Rule of Law

Rule of Law
Words of Faith 12-29-2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2022
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Exodus 21:1
"These are the laws you are to set before them:

"Law" has such a heavy-handed ring to it in Christian thought. We often think of Law as that which condemns us to death, while Grace is what gives us life. But Law also functions as part of the fabric of our community. Law holds us together and shapes us as a community. The next section of Exodus is an elaboration of the Law.
The Lord first gave ten "Command" laws. These formed the backbone of the Israelite legal system. The Lord then gave "case law" (Exodus 21:1-23:19) to direct the application of the Law in various situations.
This case law is usually characterized by an "if... then" clause and is based on the idea of cause and effect. How the Law is applied in various situations depends on the infraction's motive, damage, or severity. This may seem dry or out of date, but we can see principles set out that form the basis of how we are to live in community.
The Law of God was absolutely revolutionary! In the ancient Near East, other codes and "law sets" developed. In these other codes, punishment varied based on birth status as slaves, citizens, or members of the nobility. The specific case situation did not matter as much as wealth and class. The Law given by the Lord God was revolutionary at this time because it assumed the fundamental equality of all people.
Under God's Law, the punishment for a crime was not hindered or magnified by class or wealth. The same degree of punishment was prescribed for all people, regardless of who they were. This scriptural principle forms the basis of the statement that "all people are created equal," as well as the idea that people are given certain "unalienable rights" by their Creator.
The Lord set for the Israelites a system of justice different from any other that had been conceived by man. It was a system designed to be "fair" or equal in its judgments. It was a system of law that was radical in its protection of foreigners, slaves, and those without social standing. Historically, this became the foundation of all western law.
This may seem like dull history, but it is exciting and vital! There are places in the world today where a person can be declared "guilty" of causing harm simply because they are a foreigner and not a citizen. There are places where "justice" does not exist, and punishments are meted out based upon whims, bribes, or family connections. There are places where there is no sense that the people and the court are both answerable to an unchanging authority, God Almighty.
We may, from time to time, complain about problems in the American system of justice, but there is no system anywhere that is more likely to be fair.
All this begs the question-- Why is America so eager to retreat from such principles? Why is America of all nations, eager to dismiss the authority of God? If we dismiss God, we dismiss the unalienable rights He has ordained and the equality He has declared. Without God, "justice" changes with the winds of the day. People do whatever they wish. We see this later, in the time of the judges-- In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit (Judges 17:6). Without moral authority, judgments will be based solely on the influence, status or usefulness of the person.
The American justice system has its problems, to be sure. Sometimes the wealthy get away with murder. Sometimes people are unjustly punished. But no system in the world makes a greater effort or goes to more significant expense to be fair. There are reforms to be made. There are improvements to be sought. But removing God would not be one of them.

Father God, I give thanks for the Law. I thank you for setting the revolutionary idea that there are moral absolutes that must be applied with judicial fairness. I give thanks for the heritage I have received due to Your gift of Law. Help me to see and apply the same principles of equality in all that I do. In Jesus' name.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2022 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.