Chapter 16 vs 21-22  You must never set up a wooden Asherah pole beside the altar you build for the Lord  your God.  And never set up sacred pillars for worship, for the Lord  your God hates them. Chapter 17 vs 1 Never sacrifice sick or defective cattle, sheep, or goats to the  Lord your God, for he detests such gifts.

2-3 When you begin living in the towns the Lord your God is giving you, a man or woman among you might do evil in the sight of the Lord your God and violate the covenant.  For instance, they might serve other gods or worship the sun, the moon, or any of the stars - the forces of heaven - which I have strictly forbidden.  4 When you hear about it, investigate the matter thoroughly. 5 If it is true that this detestable thing has been done in Israel, then the man or woman who has committed such an evil act must be taken to the gates of the town and stoned to death. 6 But never put a person to death on the testimony of only one witness. There must always be two or three witnesses. 7 The witnesses must throw the first stones, and then all the people may join in. In this way, you will purge the evil from among you. Deuteronomy 16:21 -17:7 New Living Translation paraphrase. (English Standard Version link)

Our last reading in Deuteronomy showed the importance of judges who would be absolutely fair and just and who wouldn't be blinded with bribes. What is the other important thing about true justice that today's reading brings out? (vs 4 & 6)

There needs to be thorough investigation, reliable evidence, and truthful witnesses. That is what did not happen at the trial of Jesus. Matthew 26:59-61 says: “The leading priests and the entire high council were trying to find witnesses who would lie about Jesus, so they could put him to death. But even though they found many who agreed to give false witness, they could not use anyone’s testimony. Finally, two men came forward who declared, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the Temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’” It was on the basis of that twisted testimony that Jesus was sentenced to death. That's the damage false testimony does.

The particular crime in this section was that of worshipping false gods. (vs 2-3) That may not sound death deserving today, but the seriousness of it was that, if not punished, it could spread to others and bring the whole nation under God's judgement. That's what vs 7 brings out and is one of the big reasons for capital punishment. True, it won't be a deterrent to everyone – some wrongdoers will still do crime - but capital punishment is meant to purge evil out of society. I personally believe that would still be true today if murderers and rapists were dealt with in the way God said those crimes deserved.

Many Western countries have abolished capital punishment and even Christians can be strongly divided on the issue. A big argument against it seems to be the possibility of a mistake being made and an innocent person dying. But the Bible taught a careful examination of the evidence, reliable and honest judges, and the need of more than one witness. And when it came to those giving evidence, do you think the words in vs 7 may have made them think carefully about how they testified in court?

I think it would've in many cases. It could not be easy to be the first to pick up a rock to start stoning another human being to death. Even more so if it were later found out you had lied and were now to suffer the same fate as the one you had stoned. So too today, if perjury laws were severe the temptation to give false testimony would be greatly reduced.

The important difference about the seriousness of idolatry and blasphemy then and now is that Israel had been set apart to be the nation through whom the Messiah would come. But while those are no longer capital punishment offences, people will still need to give account to God one day for all false worship and blasphemies. And, as the apostle Paul reminds us, Governments are meanwhile responsible for punishing criminals. He said: “They are God’s servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong.” (Romans 13:4) As Christians we must be both God-fearing as well as law-abiding citizens. And we should also pray that true justice might prevail in the land so that evil is purged out.