about me;
Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the Lord thy God shall choose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee. 17:14-15a
- Don't accept a stranger as your king.
- Thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother. 17:15b
- The king shall not have too many horses.
- He [the king] shall not multiply horses to himself. 17:16a
- The king shall not take the people to Egypt.
- He shall not ... cause the people to return to Egypt ... forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you,
Ye shall henceforth return no more that way. 17:16b
- Don't live in Egypt.
- He [the king] shall not ... cause the people to return to Egypt ... forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.
17:16c
- The king shall not have too many wives.
- Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away. 17:17a
- The king shall not have too much silver and gold.
- Neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold. 17:17b
- The king must write down all of the commandments.
- When he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book. 17:18
- The king must read the commandments every day of his life.
- He shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them. 17:19
- Dwindling in Unbelief
- Top Ten Abominations to God
(Deuteronomy 17:1)
- Richard Dawkins:
The God of the Old Testament (17:1)
- Biblical
Justice: Everybody must get stoned (17:2-7)
- Douglas Wilson and I
now agree on pretty much everything (17:2-5)
- Bill Maher:
Christian Rock Blows Hard (with Bible verses) (17:2-5, 12)
- Atheist Revolution
- Bible Commands Christians to Kill Nonbelievers
- Slate Blogs the Bible by David Plotz
- Dear Abby, My Wife Is an Idol-Worshipper. What Should I Do?