“For this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes, and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people’<\/em>” (Deuteronomy 4:6).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Presumption of Innocence<\/h2>\n
Everyone was presumed innocent until proven guilty, and the burden of proof rested with the accuser. When only one person’s word stood against another’s, the accused was acquitted by default<\/p>\n
Numbers 35:30; Deuteronomy 17:6; 19:15<\/p>\n
Fair Trial<\/h2>\n
Anyone could bring a case before a judge at any time, and everyone was judged by the same law. Both sides had to be heard simultaneously, and perjury was severely punished.<\/p>\n
Exodus 18:13-26; 22:9; Leviticus 24:22; Deuteronomy 1:16-17; 16:18-20; 19:16-21<\/p>\n
Sufficient Evidence<\/h2>\n
Claims had to be backed by tangible evidence and the testimony of multiple witnesses. If these could not be found, the case was settled by an oath, and no one was punished.<\/p>\n
Exodus 22:10-13; Numbers 5:11-28; 35:30; Deuteronomy 19:15; 22:13-19<\/p>\n
Limited Punishment<\/h2>\n
Criminals were protected from excessive punishments by the limits of “eye for eye” equivalence, concrete sentence maximums, and the requirement that judges supervise the punishments they ordered.<\/p>\n
Exodus 21:22-25; Leviticus 24:19-22; Deuteronomy 25:1-3<\/p>\n
Legal Autonomy<\/h2>\n
No one could be punished for another person’s crime. No social or economic status could revoke autonomy, so cases between husbands and wives, parents and children, and masters and slaves all had to be brought before civil authorities.<\/p>\n
Exodus 21:5-6, 26-27; Leviticus 24:19-21; Numbers 5:14-15; Deuteronomy 1:16; 21:18-21; 22:13-19, 23-27; 24:16<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Kastin Carroll House to House, Vol. 28, No. 12 “For this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes, and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people’” (Deuteronomy 4:6). Presumption of Innocence Everyone was presumed innocent until proven guilty, and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[554,115],"class_list":["post-65630","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-courts","tag-old-law"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":52095,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/righteous-judgment-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":65630,"position":0},"title":"Righteous Judgment (Sermon)","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 3, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: John 7:14-24 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It seems you can\u2019t listen or read the news with yet another person being accused of inappropriate behavior. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0People readily accept the bad news. The assumption that the person is guilty and so he is pressured to leave his job or be\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":43451,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/elders-in-the-old-testament\/","url_meta":{"origin":65630,"position":1},"title":"Elders in the Old Testament","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 28, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Job 29 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0While we don\u2019t live under the laws of the Old Testament, there are things to be learned from its pages - Romans 15:4 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Sometimes we forget that elders have been used long before the church \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It would be useful to learn some\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":30916,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-did-jesus-allow-divorce-when-the-law-had-a-death-penalty-for-adultery\/","url_meta":{"origin":65630,"position":2},"title":"Why did Jesus allow divorce when the Law had a death penalty for adultery?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 12, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I'm trying to figure out how to reconcile a couple of Jesus' statements in the Sermon on the Mount. First Jesus said, \"Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":60038,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-if-a-virgin-bride-did-not-bleed-on-her-wedding-night\/","url_meta":{"origin":65630,"position":3},"title":"What if a virgin bride did not bleed on her wedding night?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 22, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Good evening Jeff, I recently got into a discussion with someone regarding Deuteronomy 22:13-21, specifically verses 15-17. He seems to think that the evidence being talked about here was blood, something I do not disagree with. I told him that I have heard that not every woman bleeds when\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":53828,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-law-and-the-commandments\/","url_meta":{"origin":65630,"position":4},"title":"The Law and the Commandments","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 12, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Deuteronomy 30:6-16 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Seventh-Day Adventists insist that the only acceptable day of worship is the seventh day of the week, the Sabbath day. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0To get to that belief, they insist that the Ten Commandments are separate from the rest of the Law of Moses. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0While\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":20328,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-was-nailed-to-the-cross\/","url_meta":{"origin":65630,"position":5},"title":"What Was Nailed to the Cross?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 21, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Text: Deuteronomy 4:1-14 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0I frequently run into odd ideas about the Old Law, especially when I bring up Colossians 2:13-15 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Oh, most people will accept that Jesus\u2019 death on the cross eliminated animal sacrifices, but they cannot believe all of the Old Testament came to an end. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cSurely you\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sermon"","block_context":{"text":"Sermon","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/sermon\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65630","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=65630"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65630\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65630"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=65630"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=65630"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}