Our passages this week teach us three truths that need to find a home in our lives. The first truth is about life. God values it. So should we.
As God helped the Hebrew people understand what it means to be the people of God, one of the essential commands was, “you shall not murder” (Deuteronomy 5:17). No community can exist where such a command is ignored. No civilization can flourish where the lives of its citizens are not valued and protected.
This simple and seemingly obvious command is part of the foundation for life together. The God who created life and now was creating a unique community that would be the vehicle of salvation for the world built into this community this fundamental principle: Life is sacred.
Thankfully, I currently live in a country where murder is rare and vilified, but I know life is not so precious in other parts of the world. Drug-related murder in Mexico gives us horrific stories of wanton violence. Tribal and ethnic violence burdens many countries. The death of non-combatants routinely are written off as “collateral damage” in war, and suicide-bombers claim some perverted glory in their indiscriminate murder of civilians.
Lest I think these are other people’s problems, it is good to remember the continuing legality and easy availability of abortions in my own nation. It is even more sobering to consider some of the questions possible parents now face thanks to many of the advances in medical technology.
Genetic screening raises the question of continuing a pregnancy when a child is diagnosed with Down Syndrome or one of the many other genetic malformations. Does such a genetic disorder preclude someone from the grace of God or from being blessed and a blessing in the work of God’s redemption? Does societal usefulness equate to human value? Does inconvenience give permission to end life?
In the midst of these questions and many more, we must all reckon with the clear command of God: You shall not murder.
The second truth our passages teach us is that God values justice. In Deuteronomy 19, God instructs the new nation to create cities of sanctuary to which those who are accidentally involved in a killing may flee for safety. It is not that those who make it to one of the three sanctuary cities is absolved from any wrongdoing. It is to guard the community from compounding an accident with injustice.
After a fatal accident, the emotions of the moment, the grief of family and friends, and the desire to “do something” could easily lead to an overreaction. The sanctuary city allows justice to be done. If someone is innocent of murder, their life is spared. If someone willfully committed murder, the city will hand him over. The primary concern is that every life be so valued that each person is afforded impartial justice.
In Deuteronomy 24, we find God’s concern for justice extends beyond murder. Here, quality of life is the issue. A creditor is instructed to not take a pair of millstones (event just an upper one) as a pledge because if that person defaults on the loan, then they will be without the means to produce a livelihood, or even bread for their family. Taking such a security against a loan is equated with taking a person’s life, for it would condemn them to starvation, or at the very least, perpetual poverty.
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I find it interesting that the responsibility here lies with the creditor and not with the debtor. Someone might argue that if the debtor was foolish enough to use their millstone as a pledge, then they deserve what they got. But God does not condemn the debtor for their foolishness. Instead, God instructs the creditor about what God considers just. Those who need justice are seldom in a place to provide it. It is those who have power who bear the responsibility of providing it.
Have you ever considered justice as a sanctity-of-life issue? For some interesting discussion, consider how the issues of justice and life inform current issues like immigration, the payday-loan industry and the perception that wealthy people can get away with more because they can hire a better lawyer. God values justice. So should we.
Finally, consider the third truth drawn from our passages this week: We all need grace. In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, he reminds his listeners that, “unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20).
There is not much comfort or hope in that verse. There is not meant to be. We may seek for moral perfection, but it is only in the work of Christ that our hope lies.
This does not excuse our wrong actions and inaction. On the contrary, in thankfulness and obedience to our Savior who was perfectly righteous and who values life and justice, we ought to strive all the more diligently to see such values magnified in our communities, our nation and the world.
Grace enables us to act. What is one thing you can do to put these values into practice this week?
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