DAY 29

LAWS & HEARTS

Exodus 21 & 22 and Matthew 19

Exodus 21-22 laws, lots of them, and we start with laws about…slaves. OK we knew at some point that we were going to get here, to the place of all these laws. In these two chapters there are over 60 of them. As you read them it can get a little overwhelming, even numbing. What do you think God is doing? In my view God is beginning to shape a society. When people look at it, that society will be as a light on a hill.

It may not seem like it, but when taken in total these laws show a remarkably civil society. Try and imagine the “wild west”, or some other time in the world, where the only governing authority is power. Whoever has the most guns, or whoever has the most strength…they are the ones who make the rules and the rules can change from day to day. Think about Egypt. Who had the power, and what rights did the Israelite slaves have? Enter Yahweh. Now, there are laws about slaves. There are laws about restitution. There are laws about social justice. The point is not that the Bible authorizes slavery; quite the opposite. The point is that in a world which has slavery, the poor, and widows, they, by God’s standards, are protected.

There is something more though; specifically we need to remember the context. In Exodus 19:5-8 God announced that He would make them his treasured possession and they proclaimed that “All the Lord has proclaimed we will do!”

Matthew 19 reminds me to make sure we talk a little about context as well. I will offer some comments on Jesus’ remarks regarding divorce, but first let’s get the context. The chapter starts with Jesus saying, “Now when Jesus had finished saying these things…” What things? His parables, and his parables not only challenge us, they challenge the religious of the day, including the Pharisees. The text says he went to a region beyond the Jordan. That is the region of John the Baptist. John, among other things challenged Herod for divorcing his wife, and it cost him his life. Do you think it is a coincidence that the Pharisees ask Jesus about divorce? I don’t. It is akin to asking someone what they think about energy in town that has a coal mine or a nuclear power plant.

Jesus’ answer is spot on. His answer is that God’s design is that people do not get divorced. Now before you get upset let me ask you a question. How many people on their wedding day plan to get divorced? I think the answer is almost zero (save for a few really manipulative people). The point is that brides and grooms have a design for spending their lives together forever; and that is exactly God’s design.

The Pharisees rejoinder asks Jesus about certificates of divorce. Jesus says Moses gave them out because husbands hardened their hearts to the wives. Jesus is just stating the truth. Isn’t that why people get divorced? Then comes a tough pronouncement: it can be hard to read - adultery. Trust me, I know because I am divorced. The judgment of adultery seems harsh. Jesus has pronounced this judgment before. Think back to Matthew 7 where Jesus says when a person looks at another with lust they are committing adultery. Do you remember that? The point is not that divorce is unforgivable. The point is that it is serious. We know that already don’t we. The point is also that at the root of this situation is our hard hearts. This reading when set alongside the Old Testament reading shows that when we don’t follow God’s law, life gets complicated, even painful – and we know that divorce can be painful.

How we read the Law will make all the difference. If we read it as a list of rules that restrict our individual freedom, then we will have a high probability of reacting, indeed rebelling against it. Quite simply we do not like to be told “no”. If however we read it as God’s good design, then we will try and live into. Will rebellion be a problem – yes. Will we fall short of perfection – very much so. And we will need to deal with that reality. Today however let us understand that step one is to get our hearts rightly oriented to the fact that God gives us the law…for good.