Jul 22
3
Old Testament Reading: Exodus 21:1-11, 22:21-27
“Now these are the rules that you shall set before them. When you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve six years, and in the seventh he shall go out free, for nothing. If he comes in single, he shall go out single; if he comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him. If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out alone. But if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’ then his master shall bring him to God, and he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall bore his ear through with an awl, and he shall be his slave forever. When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she shall not go out as the male slaves do. If she does not please her master, who has designated her for himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has broken faith with her. If he designates her for his son, he shall deal with her as with a daughter. If he takes another wife to himself, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, or her marital rights. And if he does not do these three things for her, she shall go out for nothing, without payment of money… [22:21] You shall not wrong a sojourner or oppress him, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. You shall not mistreat any widow or fatherless child. If you do mistreat them, and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry, and my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless. “If you lend money to any of my people with you who is poor, you shall not be like a moneylender to him, and you shall not exact interest from him. If ever you take your neighbor’s cloak in pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down, for that is his only covering, and it is his cloak for his body; in what else shall he sleep? And if he cries to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.” (Exodus 21:1-11, 22:21–27, ESV)
New Testament Reading: Ephesians 6:5–9
“Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free. Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.” (Ephesians 6:5–9, ESV)
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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.
Introduction
In the previous sermon, I provided you with an overview of Exodus 21:1 through 23:19. In this large section of scripture, we learn about the civil laws given by God through Moses and to Isreal after he redeemed them from Egypt, and as he entered into a covenant with them at Sinai.
One question you might ask is this: why civil laws? Why not the moral law of the Ten Commandments only? Well, moral laws apply to individuals. It is by the moral law that all men and women will be judged at the end of time, if not in Christ. But we must remember that God redeemed the Hebrews from Egyptian bondage, not to live as individuals, but to make a great nation of them. Nations need civil laws. Civil laws (if they are good and just) take the moral law of God (as revealed in nature, and even more clearly in scripture) and establish what the penalties will be for crimes against persons.
Not every violation of God’s moral law should be considered a crime, mind you. It is a sin for a little child to disrespect their parents, but not a crime. It is a sin to tell a lie, but not a crime (unless an injury is done to another by the lie). It is a sin to covet your neighbor’s possessions, but not a crime. Civil laws establish what crimes are in a nation, and they also establish punishments according to the principle of an eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, and life for life. In other words, civil laws are to be concerned with crimes against persons and with matters of restitution. Stated in yet another way, civil laws are to be concerned with matters of justice. Men and women are to be treated in a way that is right and just. Their person and their property are to be respected. And when an injury is done to a person or to their property, restitution is to be made by the guilty party.
Whenever we consider the civil laws of Old Covenant Israel, I want you to keep something in mind. Old Covenant Israel was a holy nation like no other nation on earth. We can learn a great deal about matters of morality and justice from the civil law code which God gave to them, but their law code was peculiar in at least two ways. One, Old Covenant Israel was given civil laws pertaining to the right and proper worship of God under the Old Covenant. For example, idolatry was a crime in Old Covenant Isreal. But in common nations (like ours) that operate under the terms of the Noahic Covenant, civil laws ought to deal, not with matters of worship (except to leave men free to worship), but with crimes against persons only. Two, the punishments attached to the civil laws of Old Covenant Israel were sometimes unusually strict. Again, this is because they were a holy nation. The kingdom of God was prefigured on earth amongst them. The temple of God was in the midst of them, and there the glory of God was manifest. We must be open to the possibility, therefore, that the civil punishments attached to violations of the second table of the law were in some ways unusually strict. Remembering these two things will help to guard against the error of thinking that we should take the civil laws given to Old Covenant Israel and apply them unaltered and in exhaustive detail to our nation, or to some other nation, today.
Brothers and sisters, have you noticed how often I have warned against the misuse of the law of Moses, first in our consideration of the Ten Commandments, and now in our consideration of these civil laws given to Israel? We are studying the law of Moses because the law is good. But the law is only good for us provided that we interpret and apply it lawfully, to use the language of Paul in 1 Timothy 1:8. So please bear with me as I continue to install guardrails while providing teaching on the law of Moses.
In brief, I hope you all agree that, on the one hand, these civil laws which were given by God, through Moses, and to Old Covenant Israel are not binding on us. But on the other hand, they are of great use to us as we seek to grow in our understanding of matters pertaining to general morality and universal justice. Our confession of faith communicated both of these truths well in 19.4. Speaking of the civil laws of the Old Mosaic Covenant, it says the “judicial [or civil] laws… expired together with the state of that people [Old Covenant Israel], not obliging any now by virtue of that institution; their general equity only being of moral use.” So, as I have said, on the one hand, these Old Covenant judicial or civil laws have expired with the Old Covenant and are no longer binding on anyone. But on the other hand, they are still of moral use. This means that we ought to consider them in a general way. And where there is agreement with the moral law (which is for all people), and where there is agreement with matters of ordinary justice (which all of the nations of the earth have been commanded to uphold under the Noahic Covenent), then it is binding upon us. But in those places where the civil laws of Old Covenant Israel were unique to them as God’s chosen and holy people, they are not binding.
We will be considering two sections: Exodus 21:1-11 and 22:21-27. Why are we considering these two sections together, though they are separated in the book of Exodus? I trust that you remember what was said last week regarding the structure of this section of Exodus which contains case laws. There are ten parts. They are structured in a chiastic way. The first portion matches the last. The second portion matches the second to last, and so on. And so I thought it would be best to preach on the corresponding parts together.
a Kindness to servants (21:2-11)
b Capital offenses: “he shall be put to death” (21:12-17)
c Noncapital bodily assaults requiring restitution (21:18-27)
d Death or injury of a person by an animal (21:28-32)
e Loss of property due to an accident (21:33-36)
e’ Loss of property due to theft (22:1-9)
d’ Death, injury, or loss of animal by a person (22:10-15)
c’ Noncapital bodily offense: the seduction of a virgin (22:16-17)
b’ Capital offenses: “shall be put to death” (22:18-20)
a’ Kindness to aliens, widows, orphans, poor (22:21-27)
So what is the theme that unites the first and the last portion of this section of case laws for Old Covenant Israel? The first and last portions of this section demand that the poor, weak, and vulnerable within society be treated in a way that is just. Slaves (or servants, if you prefer) were to be treated justly within Old Covenant Israel – that is what is commanded in the first part. And so too, the sojourner, widow, orphan, and poor. The strong were not to oppress the weak. All men and women, no matter their position or status in society, were to be treated with dignity as image-bearers of God.
This idea should sound familiar to you. Not long ago we learned that this is what the fifth of the Ten Commandments requires. The moral command to honor father and mother requires all men to preserve the honor, and perform the duties, belonging to everyone in their various places and relations, as superiors, inferiors, or equals (see Baptist Catechism 69). Here I am saying that these civil laws given to Israel are a specific application of that moral principle. If it is true that children are to honor their parents, then it is also true honor is to be shown to the weak and vulnerable within society, and here God commands it.
So now I ask you, do these case laws of Exodus 21:2-11 and 22:21-27 apply to all nations, including ours? If you have been tracking with me, you should say, “yes” and “no”. First, no. They are not meant to be taken as they are and adopted without alteration and applied with exact strictness by any other nation besides Old Covenant Israel. Now for the yes. Yes, every nation on earth has been called by God to enact and enforce just laws, and we may learn a great deal about matters of justice from these civil laws which God gave to Israel, all of which are rooted in God’s moral law. Though we are not to adopt Israel’s law code as our law code (for their circumstance was in some ways unique), we had better sure that our laws are just. Stated in a negative way, any nation that allows or perpetuates injustice – especially the unjust and oppressive treatment of the weak and vulnerable in their midst – will come under God’s condemnation, for all nations are accountable to God who sees all and judges rightly.
There is a lot of talk today about “social justice”. “Social justice” is a hot topic within the world, and it is also a hot topic within the church. Should we as Americans, and should we as Christians, be concerned to promote justice within our society? Of course, we should! But please do not forget this very important (and rather obvious) truth. Before we can promote and uphold justice within our society we must know what justice is. And before we know what justice is, we must know what is right and wrong, good and evil. In other words, we must first know something of God’s moral law as revealed in nature, and ever more clearly in scripture, before we can get on with the task of building a just society.
I find myself repulsed by most of what I hear from the “social justice warriors” of our time, not because I’m opposed to justice, but because I’m opposed to their understanding of what justice is. It seems to me that many in our day have an understanding of justice that is rooted, not in God’s moral law as revealed in nature and scripture, but in the understanding of the world put forth by figures like Darwin and Marx. In other words, it seems clear to me that the “social justice” movement that is prominent today (at least among the elites, in our institutions, and promoted by the media), is rooted, not in God, nor in his revelation of himself in nature and especially in Christ and in scripture, but in an atheistic and morally relativistic understanding of the world.
Brothers and sisters, as Christians, we must not have anything to do with this. Should we seek justice in our land? Yes, indeed. Should we fight against injustice when we see it and when we have the power to do so? Yes, indeed. But you would be a fool to seek to promote justice or to fight against injustice without first understanding what it is. And you will do much more harm than good if you advocate for a form of justice that is rooted in anything other than God who is himself holiness, righteous, and just, and his moral law which he has revealed to us.
I think you would all agree that the Ten Commandments are a great help to us. Here I am wanting to convince you that the civil laws which God gave to Old Covenant Israel are a great help to us too, for these laws were perfectly just.
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Exodus 21:1-11
Exodus 21:1-11 contains laws for Israel concerning the just treatment of slaves. I think you can see that I have my work cut out for me with the text that is before us today. The text is admittedly difficult. But in my opinion, it is difficult, not so much because of what it says, but because of the presuppositions that we bring to it.
I’m afraid it is difficult for modern people to read the word “slave” without thinking of the kind of slavery that was practiced in this land not long ago. Please hear me. The kind of slavery that was practiced in this country not long ago was unjust. I’m sure there were exceptions to the rule, but in general, the slavery that existed in this land was built upon the idea that some men and women were inherently inferior to others, men and women did not choose to be slaves, but were often stolen into slavery. They were often badly treated, even abused, and opportunity was rarely given for upward movement nor for eventual freedom. The kind of slavery that was practiced in this land not long ago was racist, brutal, and oppressive. It was unjust and worthy of condemnation. All of that is very important to acknowledge, I think.
But this morning I will also ask you to consider the possibility that not all forms of slavery, or servitude, are unjust. Slavery can be unjust. Indeed, we might even say that slavery is often unjust. This is because the strong do tend to oppress the weak in this sinful world. But slavery is not inherently or necessarily unjust. In other words, it is not at all impossible to imagine a situation wherein one human being willingly, or out of necessity, commits himself or herself to the service of another human being for a time, for the betterment of their position in life, and are there treated with kindness, fairness, and in a way that us just, so much so that do not want to leave when given the opportunity. You may think that this is unrealistic or wishful thinking. And perhaps it is. But the point that I am here making is that the civil laws given to Old Covenant Israel demanded that servants be treated justly. Slavery, or servitude, was a reality in that agrarian society. And the Hebrews were forbidden from treating the servants in an oppressive way.
Consider this. All societies must address the question of what to do with the poor in their midst. There will always be rich and poor amongst us. Some are born into poverty. Some fall into poverty through circumstances outside their control. Others fall into poverty through foolish living. And some may do wrong to another – perhaps they harm them bodily, damage their property, or steal from them – and the law requires that restitution must be paid. As I have said, every society must deal with the problem of poverty. How will we treat the poor? How will we show honor and kindness to them? How will we provide for our fellow image-bearers if they are unable to provide for themselves? And if they are able to work, what opportunities should be afforded to them for the betterment of their position in life? All societies, if they are just, will care for the poor in their midst.
I think I could spend a great deal of time critiquing our approach here in this nation. I’m concerned that our minimum wage laws and our welfare system do more harm than good. I’m concerned that inexperienced and unskilled workers are sometimes pushed out of the workforce by minimum wage laws as businesses are forced to cut back on employees or to automate. I’m concerned that our welfare system, though it may appear to be caring on the surface, does in fact hinder its recipients by disincentivizing work in one way or another. It seems to me that the entire approach is very impersonal and inhumane. Those who fall destitute are not drawn in close to those who are successful and prosperous in society so that they might learn from them, and through them find a pathway to prosperity for themselves, but are in fact isolated.
I draw your attention to these weaknesses in our system, not so much to propose solutions now (that is very large subject and outside the scope of this sermon) but to contrast the weakness of our system with the wisdom, justice, kindness, and compassion of the laws which God gave to Israel. You see, we tend to look back upon these ancient laws with a kind of chronological snobbery. We see ourselves as being advanced and civilized. But sometimes I wonder if we have not de-volved as a people, morally speaking.
I want for you to notice six things about the laws concerning the just treatment of slaves (or servants) in Old Covenant Israel.
One, the slavery that is being addressed here in this passage was voluntary. “When you buy a Hebrew slave…”, the text says. Hebrews were not sold into slavery by force, but by choice. If a Hebrew fell destitute, one option for him (or her) would be to contract with a more wealthy and prosperous person or family to serve them in their estate for a time. In this way, they could pay off their debts by working as indentured servants. It may be that a father would sell his daughter into this kind of servitude (I assume, with her consent) so as to provide a better future for her. This form of slavery was not racially motivated. It was not inherently oppressive. And it was certainly not the result of man stealing. In fact, Exodus 21:16. It says, “Whoever steals a man and sells him, and anyone found in possession of him, shall be put to death” (Exodus 21:16, ESV). Throughout the history of the world men and women have come to be slaves through man stealing, but this was utterly forbidden amongst the Hebrews, and punishable by death. What was this form of slavery (or servitude) all about then? It was a solution to the problem of poverty and indebtedness in that culture. Those who fell destitute and indebted in society for one reason or another had this option – they could sell themselves into the service of another fior a time. And the law of Moses here is concerned to insure that those in this weak and vulnerable position be not exploited, but honored.
So then, this form of slavery was voluntary. Two, slavery was to be limited in time for the Hebrews. Verse 2 continues saying, “he shall serve six years, and in the seventh he shall go out free, for nothing.” (Exodus 21:2, ESV). So, there was a limit of six years. This follows the pattern of the weekly Sabbath. The servant was to work for six years, and in the seventh, he (or she) was to be released without any payment being required.
Three, the family was to be honored in this arrangement. Verse 3: “If he comes in single, he shall go out single; if he comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him” (Exodus 21:3, ESV). The agreement to become an indentured servant was not to disrupt the family.
Four, the investment of the one who purchased the servant was also protected. You will notice this about the laws given to Israel. They are concerned that justice is shown to the poor and to the rich, to the weak and to the powerful. And that is the case here. Verse 4: “If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out alone” (Exodus 21:4, ESV). Here the law addresses a situation where a man comes to be a servant single and enters into marriage while a slave. Imagine that he has one year left on his contract and his new wife has 5 years remaining. Does the wife go free with the husband? The law says no. In other words, the marriage does not make the agreement made between the woman servant and her master null and void. This may sound strange to us, but really, it is not complicated. If we use the term “salary” it may be easier for us to see the justice in it. Can you imagine paying an employee up front for six years of work only to have her leave after two or three? It would not be fair to the employee, and neither would it be fair to the master in Old Covenant Israel. The wife would need to fulfill the terms of her agreement. This does not mean that marriage would be broken, only that the wife would be required to fulfill her obligations.
Five, if a servant found himself in a situation where life in his master’s house was more desirable than a life of independence, he could willingly commit himself to his master permanently. Verse 5: “But if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’ then his master shall bring him to God, and he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall bore his ear through with an awl, and he shall be his slave forever” (Exodus 21:5–6, ESV).
Why would a man choose to be a slave forever? Well, for the same reasons that you have chosen to be a slave of Christ. By God’s grace, you have come to see that Christ the Lord is a good, kind, and loving Master, that life in his household is far better than a life lived for yourself in the world and that in Christ your future hopes are much, much brighter than if you would choose to go your own way.
Masters in Old Covenant Israel were to treat their servants in such a way that when the time came for freedom it was possible that they would not want to leave. Were they free to leave after six years (or after a shorter period of time, if that was agreed upon)? Yes. But slaves were to be honored so much so that some would choose to stay if the prospects for their future were brighter in their master’s household than if they were to take advantage of their freedom. Certainly, good and loving Masters and bondservants in Old Covenant Israel functioned as a picture of the Christ who was to come and of his church whom he purchased with his blood.
Those who choose to remain in their master’s house for life would have their ear pierced to show that they were a servant for life. The symbolism is powerful. It was the ear that was to be pierced. And what do we do with the ear except listen? When the ear of the bondservant was pieced it signifies his commitment to listen to the voice of his master all the days of his life and to obey. And where was his ear to be pierced? On the door post of his mater’s house. This signified the bondservant’s permanent attachment to that household. Again, this was the servant’s choice. When I consider this I think of it as a very warm and loving thing. Consider how good a master would have to be to his servant to move him to make such a commitment. And even it was not as warm and romantic as I imagine it to be, certainly, it cannot be called unjust.
Sixthly, the civil law of Israel was especially concerned to provide protection for women.
Verse 7: “When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she shall not go out as the male slaves do” (Exodus 21:7, ESV). So a distinction was made between male and female servants. Greater protections were afforded to female servants.
Verse 8: “If she does not please her master, who has designated her for himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people since he has broken faith with her…” (Exodus 21:8–9, ESV). This is an interesting verse, and a very important one, I think. Let me explain. It was possible that a master would enter into marriage with a female servant. If she did not please him for some reason, he was not to sell her to a foreign people but was to allow her to be redeemed. And then the text says, “since he has broken faith with her…” Other English translations say, “because he has dealt deceitfully with her…” (NKJV), or “because of his unfairness to her…” (NASB).
Here is something very important that I want you to understand about the civil laws given to Old Covenant Israel. Though it is true that they Israel’s civil laws were in some ways uncommonly strict (blatant violations of the first table of the moral law were crimes, and adultery was punishable by death, for example), it is also true not every sin – not every distortion of God’s ideal – was criminalized and punished civilly. No, sins and perversions of God’s ideal design for things were tolerated even in the society of Old Covenant Israel. This is crucial to understand.
I have already made the obvious point that not all sins are crimes. Is it a sin for a child to lie to their parents? Yes. Is it a crime? No. It was not a crime in Old Covenant Israel, and it is not a crime in our nation, nor should it be. Men and women will stand before God and be judged for every sin at the end of time, if not united to Christ by faith. Until then, God does restrain evil in this world, in part, through civil governments, where crimes against persons are punished, not sins. In other words, the justice that is upheld here on earth is only partial. God will judge with perfect and complete justice at the end of time.
What does that have to do with our verse? Well, clearly Exodus 21:8-9 is considering a situation where a man does wrong to a woman. He breaks faith with her, deals deceitfully with her, and treats her unfairly. Has he sinned against her and against God? Yes! Has he done something criminal? No. The law that is given here does not criminalize his immoral behavior, but it does provide protection for the woman to ensure that she is not treated in an unjust way. A husband did not have a right to sell his wife whom he had originally entered into a contractual agreement as a servant. Instead, she was to be set free through redemption.
The civil laws of Israel (like ours) did not criminalize immorally. If everything immoral were criminalized then that society would not be able to function. Instead, the civil laws of Old Covenant Israel did function to restrain evil and uphold a measure of justice amongst that holy nation, filled with sinners, some of whom were saved by grace.
Listen, another example of this dynamic that is more well known is the civil laws of Old Covenant Israel regarding divorce. Did God permit divorce in Israel? Yes, he did. And why did he permit it? The scriptures are clear that divorce is not the ideal – divorce is not God’s design. Divorce was permitted because of the hardness of men’s hearts, Christ says. The laws of the Old Covenant allowed for divorce and regulated divorce, providing protection, especially for women, because of the wickedness of the hearts of men even within Old Covenant Israel.
Two more scenarios are put forth regarding the special protection afforded to female indentured servants. First, in verse 9b we read, “If he designates her for his son [that is, to be his wife], he shall deal with her as with a daughter” (Exodus 21:9b, ESV). He was to deal with her as a daughter, not a servant. Second, in verse 10 we read, “If he takes another wife to himself, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, or her marital rights” (Exodus 21:10, ESV). As you probably already know, polygamy was tolerated in Old Covent Israel’s civil law. Is polygamy God’s design or ideal for marriage? No, two are to become one flesh. But polygamy was tolerated in Old Covenant Israel given its prominence in the ancient world.
I think we must keep this principle of toleration in mind as we consider the civil laws of Old Covenant Israel. Though it is true that Israel was a holy nation, this does not mean that they were pure. They were special, yes. They were set apart to God in a unique way. But as you know there were many who were unbelieving, unregenerate, and even very wicked in the midst of them. Israel’s civil laws functioned in a similar way to ours. The civil laws of Israel did not aim to eradicate all sin, but they did seek to restrain it so that a degree of justice might be upheld within that society. I’m afraid that we sometimes ask too much of Israel’s civil laws, and therefore we misinterpret them. They were given to restrain sin, not to eradicate it.
I’ll say one last thing about these laws regulating the treatment of indentured servants. I forget who said this, but we should remember that “the past is a foreign country, they do things differently there.” We should remember that when we read the Old Testament scriptures. The world was a very different place back then. Let us be humble as we consider these laws which were given to govern life in a world and culture much different than our own.
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Exodus 22:21-27
Now, I’ve left very little time for Exodus 22:21-27. And really, I think that is fine. This section is much less controversial and much easier to understand. I’ll read it again to you and make only a few brief remarks.
“You shall not wrong a sojourner or oppress him, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. You shall not mistreat any widow or fatherless child. If you do mistreat them, and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry, and my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless. If you lend money to any of my people with you who is poor, you shall not be like a moneylender to him, and you shall not exact interest from him. If ever you take your neighbor’s cloak in pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down, for that is his only covering, and it is his cloak for his body; in what else shall he sleep? And if he cries to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.” (Exodus 22:21–27, ESV)
One, though it is true that Hebrew special protections were given to Hebrew citizens in these laws, foreigners were not to be oppressed. The Hebrews were to remember their time in Egypt and how they were unjustly treated as slaves in that land. They were not to do the same to the foreigners in their midst. No oppression.
Two, the Hebrews were warned against taking advantage of the vulnerable in their midst, especially widows and fatherless children. Notice that the Lord himself threatens them. He will hear their cries for help and will take vengeance.
Three, if a Hebrew was to lend money to a fellow Hebrew who was poor, interest was not be charged. As you probably know, this is one way that the rich may take advantage of the poor, though charging interest, especially exorbitant interest, on loans. This was forbidden amongst the Hebrews, especially when lending to the poor and destitute.
Four, concerning collateral taken for loans given, if the person was so poor that no other collateral could be given besides something as essential as their cloak, the cloak (or any other essential thing) was to be returned to them at night so that their life and health might be preserved.
Five, the Hebrews were to have compassion on the vulnerable people in their midst, be they slaves, sojourners, orphans, widows, or the poor, because God is compassionate. That is the reason that is given in verse 27.
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Refections
You know, brothers and sisters, as I consider God’s moral law, along with the civil laws given to Old Covenant Israel, and compare them to what I see in our culture today, I’ll admit that I feel a bit sickened and overwhelmed by the immorality, injustice, and oppression that is so prevalent. But that is to be expected. We live in a fallen world, and so God’s law has a way of magnifying our sin.
The question is, what should we do about it? Three things:
One, pray and work to promote justice within society as you have opportunity and according to your giftedness and callings.
Two, be sure that you treat others justly. Take no part in injustice or oppression. Show kindness to the needy around you. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Love your neighbor as yourself.
Three, long for Christ’s return and the new heavens and earth that he will bring, in which righteousness dwells. Live for that world, brothers and sisters. Store up treasures there. Be good sojourners now. Be good citizens in this land. Do not neglect to do good in this place where the Lord has planted you. But remember, this is not your home. Long for and live for the inheritance which Christ has purchased by his obedient life, his shed blood, and his victorious resurrection. Be sure that you are found in him, united to him by faith, for there is salvation in no other name.
