Deuteronomy 21:18-21

Deuteronomy 21:18-21

[18] If a man  have a stubborn  and rebellious  son,  which will not obey  the voice  of his father,  or the voice  of his mother,  and that, when they have chastened  him, will not hearken  [19] Then shall his father  and his mother  lay hold  on him, and bring him out  unto the elders  of his city,  and unto the gate  of his place;  [20] And they shall say  unto the elders  of his city,  This our son  is stubborn  and rebellious,  he will not obey  our voice;  he is a glutton,  [21] of his city  shall stone  him with stones,  that he die:  evil  away  from among  you; and all Israel  shall hear,  and fear. 

What does Deuteronomy 21:18-21 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The previous ordinance guarded a son from a capricious father. This one maintained the rights of parents whose son (or daughter, presumably) was incorrigible. While the problem in view was one of lack of respect for parents (the fifth commandment), the offense could result in the death of the child (the sixth commandment).
This case presupposes a long history of rebelliousness. The son had become a glutton and a drunkard ( Deuteronomy 21:20). That Isaiah , he had developed a lifestyle of deviant behavior. Before loving parents would take the step available to them in this law they would doubtless try every other measure to secure their son"s correction. This was the last resort for the parents. This law withheld the right of parents to slay their children for rebelliousness while at the same time preserving parental authority fully.
Commenting on the terms "stubborn" and "rebellious," David Marcus wrote the following.
"Both terms form a hendiadys to indicate a juvenile delinquent. Now when one examines how these terms are used in the Hebrew Bible one sees that they belong to the didactic vocabulary of biblical literature. [1] They generally connote disobedience, in particular in Israel"s relationship to God. (The pertinent references may be found in Bellefontaine"s article [2] from which the present author has greatly profited.) For example, in Psalm 78:8 the generation of the desert is termed sorer umoreh [3]. Isaiah castigates the people for being sorer and following its own way ( Isaiah 65:2). Jeremiah proclaims that Israel has a heart which is sorer umoreh ( Jeremiah 5:23). Israel is portrayed as rebellious and disloyal, and in so doing repudiating its God and its relationship with him. [4] In like manner, the Song of Solomon , by being rebellious and disloyal, has repudiated his parents and his relationship with them. The authority of the parents has been rejected by the son since he has refused to obey them. The Song of Solomon , in renouncing his relationship with his parents, has effectively declared, if not by his words, then certainly by his deeds, what the adopted son in the Mesopotamian adoption contracts says when he abrogates his contract, "I am not your son; you are not my parents" (Ibid, 17)." [5]
It may appear at first that God was commanding the Israelites to exercise less grace with their own children than He showed the whole nation. However, God had previously promised never to cut off His people ( Genesis 12:1-3). The Israelites were to be God"s instruments of judgment in many specific situations, as we have already seen in Deuteronomy. The punishment of sinners, be they Canaanites or Israelites, for specific types of sin, was imperative for Israel to fulfill God"s purpose for her in the world ( Exodus 19:5-6).
This legislation teaches us that parents should put their love for God above their love for their children.