Evangelicia

Alicia's Bible Blog

 

 

Deuteronomy 19:15-21. As part of the lengthy law that God is giving to Moses, here He says a single witness shall not be enough to convict a man, a charge can only be sustained by the testimony of two or more witnesses. If a malicious witness comes against a man, the priests and judges shall inquire diligently of both parties, and if they find that the witness is false, he shall be subject to the same punishment he sought against the accused. Thus shall the evil be purged from the midst of the people, as others will see the punishment and learn the consequences of being false. "Your eye shall not pity; it shall be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot."

 

Here we hear the saying that Jesus made famous when he taught us to instead turn the other cheek rather than demanding an eye for an eye (Matthew 5:38-48). Just this morning at Gospel Group someone was saying how she really has a hard time with the God of the Old Testament and His harsh punishments. But we discussed how when God started with humanity, we was fully separated from Him, so we were doing some really bad things to each other - killing and mutilating others in horrific ways as a form of punishment, or even just to get even for a perceived wrong, was the law of the world, there was no respect for others as beloved children of God. When you realize that God is starting with a people in that framework, you see how He has to start slow. He doesn't want an eye for an eye to be the rule for all time, but He uses the punishments that the people are used to, and imposes just limits on them (such as a trial with at least two witnesses) in order to start teaching them justice. If someone tries to take advantage of the system and bring an enemy down with false testimony, then their punishment has to be as severe as the one they sought falsely. This is the only way that the people in that time and that world would begin to learn justice and how to avoid being evil.

 

But then, in the fullness of time, at the exact right time that humanity was ready for it, Jesus came to us. Justice and law had already been established since the time of Deuteronomy, now we needed to learn God's mercy, and how to start treating each other with it. It is all a progression - like a child growing and learning  - she goes from simple rules she follows under the threat of punishment, to nuanced thinking, and an understanding of right and wrong.

 

Under Jesus' way, though, people get away with a lot, which is why there seems to be so much evil prevalent in the world right now. We are not to concern ourselves with this, we are still to turn the other cheek. This is because at this point, people know better, unlike the Israelites who had just left Egypt. So now it will be God's justice that descends on the malicious, not man's. God has told us His ways, and the world knows them. All of our law and society in the developed world are based on God's laws, whether we admit it or not. If wicked men and women bring false witness and seem to get away with it because we "turn the other cheek," we know that God sees. And God knows whether their hearts and consciences are properly formed, whether they truly know what they are doing, and if they do, He knows the just punishment they deserve.