Deuteronomy chapter 17

vs 1

And of course shows a lack of respect for and perhaps even faith in God. As it says elsewhere, you would not offer a blemished animal to the governor, so why to God?

vs 2

Why do I get the feeling a stoning is coming?

vs 3

Worshipping other gods, this isn't sounding good.

vs 4

This is an interesting addition to what is a very repeated law. Investigations must be thorough. You can't fly off the handle on this one. People can lie, or misinterpret words or actions. Justice is partly about knowing what happened, before punishing it.

vs 5

And there's the stoning.

vs 6

We find out later in history that paying two or three witnesses to sit next to someone and then swear that he blasphemed God, so that he can be killed and his vineyard stolen by a king, is totally possible. But at least it's more difficult than "he said, she said".

vs 7

This is another interesting caveat - if you are going to speak up about someone doing something worthy of a death sentence, be prepared to have that person's blood on your hands in a very real and tangible way.

vs 8

I'm guessing this is mostly written to the judges who are to be put in place, as was written last chapter. But not everyone got judges to settle their differences - perhaps they could go straight to the place of the Lord instead of to their judge? It seems odd for there not to be a heirarchy, I know. I'm just saying it doesn't specifically say so here.

vs 9

Ahhhh... so there is a judge involved. But who is it? Is it the judge of the Levites? Or is it the judge judge, as in the big judges that we read about in Judges? I'm guessing the latter. Although, if it turns out that all the judges in Judges are Levites then there's no problem.

vs 10

There is no higher power to appeal to than this judge of judgeness.