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Luke 1:79
“… To give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace." The Torah provides us with much ruling having to do with man’s inhumane behavior. Some of the things the Torah talks about would make very gory bedtime stories. How can such a heavenly document be so besmirched with the filth of human sin? King David said that the Torah is Light (Psalms 119:105). Light is only useful when it shines in darkness. In essence, the Torah finds its mission within the spiritual darkness of our human dimension. Paul built on David’s proclamation in the Psalms with, But when anything is exposed by the light (of Torah), it (the sin of ‘anything’) becomes visible (Ephesians 5:13), and when he taught Timothy that, Now we know that the law (the Torah) is … not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine (1Timothy 1:8). Well I think that includes all of us! The Torah is a Light made to reveal to us our sinful condition, as a help to direct our paths away from sinful behavior. In studying God’s Oracles, we must be careful to distinguish between what the Torah permits and what the Torah advocates. Failure to do so can be disastrous. Whereas the Torah advocates unbroken marriages, in the knowledge of the nature of man’s heart it gave leeway for divorce (Matthew 19:8). Whereas it advocates monogamous marriages, it gave rulings concerning polygamy. It doesn’t mean that the Torah advocates divorce or polygamy, it only means that the Torah is relevant to the society in which it was given. The same goes for slavery; whereas the Torah gives ruling for slaves, it does not advocate slavery. We must be careful to study it according to its contextual values. Not understanding this causes us to feel removed from the text to a point of irrelevance. For example, many who would not consider polygamy as a lifestyle practice it in a sequential manner, using one spouse, and ‘throwing it away’ for another one. Many today also who would not consider enslaving humans practice a different form of it through the very commonly accepted practice of usury (lending for interest) and economic policies that offer less guaranties than those offered to slaves in the Bible. The Torah is a Light, and those who consider it obsolete live in darkness. The Torah reveals God’s nature and character, and those who in a cafeteria-style pick and choose what they want from it, are found to ‘edit’ God in their hearts. For centuries man has tried to find a better type of government than the one offered in the Torah, and the messy results are evident. In the World to Come, the Light of Torah will expose our sinful world for what it is and we will finally learn to be ruled under the justice and righteousness of God. May it come soon Abba Father, this world can’t wait any longer; too many are crying out for justice.
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1Corinthians 7:21-22
Were you a slave when called? Do not be concerned about it. (But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.) For he who was called in the Lord as a slave is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a slave of Messiah. Here is an interesting story from the first century C.E. Onesimus, an escapee slave from Philemon a prominent slave owner from the community of believers of Colossi, finds refuge in Rome where per inadvertence he meets with the apostle Paul, who is at that time in house arrest. While in the company of Paul, Philemon is introduced to Yeshua, the ‘Slave-redeemer’, and becomes a member of the Roman community of believers, as well as a substantial helper to Paul. Here is the problem now: the Torah commands that asylum be granted to runaway slaves (Deuteronomy 23:15-16). This is practice as old as Abraham who took Eliezer, a Damascus runaway slave under his wings (Genesis 15:2). Roman law on the contrary required that Paul, who is already in trouble with the authorities, immediately returns the slave to its owner. This is a dilemma. I do not believe in the picture of a maverick Paul who went out of His way to deliberately create problems by breaking man’s laws just to prove a point. Some people even to portray the Master as some sort of radical revolutionary. I believe that picture to be false and the result of one’s own worldview and problem with authority. In the book of Philemon Paul shows us his wisdom. He obeys Roman law sending Onesimus back to Colossi with a letter to Philemon, asking the slave-owner to show mercy on both him and Paul, and to free the slave of his own volition. Thus we have the Epistle to Philemon. It’s like the story of Miriam who also obeyed the Pharaoh’s command to put her baby in the Nile; she did it, but she put the baby in a basket! In books detailing the history of early believers, we read of an Onesimus was a great leader in Ephesus, Paul’s personal secretary and the one who preserved the Pauline epistles. Was it the same person? Whether this is the same Onesimus or not, what will be said of us that WE did with the freedom the Master obtained for us? Matthew 5:44-48
But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. When I study the elementary principles of the Torah, I am always amazed at how, while addressing His perfect will and standard for our lives, knowing our frame (Psalms 103:14), our vile wickedness, Abba works with us accordingly. To fight a war, soldiers work themselves into an adrenaline high of hateful frenzy against an enemy. You have to, or you can’t kill. This often results in abuses performed by unscrupulous soldiers. Some countries are more sophisticated than others about it, but the result is still loot, pillage and sexual abuse. In the case of Israel’s wars the Father, aware of the temptation for soldiers to acquire themselves wives from the enemy’s camp, established rules for the protection of captured women. The Torah demands that these women be granted dignity and honor. They are to be allowed to mourn their parents and be taken as wives, not as sexual slaves. Also they are not to be sold. This tells us of God’s nature. Human life, whosever it is, is precious in His sight, and is not to be abused for personal gain. God demands higher ethical standards from His army and from His people in general. No matter what they do to us, we may not become like them. It is not a question of who they are, but of who we are! Once we yield to inhumane savageries we may win the battle, but spiritually, we have joined the enemy and lost the war. Come to think of it, this is, and always has been God’s way with us. He is the great Conqueror of our soul. He did not force Israel into intimacy. He wooed her with the strength of His Right Arm, His kindness, and His mercies. He freed her from those who oppressed her and kept her captive. He supplied her with food and water from His heavenly reserves. Then finally, He invited her to covenant, and to marriage. He does not want us as slaves; He gives us dignity in the status of brides: wives. What is sad is that sometimes we behave more like slaves forced to do His bidding than wives part of His household who serve Him because we love Him and are His. May we think about these things as we enter this season of introspection before the Fall festivals. May we always remember that with the mercies, compassion, and dignity He treats us, we are to treat others, whoever they are. Doing so, we will be perfect, emulating the Torah Yeshua taught us (Matthew 5:48). |
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