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trusting the judges

Deuteronomy 17:8 -11 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 17:8 “If a judgment is too extraordinary¹ for you – concerning bloodshed, lawsuits, or assaults – cases disputed at your city gates, then go up to the place Yahveh your God chooses.

Deuteronomy 17:9 You are to go to the Levitical priests and to the judge who presides at that time. Ask, and they will give you a verdict in the judgment.

Deuteronomy 17:10 You must abide by the verdict they give you at the place Yahveh chooses. Be careful to do exactly as they instruct you.

Deuteronomy 17:11 You must abide by the instruction they give you and the judgment they announce to you. Do not turn to the right or the left from the decision they declare to you.

trusting the judges

Deferring to someone else’s judgment is a difficult thing to do, and requires the wisdom of humility. We might think we have evolved away from anarchy, and common sense reigns among us, but send a difficult case our way in which we are not privy to all the facts necessary to decide, and we will quickly revert to doing what feels right, or what is expedient.

Moses set up a council of Levitical priests and laymen which eventually became the Sanhedrin. It was supposed to help out in the difficult cases where justice was hard to find. It was the best that the Israelites could do, and even it did not always get justice right. Our Lord himself was tried and convicted by this group centuries later.

Still, the principle is a good one. Sometimes when you are too close to the situation, you cannot see clearly how to proceed. Find someone to ask who can reason more objectively.

Lord, when we don’t know the right thing to do, show us some wise people to ask for help.