March 1

Today's passages cover a number of laws that involve property, contracts, and inheritance. Since these laws cover a broad swath of civil life, I would like to focus on the overriding principles that God sets forth through these laws. It is clear that God places a high premium on our stewardship.

In the first subsection, we read the principle of making restitution for wrongs: "When a man or woman wrongs another in any way and so is unfaithful to the LORD, that person is guilty and must confess the sin he has committed. He must make full restitution for his wrong, add one fifth to it and give it all to the person he has wronged." We are to honor others' property: All property ulimately comes from the LORD; we are merely short-term stewards thereof. Cf. Psalm 50:10: "for every animal of the forest is mine,/ and the cattle on a thousand hills." This stewardship extends to protecting others from the dangerous wiles of our livestock and our homes; we are to consider others' interests first.

God also desires protection and compassion for the poor and the enslaved. God proclaims freedom for indentured servants (at their discretion) after seven years (the number seven points to a completeness). God desires that lenders not take advantage of the poor, saying: "If you lend money to one of my people among you is needy, do not be like a moneylender; charge him no interest. If you take your neighbor's cloak as a pledge, return it to him by sunset, because his cloak is the only covering he has for his body. What else will he sleep in? When he cries out to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate." In addition, blessing the poor will prove a source, in itself, of blessing for the Isralites: "Give generously to him [the poor man] and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land." A society that oppresses its poor does not honor God's will.

In all these laws, God calls His people to see and appreciate the value in others and in their possessions. We have the bases here for modern contract law, which is the very support for all private-sector economic activity. While all these laws are quite commonsense, and their benefits are largely straightforward, we can sense how challenging it is to honor God in our own strength. As Paul writes, the law ultimately draws us to God, as we recognize our inability to keep it: "7What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, 'Do not covet.' But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead." (Romans 7:7,8)

Furthermore, the law points our need for redemption and forgiveness: "Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." (Romans 3:19-24)


QUESTIONS

1. Are there elements of God's will for your life, including prescriptions from His Word, that you are taking too lightly?

2. How can you better honor the value of other people in your life? How can you specifically celebrate one other person tomorrow? (Some thoughts: Give them a call; make them an e-card; or shovel their driveway.)