Deut 19:15-21. "A single witness shall not rise up against a man on account of any iniquity or any sin which he has committed; on the evidence of two or three witnesses a matter shall be confirmed. "If a malicious witness rises up against a man to accuse him of wrongdoing, then both the men who have the dispute shall stand before the Lord, before the priests and the judges who will be in office in those days. And the judges shall investigate thoroughly; and if the witness is a false witness and he has accused his brother falsely, then you shall do to him just as he had intended to do to his brother. Thus you shall purge the evil from among you. And the rest will hear and be afraid, and will never again do such an evil thing among you. Thus you shall not show pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. 
	This morning, we have one of those readings which has been an issue to many people ever since the Lord gave it through Moses all those centuries ago. It is an idea and a concept that has been taken out of context and abused and used as justification for the most horrible manner of man’s inhumanity to one another. It has been twisted and miss-quoted and abused to promulgate revenge and retribution throughout the course of our history with no real sense of why it was given in the first place. We will deal with it in the full context of why the Lord gave what has become known as the lex talionis in line with the justice and dignity and safeguards of the Lord’s setting forth the human governmental course of His Chosen Nation.
	Initially, let us consider the fact that the Lord made it very clear that there were to be those places for someone to go if they had accidentally brought about the death of another human being. All life is to be considered precious and that is at the forefront of this entire chapter dealing with the places of refuge for those who might have caused the death of another in a means that was not at all intentional. 
Because the Lord so values human life, His people were to do so as well. Therefore, when there was cause for the slaying of a person who deliberately murdered someone else, the Lord set the manner of that dealing in terms of the social order that needed to be maintained in the death of the offender. Throughout the reading, there is that overriding stipulation that all the righteous punishment that was to befall those guilty ones was in order for the rest of the social fabric to remain unblemished and untarnished. The people were to hold their holiness before the Lord as the key truth to what needed to be done with those who were found to be guilty beyond any doubt for the vile nature of the offenses that they committed against God. In so doing, the community would remain desirous to not bring such awful consequences upon themselves in their dealings with one another and most especially with God.
Notice the immediate and specific emphasis here and throughout the scripture on the need for more than one witness. The Lord knew that it was within the fallen nature of man to lie and to use false statements and deceptive means to get those things that mankind wanted to get. Man even lied to God, as evidenced in the Garden, when there was something that man wanted to cover up. 
As a side note, what a ludicrous and audacious and stupid thing it is to lie to God. He is Omniscient, all-knowing. He knows our every thoughts and motivations. The impudence that infests man is so vast and self-enamored, that we think that we can pull something over on God. To try to do so is the most blatant stupidity that we can practice, and yet, we do so time after time after time, expecting to get away with it. That will never be!
Back to our current discussion then, because God knew this foolish propensity of man to lie, even under oath, it was stipulated that any dire consequences of determining guilt was not permissible with only one witness. It would require the testimony and the evidence of two or more witnesses, especially in a capital offense such as murder. The stakes were far too high to settle for anything less. 
    	This is reinforced throughout scripture such as we have already read in Num 35:30. Num 35:30, 'If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death at the evidence of witnesses, but no person shall be put to death on the testimony of one witness. 
    	The death penalty was not to be used indiscriminately, with the easy hand of judgment and retribution as if it did not matter that a life was being snuffed out. There had to be the evident regard for process and procedure and every means of seeking out the full course of why this needed to take place. Even the life of one who might have murdered another was precious. Accordingly, that protection of God was in place to make sure that there was sufficient weight of evidence to bring about the death of the guilty. It would not be a simple matter that could be easily dispensed with by the whim of another. The whole process required the standing before the community leadership. The evidential procedures would be taken to the Lord by those who had the responsibility unto Him for the way in which they administered the justice which He required for the sake of His people.
	Again, the whole focal point was in order to keep the people from becoming entangled in evil and transgression and vileness. That would absolutely happen if there were no demonstrative action declaring that the Holiness of God was above all! man was not to set up the guidelines of what was considered acceptable or unacceptable. That was what God was doing with His Word through the prophets so inspired by the Holy Spirit. It was not by the word of one person who could be using such a means to his or her own interests and purposes.
	Again consider that which we just recently read in Deut 17:2-7. Deut 17:2-7, "If there is found in your midst, in any of your towns, which the Lord your God is giving you, a man or a woman who does what is evil in the sight of the Lord your God, by transgressing His covenant, and has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, or the sun or the moon or any of the heavenly host, which I have not commanded, and if it is told you and you have heard of it, then you shall inquire thoroughly. And behold, if it is true and the thing certain that this detestable thing has been done in Israel, then you shall bring out that man or that woman who has done this evil deed, to your gates, that is, the man or the woman, and you shall stone them to death. On the evidence of two witnesses or three witnesses, he who is to die shall be put to death; he shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness. The hand of the witnesses shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. So you shall purge the evil from your midst. 
    	Notice one of the key points in this passage is the fact that the person was doing evil in the sight of the Lord God. It was not a transgression against a person, doing something that was offensive to the sensibilities of this or that individual. It was evil in the sight of God! That is why it was so necessary that the offender was brought before those who were responsible unto the Lord for the safety and the wellbeing of all. Then, as well, one witness was insufficient. There had to be multiple people who would corroborate the transgression of evilness against the covenant of the Lord. 
	This was no minor incident, no small indiscretion that was before the people and before the Lord. It would have to be a most detestable outrage against the Lord God Himself to merit such an extreme response of the community. Then, only, would be the need for this dire consequence. …So you shall purge the evil from your midst. 
When the sake of the whole community’s relationship with the Lord was at hand, this was the means by which all would know that the Lord did not take their holiness with just some lackadaisical attitude. Their testimony was preeminent and crucial! When one person broke the covenant with the Lord in such a vile manner as to threaten the entire nation’s relationship with God; that had to be eradicated! It necessitated the complete response of the whole people to choose the Lord over the interests of the man or woman who would so threaten their connection with God, by Whom all had life.
There would be dire consequences if the evil was not purged from the midst of the congregation of the Lord’s Chosen people. This was inherent in what God detailed to Moses in Ex 20:22-24. 
Ex 20:22-24, Then the Lord said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, 'You yourselves have seen that I have spoken to you from heaven. 'You shall not make other gods besides Me; gods of silver or gods of gold, you shall not make for yourselves. 'You shall make an altar of earth for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen; in every place where I cause My name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you. 
What was at stake then, and today, was the knowledge of the Lord’s presence in the midst of His people along with His blessing. They needed to so honor His Holiness with the full consciousness that nothing that was stained by those things which were detestable to God, that were an outrage against Him, could be tolerated in their midst. All was to be expunged so that everyone could enjoy the fullness of the pleasure of the God’s approval and honor and blessing.  
In Matt 18:15-20, Our Lord Jesus stressed the measures that we need to take to protect our fellowship with God. It is imperative that we maintain our unhindered relationship with God.  Matt 18:15-20, if you would please open to it. 
Matt 18:15-20, "And if your brother sins, go and reprove him in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. "But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. "And if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax-gatherer. "Truly I say to you, whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. "Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. "For where two or three have gathered together in My name, there I am in their midst." 
    	The Apostle Paul, in 1 Tim 5:17-21, detailed this in terms of the functioning of the leadership of the church. There is so much that needs to be set into place in the hearts of the church in our relationship with The Lord. Together, we deal with one another in the manner which will cause all to seek after that which will bring glory to God through His Church on this earth. 
1 Tim 5:17-21, Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, "You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing," and "The laborer is worthy of his wages." Do not receive an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses. Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also may be fearful of sinning. I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of His chosen angels, to maintain these principles without bias, doing nothing in a spirit of partiality. 
Notice again, the need for two or three voiced by Our Lord, and reiterated by the Apostle Paul. There is a coming together to seek that which the Lord would have in place in His people. This is both in terms of dealing with a wayward brother or sister, and in coming together in order to fellowship with the Lord. This is not a matter of just choosing more than one witness. Neither is it a matter of forsaking the fellowship of believers to worship alone.
The entire functioning of the Church of God is set in the fact that relationship, the whole creation of what a relationship entails, is found in the Godhead. It is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. All work together to reveal the truth of Who God is and all that He has done. None work apart from the other two. Each shows forth the glory of the others. Together, they are the manifested essence of the unity and the holiness and the majesty and the truth of how to relate to all. 
	Jesus highlighted the full focus of this in Matt 28:18-20, as He sent forth His disciples to share the Good News. Note that all three members of the Godhead are included in the whole course of bringing into the lives of those who respond the full measure of The Lord’s salvation. 
Matt 28:18-20, And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." 
    	This unity of relationship was in place as Christ ministered on the earth. Listen to what the Lord Jesus Christ detailed to the Pharisees who were accusing Him of bearing false witness about Himself. They claimed that He was merely a solitary teacher of the Law, interpreting God’s Word by His own volition. 
John 8:13-18, The Pharisees therefore said to Him, "You are bearing witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true." Jesus answered and said to them, "Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true; for I know where I came from, and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from, or where I am going. "You people judge according to the flesh; I am not judging anyone. "But even if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone in it, but I and He who sent Me. "Even in your law it has been written, that the testimony of two men is true. "I am He who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me." 
    	As mentioned earlier in our discussion, we need to see the truth of the last command of our morning’s passage in the light of all that we have discussed. I would like to share a quote from Earl S Kalland in the Expositor’s Bible Commentary, concerning the purpose of the last verse of this morning’s passage of Deuteronomy. Quote, The lex talionis … is given as the guide to punish offenders.
	The Lord Jesus negated the Deuteronomic rule in Matthew 5:38-42 and substituted for “eye for eye, and tooth for tooth” the turning of the other cheek. It must be remembered, however, that Deuteronomy is the law that the officials of the nation were to follow to protect the public, punish offenders, and deter crime. Jesus spoke to individuals about violence against themselves personally. One must not take the law into his own hands, returning evil for evil. Such action should be referred to the officials responsible before God to adjudicate and to punish offenders. End quote.
    	We close with Our Lord’s words in Matt 5:38-48, "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.' "But I say to you, do not resist him who is evil; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also. "And if anyone wants to sue you, and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. "And whoever shall force you to go one mile, go with him two. "Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you. "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.' "But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. "For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax-gatherers do the same? "And if you greet your brothers only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? "Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. 
As we have our dealings with our brothers and sisters, both earthly and as so joined together in Christ, we need to do so, no longer on the basis of what we think the Law means. We need to do so by the heart of Christ Who perfectly fulfilled the Law. We are to perfectly manifest the unity and the fellowship of God, never taking revenge or retribution upon another, but always seeking to have the fellowship of Christ established and maintained, now and forevermore. We need to guard our testimony, seeking God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to do everything that is required for His Glory in His Church! So be it.
	"A single witness shall not rise up against a man on account of any iniquity or any sin which he has committed; on the evidence of two or three witnesses a matter shall be confirmed. Amen.

		This morning’s benediction is Rom 8:29. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? Amen.