Civil-Justice in the Real World #5
To start this series on Law, click here The Tension of the Text. At the bottom of each post you can click the Next button to work your way through. Or look at the articles listed below after this one—to see the most recent.
I wrote previously that the Law fails because the heart fails. The Moral Code fails because people choose to sin. The Civil-Justice Code fails from bribes and just being ignored. The Priestly Code fails from idolatry. The Separation Code fails because of legalism. All matters of the heart.
Yesterday, I presented 2 statutes from the Civil-Justice Code that set a direction whose end would be to abolish slavery. Why was there not a third? There is a clue in Jeremiah 34.
The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people who were in Jerusalem to proclaim release to them [slaves]: that each man should set free his male servant and each man his female servant, a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman; so that no one should keep them, a Jew his brother, in bondage. And all the officials and all the people obeyed who had entered into the covenant that each man should set free his male servant and each man his female servant, so that no one should keep them any longer in bondage; they obeyed, and set them free. But afterward they turned around and took back the male servants and the female servants whom they had set free, and brought them into subjection for male servants and for female servants. (Jeremiah 34:8-11)
A law on the books that was completely ignored for centuries. Neither statute was honored by the Children of Israel. They were not freeing their slaves. Why have a third advance when the first two were ignored?
For the sake of brevity, let me tell the story of this chapter. The Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar was on his way to attack Judah and Jerusalem. We are not really told why Zedekiah and others suddenly released their slaves, but it had this result—Nebuchadnezzar stopped his advance. It could be that the owners had compassion on their slaves and gave them permission to seek their own safety. It could be that they did not want to bear the expense of keeping them. Or-it could have been a sense of national guilt and repentance. “Oh Lord, if we release our slaves, will you save us?”
In any case, they released their salves. Nebuchadnezzar stopped his advance. And then they took their slaves back. Here is the response of the LORD to this:
Therefore thus says the Lord, “You have not obeyed Me in proclaiming release each man to his brother and each man to his neighbor. Behold, I am proclaiming a release to you,” declares the Lord, “to the sword, to the pestilence and to the famine; and I will make you a terror to all the kingdoms of the earth. … Behold, I am going to command,' declares the Lord, 'and I will bring them back to this city; and they will fight against it and take it and burn it with fire; and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without inhabitant.'"” (Jeremiah 34:17, 22)
Of all the commands and statutes in the Law, obeying the one about releasing slaves was sufficient to change the fortunes of the nation from impending war to relief. Reneging genuinely angered the LORD and He resumed the coming disaster with a vengeance.
Does the Bible really condone slavery? I think not. Look at the heart of the LORD here. But it is in the heart of men to enslave and writing laws does not change this.
Some final take aways on this topic of Law. Paul wrote, “But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully, realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted.” (1 Timothy 1:8-11)
The Law reveals sin because in our natural state, we rebel and disobey. The Law reveals our sin and we are not able to do anything about it.
Jesus’ death and resurrection is about saving and changing the heart. What the Law could not do, the Holy Spirit within us can.
Next week— Five Wisdom Points for the Days Ahead.