Obedience: A Study In DeuteronomySample

What does it say?

God set rules concerning manslaughter, property lines, perjury, warfare, sexual purity, and other various laws.
 

What does it mean?

These chapters communicate the value God places on justice and civil order. "Safe" cities were placed at regular intervals to limit personal vengeance. Any citizen could put himself under the protection of the city elders until he was found either guilty or innocent. Those causing an unintentional death would thereby not be subject to the same punishment as one who premeditated murder. Similarly, God established consequences for dishonesty in court and in the community. Judges ensured that dishonest persons suffered precisely the consequences they were trying to inflict on someone else. 

Over and over again, God demonstrates his commitment to creating a nation that is set apart. From warfare to sexual purity, God calls his people to holiness and godliness. He orients them towards justice and righteousness, pointing toward what the church will one day look like through the person and work of Jesus Christ.

How should I respond?

God is just, always seeking to protect the innocent. It stands to reason that His followers should pursue justice and fairness both personally and systemically. In your own life, are you retaliating against someone, even though the harm that person caused was unintentional? How have you laid claim to something that doesn’t belong to you and, in essence, moved the boundaries? Have you led someone to believe something that isn’t true? 

However, injustice is not exclusively individualistic. Injustice also manifests itself systemically and corporately. Are there larger injustices that are taking place around you? How are you serving and walking with populations that are poor, marginalized, and oppressed? How can you stand against those who take advantage of the most vulnerable of our society? Pray that God would open your eyes to both personal and systemic injustice and create ways you can help alleviate or confront those injustices.