Deuteronomy Chapter 20 Summary

Deuteronomy 20 begins with instructions of Israel going into a battle with their enemies.

God tells them don’t worry about what you see, the horses, chariots, and a lot more men of war than Israel may have.

God says don’t fear that because He is with them, just as He was with them when He brought them out of Egypt. The battles or wars begins with the priest.

The priests begins the charge by first talking to Israel to be valiant in the Lord. Then the officers will do a doubt-removing process. This is sending people home who have doubts fears or concerns about things at home.

What are concerns?

Concerns include things like someone recently purchased a house, got married, had a new child, or who is just fearful. The officers were to send these men home.

When they have made an end to speaking and ridding the concerned and fearful, the priests set up captains over the armies to lead them.

If instead of war, Israel made peace with their enemies, their enemies would become tributaries and serve them.

If they warred with a nation and overthrew that nation, God commands that they kill every male but the women (unmarried women) and little children and cattle they were allowed to keep as spoil.

The only case where they could not do this was the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. These people would teach the children of Israel all of their abominations and thus God did not want even their women or little ones to survive.

The chapter ends with God instructing Israel not to chop down trees of the nations that they destroy. God says that the tree of the field is man’s life, therefore do not to put the axe to the tree. Only trees that are not for food they were allowed to use for battle.

This is chapter 20 of Deuteronomy.

We pray the Father to add blessings to the reading and doing of His Holy Word through His Son Jesus the Messiah. Amen!

Did you read Deuteronomy Chapter 19 Summary?

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