Tuesday, September 18, 2018

God’s Principles For daily Life


One of the things we know is that the basic principles of science that God established at creation do not change over time.  As a result, I can confidently place things on shelf, knowing that gravity will keep them there unless something moves them.   A basketball player can shoot at the goal, knowing gravity will cause the ball to act in a certain way.  The same rules that govern what the basketball does also govern what a space ship does.  All of science is based on the principle that the rules do not change.  If it is not true, there can be no science.  When we ignore those principles, things do not work out as we expect them to.   The better we understand those principles, the easier it is to accomplish the things we want.

During the dark ages, there was a determined effort to set aside those rules in an attempt to turn other materials into gold. Alchemists spent vast amounts of money and resources in the effort, eventually proving that the ancient scientist had been right all along.   Modern chemistry and physics developed as a result of their failures.   

In a similar way, God established certain principles for human interactions.  Efforts to ignore them cause serious conflicts and problems at every level.  God gave Israel a set of laws relating to those principles, in an effort to help them avoid many of the problems that result from ignoring them.    Unfortunately, like the alchemists during the Dark Ages, many people today think we can change or ignore those principles.  In Matthew 5:17-19, Jesus said, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.  For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.  Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” 

Those same principles will remain in effect as long as this world exists.  Efforts to change or ignore them bring us into direct conflict with other people and with God.  Christ’s sacrifice on the cross freed those who believe from the penalty for breaking the law, but the law is still in effect.  In an emergency, a police officer is free to exceed the speed limit but in doing so he may put his life and those of others around him in danger, because the purpose of the law is to protect people.  In the same way, while we are not bound by the Old Testament Law, we need to be very careful because failure to obey may put us or others at risk.   Exodus 21-23 list some of the laws as to how the Israelites were to treat each other. 

Because of differences in our culture and language, sometimes it can be a little confusing as to what is meant, but the principles stay the same.  For example, slavery is not legal in America, so it is easy to think the principles relating to it do not apply to our society.  Let’s examine these laws for a moment.

Exodus 21:2-3 says, “If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing.   If he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself: if he were married, then his wife shall go out with him.”   It is very clear they did not own the servant or slave.  They had only purchased his services for a period of time, and the maximum time was for six years.  At the end of the time he was free to leave.  If the agreement included both the man and his wife. both were free at the end of the time.  While slavery is illegal in America, we still have apprenticeship programs, businesses still contract for people to work for a period of time, and the military still has people enlist for specified periods.  At the end of the term, the employer has no claim against things he had before he went to work for them.  At the same time, he has no claim against his employer for things they have provided while he worked for them, even though they were personal things.   Exodus 21:4 states, “If his master have given him a wife, and she have born him sons or daughters; the wife and her children shall be her master's, and he shall go out by himself.” 

When the term was finished, the employee was free to negotiate a new agreement with his employer if he liked the job, as we see in Exodus 21:5-6.  “And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free: Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl; and he shall serve him for ever.”  He can stay in the same job forever if that’s what they decide, but it has to be the employee’s decision. 

Many employers have taken advantage of their power to get sexual favors from those under them.  There were some special guidelines for how women were to be treated according to Exodus 21:7-11.   And if a man sell his daughter to be a maidservant, she shall not go out as the menservants do.  If she please not her master, who hath betrothed her to himself, then shall he let her be redeemed: to sell her unto a strange nation he shall have no power, seeing he hath dealt deceitfully with her.  And if he have betrothed her unto his son, he shall deal with her after the manner of daughters.  If he take him another wife; her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish.  And if he do not these three unto her, then shall she go out free without money.

In taking a woman on as a slave, the employer assumed the responsibility for providing her a husband.  If he didn’t want to marry her, he had to give her the opportunity to marry someone else, who would pay her debt, but he could not sell her. If she married his son, she was to be treated as equal with his own daughters, and she could not be kept secretly, but was to be acknowledged a truly his wife with all the rights and privileges such a position offered.  If he was not willing to meet those requirements, the woman was free to leave, owing him nothing.

These laws and others dealt with many of the abuses modern labor laws are designed to prevent.  Though our laws are different, human nature is not.   People still need protection from the same kinds of abuses. 

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