The very first verse tells you what the entire book of Deuteronomy is about: the statues and judgments of the Lord. A statute is a pre-described task, something that God has explained and given as a task. A judgement tells us how to carry out the decision of a judge. A judgement elaborates how to to perform a particular statute. Judgements are not always negative, sometimes judgements are favorable.
The gore in this chapter is there for a purpose, part of the big messianic prophecy in 2nd Samuel 15–20. There are multiple stories in this chapter that are worthy of attention and note. This chapter has lots of parallelism and chiastic structure. For example, the actions of Yoab (Joab) mirror those of the high priest and of Yehudah Ish-Kariot (Judas Iscariot) in his betrayal of Yeshua (Jesus).
The solid, straightforward, Biblical foundation is that death is the total absence of life, that there is no part of a person that “goes to heaven” when he dies and that the dead are actually dead and sleeping in Sheol until Christ’s appearing. We now turn our attention to some sections of Scripture commonly misconstrued to indicate otherwise. Let’s remember that they must harmonize with those parts of God’s Word.
“You have heard it said, but I say…” was a common rabbinic phrase used when a rabbi wanted to encourage yeshiva students to dissect and discuss a particular Torah principle. A “problematic” Torah edicts is “eye for eye, tooth for tooth,” etc. Many Christians and Jews are very uncomfortable with this “barbaric” “tit-for-tat” law.
The first few chapters of Deuteronomy recount events from Exodus and Numbers. Key lessons for the new generation about to enter the Land were to trust God despite the seemingly invincible adversaries and remember His protection of the first generation out of Egypt and long before.
This chapter gives us a new spin on the meaning of the term “good news.” The major people in 2nd Samuel 19 — Shemai, Mephiboshet and Barzillai — were involved in key events and had important traits later expressed in the life of Peter, particularly in how he responded to the death of Yeshua the Messiah.
The book of Numbers is more than just a collection of long lists of numbers of people in the tribes and families of Israel and of places where the people camped for 40 years. It shows us how God prepares His people then and now to move forward into the tasks He has for them. Numbers contains lessons of character refinement of a people.