◄ Deuteronomy 17:9 ►
You are to go to the Levitical priests and to the judge who presides at that time. Inquire of them, and they will give you a verdict in the case.
Study Bible
Go to the Levitical priests
The Levitical priests were descendants of Levi, one of the twelve tribes of Israel, specifically set apart for religious duties. The Hebrew root for "Levitical" is "Levi," meaning "joined" or "attached," signifying their special role in being attached to God’s service. Historically, the Levites were responsible for the tabernacle and later the temple services, acting as mediators between God and the people. This phrase emphasizes the importance of seeking spiritual guidance from those who are consecrated to God’s service, highlighting the value of ordained ministry in discerning God’s will.

and to the judge who is in office at that time
The role of the judge in ancient Israel was not merely judicial but also spiritual and administrative. The Hebrew word for "judge" is "shofet," which implies one who governs or rules. This phrase underscores the necessity of seeking wisdom from those appointed to positions of authority, reflecting the biblical principle that God establishes leaders to maintain order and justice. It also points to the dynamic nature of leadership, as the judge "in office at that time" suggests a system responsive to the current needs and circumstances of the people.

Inquire of them
The act of inquiring denotes a humble approach to seeking wisdom and understanding. The Hebrew root "darash" means to seek with care, to investigate, or to study. This phrase encourages believers to actively seek out godly counsel and to approach spiritual leaders with questions, demonstrating a heart open to learning and growth. It reflects the biblical principle that wisdom is found in a multitude of counselors and that God’s guidance often comes through His appointed servants.

and they will give you a verdict
The term "verdict" in this context refers to a decision or judgment. The Hebrew word "dabar" can mean word, matter, or thing, indicating that the verdict is not just a legal decision but a word of wisdom or instruction. This phrase assures believers that when they seek God’s guidance through His appointed leaders, they will receive clear direction. It highlights the trustworthiness of God’s ordained processes and the assurance that He provides answers through His chosen instruments.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Levitical Priests
Members of the tribe of Levi, set apart for religious duties and to serve as mediators between God and the Israelites. They were responsible for teaching the Law and making judgments in difficult cases.

2. The Judge
An appointed leader or official who held the authority to make legal decisions and judgments. This role was crucial in maintaining justice and order within the community.

3. Israel
The nation chosen by God, consisting of the twelve tribes descended from Jacob. The Israelites were given the Law to guide their conduct and relationship with God.

4. The Law
The commandments and statutes given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai, which were to be followed by the Israelites. The Law served as the foundation for Israel's covenant relationship with God.

5. Judicial Inquiry
The process of seeking guidance and resolution in legal matters by consulting the appointed religious and judicial authorities.
Teaching Points
The Role of Godly Leadership
God established a system of leadership among His people to ensure justice and righteousness. We should seek leaders who are committed to God's Word and principles.

The Importance of Seeking Wisdom
In times of uncertainty or conflict, it is crucial to seek guidance from those who are knowledgeable in God's Word and who can provide godly counsel.

The Value of Community and Accountability
The process of inquiry and judgment underscores the importance of community and accountability. We are called to live in harmony and resolve disputes in a manner that honors God.

The Necessity of Obedience to God's Law
The Israelites were instructed to follow the verdicts given by the priests and judges, reminding us of the importance of obedience to God's commands and the authorities He has established.

The Call to Righteous Judgment
As believers, we are called to make judgments that reflect God's justice and mercy, ensuring that our decisions align with His truth and love.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the role of the Levitical priests and judges in Deuteronomy 17:9 reflect God's desire for order and justice among His people?

2. In what ways can we apply the principle of seeking godly counsel in our own lives when faced with difficult decisions?

3. How does the process of judicial inquiry in ancient Israel compare to the way conflicts are resolved within the church today, as seen in Matthew 18:15-17?

4. What qualities should we look for in leaders and authorities within our church and community, based on the biblical model?

5. How can we ensure that our judgments and decisions are aligned with God's Word and reflect His character of justice and mercy?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Exodus 18:13-26
This passage describes the establishment of a judicial system by Moses, with judges appointed to handle disputes among the people, highlighting the importance of wise and godly leadership.

Numbers 27:21
This verse emphasizes the role of the priest in seeking God's will through the Urim and Thummim, illustrating the spiritual aspect of judicial decisions.

1 Samuel 2:35
This verse speaks of God raising a faithful priest, pointing to the importance of integrity and faithfulness in those who serve in positions of authority.

Matthew 18:15-17
Jesus outlines a process for resolving disputes within the church, reflecting the principles of seeking wise counsel and maintaining community harmony.
Sermons
High Court of AppealD. Davies Deuteronomy 17:8-13
The Priest and the JudgeJ. Orr Deuteronomy 17:8-13
The Ruling -Power of the Priests in the Jewish ChurchR.M. Edgar Deuteronomy 17:8-13
People
Levites, Moses
Places
Beth-baal-peor, Egypt
Topics
Case, Consult, Decision, Declare, Declared, Hast, Inquire, Inquired, Judge, Judgment, Levites, Levitical, Office, Priest, Priests, Question, Sentence, Verdict
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Deuteronomy 17:9

     7413   priesthood, OT
     7768   priests, OT function

Deuteronomy 17:8-9

     5358   judges

Deuteronomy 17:8-13

     5025   killing
     5383   lawsuits

Deuteronomy 17:9-10

     8130   guidance, from godly people

Library
Bethphage
There is very frequent mention of this place in the Talmudists: and, certainly, a more careful comparison of the maps with those things which are said by them of the situation of this place is worthy to be made; when they place it in mount Olivet, these make it contiguous to the buildings of Jerusalem. I. In the place cited in the margin, the case "of a stubborn judge" (or elder) is handling. For when, by the prescript of the law, difficult matters, and such things as concerning which the lower councils …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica

The Reign of Saul.
I Sam. 8-31; I Chron. 10 The Demand for a King. The last period saw one tribe after another come to the front and assert itself through some leading man as an emergency arose, but now the tribes are to be united into a monarchy and this, too, at their own request made in the form of a desire for a king. Several things no doubt influenced them to make this request. (1) From the days of Joshua there had been no strong national bond. They were only held together by the law of Moses and the annual assemblages …
Josiah Blake Tidwell—The Bible Period by Period

'Make us a King'
'Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel, onto Ramah, 5. And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. 6. But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the Lord. 7. And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected Me, …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Adonijah
BY REV. ALFRED ROWLAND, D.D., LL.B. It is notorious that the sons of devout men sometimes prove a curse to their parents, and bring dishonour on the cause of God. When Eve rejoiced over her first-born, she little suspected that passions were sleeping within him which would impel him to slay his own brother; and the experience of the first mother has been repeated, though in different forms, in all lands and in all ages. Isaac's heart was rent by the deceit of Jacob, and by the self-will of Esau. …
George Milligan—Men of the Bible; Some Lesser-Known

Jehoiada and Joash
'And when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal. 2. But Jehosheba, the daughter of king Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king's sons which were slain; and they hid him, even him and his nurse, in the bedchamber from Athaliah, so that he was not slain. 3. And he was with her hid in the house of the Lord six years. And Athaliah did reign over the land. 4. And the seventh year Jehoiada …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Bible in the Days of Jesus Christ
[Illustration: (drop cap S) Reading from a Roll--old Roman Painting] Slowly but surely, as time went on, God was adding to His Book, until about four hundred years before the birth of Jesus Christ the Old Testament Scriptures, in their present shape, were completed. Many questions have been asked as to how the canon of the Old Testament was formed--that is, how and when did the Jews first begin to understand that the Books of the Old Testament were inspired by God. About the first five Books--the …
Mildred Duff—The Bible in its Making

Josiah, a Pattern for the Ignorant.
"Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before Me; I also have heard thee, saith the Lord. Behold therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace; and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place."--2 Kings …
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VIII

The Story of the Adulteress.
(Jerusalem.) ^D John VII. 53-VIII. 11. [This section is wanting in nearly all older manuscripts, but Jerome (a.d. 346-420) says that in his time it was contained in "many Greek and Latin manuscripts," and these must have been as good or better than the best manuscripts we now possess. But whether we regard it as part of John's narrative or not, scholars very generally accept it as a genuine piece of history.] ^d 53 And they went every man unto his own house [confused by the question of Nicodemus, …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Golden Eagle is Cut to Pieces. Herod's Barbarity when He was Ready to Die. He Attempts to Kill Himself. He Commands Antipater to be Slain.
1. Now Herod's distemper became more and more severe to him, and this because these his disorders fell upon him in his old age, and when he was in a melancholy condition; for he was already seventy years of age, and had been brought by the calamities that happened to him about his children, whereby he had no pleasure in life, even when he was in health; the grief also that Antipater was still alive aggravated his disease, whom he resolved to put to death now not at random, but as soon as he should …
Flavius Josephus—The Wars of the Jews or History of the Destruction of Jerusalem

A Sermon on Isaiah xxvi. By John Knox.
[In the Prospectus of our Publication it was stated, that one discourse, at least, would be given in each number. A strict adherence to this arrangement, however, it is found, would exclude from our pages some of the most talented discourses of our early Divines; and it is therefore deemed expedient to depart from it as occasion may require. The following Sermon will occupy two numbers, and we hope, that from its intrinsic value, its historical interest, and the illustrious name of its author, it …
John Knox—The Pulpit Of The Reformation, Nos. 1, 2 and 3.

Subjects of Study. Home Education in Israel; Female Education. Elementary Schools, Schoolmasters, and School Arrangements.
If a faithful picture of society in ancient Greece or Rome were to be presented to view, it is not easy to believe that even they who now most oppose the Bible could wish their aims success. For this, at any rate, may be asserted, without fear of gainsaying, that no other religion than that of the Bible has proved competent to control an advanced, or even an advancing, state of civilisation. Every other bound has been successively passed and submerged by the rising tide; how deep only the student …
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

Second Stage of Jewish Trial. Jesus Condemned by Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin.
(Palace of Caiaphas. Friday.) ^A Matt. XXVI. 57, 59-68; ^B Mark XIV. 53, 55-65; ^C Luke XXII. 54, 63-65; ^D John XVIII. 24. ^d 24 Annas therefore sent him bound unto Caiaphas the high priest. [Foiled in his attempted examination of Jesus, Annas sends him to trial.] ^b and there come together with him all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes. ^a 57 And they that had taken Jesus led him away to the house of Caiaphas the high priest, ^c and brought him into the high priest's house. ^a where …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Easter Tuesday
Second Sermon. Same Text. Acts 13, 26-39. THE WORD AND THE RESURRECTION.[1] [Footnote 1: This sermon appeared first in the Church Postil, the Explanation of the Epistle and Gospel Texts from Easter to Advent. Printed by Hans Lufft, Wittenberg, 1559.] 1. This sermon was preached by Paul in the synagogue at Antioch of Pisidia, where were gathered with the Jews some Greek converts. Wherever in a city Jews were to be found, there also were their synagogues in which they taught and preached; and many …
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. II

The Medes and the Second Chaldaean Empire
THE FALL OF NINEVEH AND THE RISE OF THE CHALDAEAN AND MEDIAN EMPIRES--THE XXVIth EGYPTIAN DYNASTY: CYAXARES, ALYATTES, AND NEBUCHADREZZAR. The legendary history of the kings of Media and the first contact of the Medes with the Assyrians: the alleged Iranian migrations of the Avesta--Media-proper, its fauna and flora; Phraortes and the beginning of the Median empire--Persia proper and the Persians; conquest of Persia by the Medes--The last monuments of Assur-bani-pal: the library of Kouyunjik--Phraortes …
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 8

Deuteronomy
Owing to the comparatively loose nature of the connection between consecutive passages in the legislative section, it is difficult to present an adequate summary of the book of Deuteronomy. In the first section, i.-iv. 40, Moses, after reviewing the recent history of the people, and showing how it reveals Jehovah's love for Israel, earnestly urges upon them the duty of keeping His laws, reminding them of His spirituality and absoluteness. Then follows the appointment, iv. 41-43--here irrelevant (cf. …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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