Loving God Enough To Obey His Law

God’s laws were concerned with justice for those who had been wronged.  Modern American law is more concerned with punishment of the wrong doer.  As a result, the guilty party is fined or incarcerated, while the victim may be forced to file a separate civil suit to collect any reparations for his losses.  Frequently, legal fees wipe out any reparations he receives.    As we have already seen, God specified what the penalty for various actions was to be so that the victim suffered as little as possible.  Rather than paying a fine of being imprisoned for theft, a person was required to make reparation, 

Exodus 22:1-4 gives guidelines for dealing with thieves.  “If a man shall steal an ox, or a sheep, and kill it, or sell it; he shall restore five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep.  If a thief be found breaking up, and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him.  If the sun be risen upon him, there shall be blood shed for him; for he should make full restitution; if he have nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft.  If the theft be certainly found in his hand alive, whether it be ox, or ass, or sheep; he shall restore double.”   

Most thieves do not steal to feed their families or to meet their needs, but to obtin something they want without having to earn it.  Under God’s law, if the item was recovered, the thief was to pay back twice the value of the item.  If the item had been sold or destroyed the thief had to pay back four times the value of the item for everyday items, such as a sheep which could easily be replaced, and five times as much for things which were critical for his job.  The ox was the equivalent of the farmer’s tractor today, and without it he could not farm his land.  Good oxen might not be readily available. 

If a thief broke into a house at night and the homeowner killed him, there were to be no charges brought against the homeowner. He could not see who the thief was or what kind of weapons he might have, and so was considered to be acting in self-defense.   If it was light however, he had could identify the thief, and thus had the responsibility to try to capture him alive or have him arrested.  If the thief was unable to pay the specified penalty for what he had taken, he was to be sold as a slave or indentured servant to cover those penalties.  In the American system, he is not expected to pay back what he took, and is often placed into prison where he could not earn the money to make restitution if he wanted to. 

When I was a child, if a guy had sex with a girl and she got pregnant, he was expected to marry her,  Later, thanks to the sexual revolution it was considered okay not to marry her even if she got pregnant, and Roe v Wade made it acceptable to get an abortion if the girl thought it would be inconvenient to have the baby.  God’s law was far different, according to Exodus 22:16-17.  “And if a man entice a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife.  If her father utterly refuse to give her unto him, he shall pay money according to the dowry of virgins.”  If a man had consensual sex with a woman who was not married or engaged to be married, he was required to acknowledge her as his wife, whether she got pregnant or not, even if her parents refused to allow her to live with him.  

If a married or engaged person had sex with someone other than their mate, they were to both be executed except in cases where there was definite evidence the sex was not consensual.    Deuteronomy 22:22-29 goes into detail about this.  “If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil from Israel.  If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto an husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her; Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city; and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbour's wife: so thou shalt put away evil from among you.

But if a man find a betrothed damsel in the field, and the man force her, and lie with her: then the man only that lay with her shall die: But unto the damsel thou shalt do nothing; there is in the damsel no sin worthy of death: for as when a man riseth against his neighbour, and slayeth him, even so is this matter: For he found her in the field, and the betrothed damsel cried, and there was none to save her.

If a man find a damsel that is a virgin, which is not betrothed, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found; Then the man that lay with her shall give unto the damsel's father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife; because he hath humbled her, he may not put her away all his days.”

Along this same line, Exodus 22:19 commands, “Whosoever lieth with a beast shall surely be put to death.”  Leviticus 20:13-16 goes into greater detail about this and other prohibited sexual behavior.  “If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.  And if a man take a wife and her mother, it is wickedness: they shall be burnt with fire, both he and they; that there be no wickedness among you.  And if a man lie with a beast, he shall surely be put to death: and ye shall slay the beast.  And if a woman approach unto any beast, and lie down thereto, thou shalt kill the woman, and the beast: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.”

Unfortunately, many churches and pastors today consider that sexual promiscuity is acceptable and should be ignored.  Some take the same position with homosexual activity or other sexual behavior.   Others go to the opposite extreme, forbidding couples who have indulged in sex before being legally married from getting married.  Clearly both approaches are contrary to God’s command, and as Jesus warned in Matthew 5:19, “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.”  They will still be saved, but they will miss out on rewards they could have had.  As John 14:23-24 tells us, “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.  He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.”  The refusal to obey his law indicates a person does not love Christ as much as he likes the sin.