To be honest, I wasn’t sure as I was reading this what I would blog about. There are some obscure things that I could poke fun at, or some serious things that could be addressed. I decided against both.
The one word that jumps out at me as I scan this whole passage is “fairness”. All of these commands are about being fair. Be fair to the nearby town if someone is killed in their fields. Be fair to the women you collect in battle, and to the virgins you take as wives. Be fair to your firstborn…even if you don’t love his mom. Be fair to the woman that you take as your wife, don’t accuse her of sexual sins she isn’t guilty of. If fact, towards the end of the reading we should be fair to the trees. You know, there’s a case to be made here for biblical conservation of natural resources. Is the Bible the basis for the Dept. of Conservation of Natural Resources? (DCNR)? I don’t know if I can go that far….but it’s kind of nice to know that God wants us to treat the earth with respect, right?
These few regulations aren’t inclusive, but they are showing Israel the direction they should go. No more “looking out for yourself”, from now on, you should look out for your neighbor and his interests as well. If you see someone who needs help, then don’t walk away….help out. This is the new way of doing things within the community. Be considerate of those you do business with, those in your home, and even be considerate of the earth.
I wish all of us could grasp at least this much of the Bible. If we only could remain obedient to these few verses there would be less problems by half.
So….what about men and women’s clothing? What clothing is unique to women? Some people would say that dresses are for women only, but the Irish have kilts that the men wear, and the long robes of some middle eastern people don’t look much different between men and women. For sure there was a distinction at the time, and certainly still today the spirit of this statement is true. Men should not dress like women, and vice versa. I don’t think this means that girls can’t wear blue jeans or pants in general. Let’s not be ridiculous here. But there is a line that shouldn’t be crossed, and rather than trying to identify what the exact place is, let’s just agree together that there is such a place. Some things aren’t meant to be blended.
I’m pretty sure that the reason for some of these regulations is to illustrate a greater point somewhere in the future. That point might be that what is holy is set apart and shouldn’t have anything else mixed with it. The Israelites are a holy race, they shouldn’t intermarry. The Christian is a holy person, and shouldn’t tolerate any sin in his/her life. I think that’s probably where this is going in the long view.
In the same way that Chapters 21 and 22 seem to discuss fairness, Chapter 23 moves toward holiness. Maybe holiness should be considered as fairness toward God. God has set His people apart, and has created ways to distinguish them from the peoples around them. They behave differently, and that obedience is called holiness. Holiness is a very contemporary and useful pursuit today. As Christians we should be constantly searching for new ways in which we can be obedient. The constant pursuit of holiness will result in the Lord’s blessing of the Church, and of our families, communities and nation. Without holiness, we compromise the relationship, and our future in heaven.
No wonder there were so many regulations and laws in the Old Testament. They were a way to point that generation, and all of us who have lived since, toward holy living.
Faithfully,
PR