Cindy PereyraThe PentateuchDr. Luther5 May 2014Study assignment on Deuteronomy1. Read Deuteronomy 16:18-20.a. Describe the qualifications of judges in Israel based on this passage. This passage shows the qualifications of judges in Israel. The people are told to appoint themselves judges and officials in all the cities that the Lord will give them, according to their tribes. These judges must judge people justly. This justice should be final and should not be changed or distorted. Judges must also not accept bribes from anyone or be partial. They should do this because corruption shows a perversion of righteousness that should not be something that characterizes judges. The primary focus of these judges should be to pursue only righteousness so they can “live and possess the land that the Lord” is giving them (NASB Deut. 16:20). All this shows that the main requirement for judges is to judge people, and judge them wisely and justly without being sinful or corrupt.b. Look up “bribe” in a concordance (or online at biblegateway.org) and discuss at least three other references to bribes in the Old Testament and what is said about them in context. The word “bribe” is shown multiple times throughout the Old Testament. . In Exodus 23, while various laws are given to the people, in verse 8 the following law is given: “You shall not accept bribes, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of the righteous” (NASB Exodus 23:8). In this passage the “bribe” is defined as something corrupt, as something that harms the righteous. In 1 Samuel 8, after Samuel appoints his sons as judges of Israel, his sons do not walk in his ways, but instead “turn away after… in the middle of the paper… and the prophecy was fulfilled. Q. Who else is called a prophet or prophetess in the Pentateuch (use concordance or biblegateway.org)? In the Pentateuch, Aaron and Miriam are the only other two individuals who are called prophet and prophetess. In Exodus 7:1, the Lord tells Moses that Aaron would be his prophet and would help him speak to Pharaoh to ask him to let the Israelites go. In Exodus 15:20, Miriam, Aaron's sister, is also considered a prophetess. As the people crossed the Red Sea, Miriam leads all the women in drumming and dancing as she praises the Lord for what He has done. Another place where someone is quickly called a prophet is in Genesis 20:7, when God gives Abraham this title, but it doesn't seem to be as relevant as the last few previous instances where Aaron and Miriam are given these titles.