In Deuteronomy, perhaps what we are reading is a people who are attempting to "flesh out" the law and put it into lived practice. It's been years now since the Commandments came down from Mt. Sinai. And life in community is happening....with all its struggles and dilemmas....and somehow, this people has to figure out what these 10 commands means in very specific cases.
So, what started out as "You shall not murder/slay," has been interpreted to be applied differently in different circumstances. We begin to parse out what that word "murder/slay" actually means. Is there a difference between killing and murder? Can we split the hair that way? After all, it must not simply mean "do not kill" if we have someone who deserves the death penalty? And, when accidents happen, as in Deuteronomy 19, then there must be a different understanding of Exodus 20:13.
It's interesting, isn't it, that these 10 commands that are fleshed out into hundreds of specifics in the Old Testament are reined back into two great commandments: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength; and Love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12) and as I [Jesus] have loved you (John 13). From 10 to hundreds to 2. What might this tell us? How do we deal with these contradictions? What is the Holy Spirit saying to God's people?
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