Thursday, February 5

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2015

Exodus 21:22–23:13

Matthew 24:1–28

Psalm 29:1–11

Proverbs 7:6–23

 

 

“The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;

    the Lord is enthroned as King forever.

The Lord gives strength to his people;

    the Lord blesses his people with peace.” (Psalm 29:10,11)

 

 

Having provided the Ten Commandments, God now turns to providing practical laws for the governance of Israelite society.  At the center of these laws – and this society – would sit God, “enthroned as King forever.”  God seals today’s passage with this command:  “Be careful to do everything I had said to you.  Do not invoke the names of other gods; do not let them be heard on your lips.”  These words recall the first of the Ten Commandments.

 

God provided guidance to His people regarding justice and mercy.  Importantly, God sets forth the principles of restitution and that the punishment should fit the crime (“an eye for an eye”).  In our human hearts, we may have a tendency towards brutality, particularly in the face of loss.  We also may struggle with the oppression of the “have-nots” by the “haves,” typically to preserve their own good fortune.  God Himself understands where to mete out justice and where to extend mercy.  If we trust our human spirits, we will fall short in this regard, but God through His Word and Spirit may provide direction.

 

Please take note of God’s heart for the “have-nots.”  He urges that the Israelites not take advantage of the widow, the fatherless, the borrower, and the foreigner.  These laws recall God’s compassion for each person and the value of each human life, owing to God’s createdness.

 

Thinking about the law points to an important truth from 1 John 3:4:  “Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.”  God provided helpful boundaries to us through His law.  When we step outside those boundaries, our rebelliousness leads us to sin.  Before trusting in Christ, this sin brought death.  After becoming a Christ-follower, sin damages our fellowship with God, much as poor treatment of our friends might hinder our relationships with them.

 

Modern “wisdom” suggests that each person is ultimately the arbiter of his own law.  We have taken up the utilitarian philosophy of John Stuart Mill, which has translated ultimately into:  “If my behavior doesn’t negatively impact you (or me), then it’s okay for me (and you).”  While this treatment may prove convenient, it ultimately degrades everyone because, eventually, one person’s selfishness ultimately imposes on another’s autonomy and well-being.  Considered differently, eventually human rebelliousness will degrade everyone into lawlessness.

 

Instead, God has created us as rational, moral beings and made us accountable to Him and to one another.  The utilitarian principles discussed above prefer no accountability because it impinges on “do as you please.”  Justice demands truth because we won’t be able to identify wrongdoing without it.  Without justice, we will have further lawlessness.  At the center of an orderly, flourishing society, therefore, sits truth.  We understand from God’s revelation to us, as with the Israelites in Exodus, that God provides the righteous truth that we desperately need.

 

As believers, we seek to model the Lord Jesus Christ, who came “full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)  We should embrace truth and justice but also seek His heart to offer mercy and forgiveness.  By studying the Scriptures as we are doing together, we may become well-acquainted with His boundaries and how to apply His truth in a hurting and confused world.

 

 

Lord God, we seek You today and deeply desire Your truth.  Guide us according to Your wisdom, and protect us from wandering out of Your boundaries.  Help us to determine where to apply justice and where to apply mercy.  Transform our hearts to follow after Yours.  In Jesus’s Name, amen.

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