Daily Presenceনমুনা

Let’s bring to life a scenario from today’s reading that shows how the civil code laid out in Exodus illustrated the need for civility in ancient culture. Let’s eavesdrop on a conversation between Jobadiah the pit digger and Bilkmar the donkey herder as they meet on the edge of a pit Jobadiah dug to catch wild animals.

“Jobadiah,” Bilkmar began, “I found my donkey dead in the pit you dug. That was the finest donkey in my herd! You owe me 45 shekels—that’s the going rate at the livestock auction for a prize donkey.”

“Whoa!” Jobadiah objected, “I’m sorry as can be about your donkey, but that animal should not have been wandering about on my property, dropping donkey dung all over the lot. You need to keep your animals on your place. And furthermore, there’s not a donkey in your herd worth 45 shekels. Maybe 15 shekels, but that’s tops!”

Bilkmar countered, “Jobadiah, you know what the law says clearly: ‘The owner of the pit shall make restoration.’ I’ll split the difference between 45 and 15. You pay me the jack, 30 shekels, and you will be the proud owner of a dead donkey. You can do whatever you want with the carcass. And I hope this teaches you a lesson about digging pits willy-nilly.”

“You’re a hard man, Bilkmar, but you’ve cited the law in this regard. I’ll run by the bank this afternoon and take out 30 shekels. Come by my place before supper time and I’ll square it up with you. At least I can get a donkey hide out of this deal, so it won’t be a total loss.”

Civility! As strange, sometimes trite, and occasionally silly as the civil code of Moses’ day might seem to us, if we look closely at the laws, their purpose was to protect the rights of people and their property. The result of obeying civil laws then, as now, is an orderly society.

What does orderly society have to do with our Christian witness? We find a biblical answer in Paul’s admonition to the Roman church: “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God” (Rom. 12:1). In other words, civility among God’s people is God’s will for our lives. Not only does civility benefit us individually, but it also protects and validates the church’s witness before the community.

Few would disagree that our contemporary culture desperately needs civility. How would the conversation have gone between Jobadiah and Bilkmar, for example, if one stanced himself as a democrat and the other a republican? For the sake of our witness, let’s agree that the Christian faithful should keep noisy partisan attitudes and differences in perspective if we are to bear an attractive, appealing witness to the culture that surrounds us.