Deuteronomy 21
MAINTAINING ORDER In communities and families within those communities there is an order that needs to be maintained for the well-being and safety of all who live there. The Lord knew that there would be situations arise in which there would have to be decisions made that would be hard to carry out. Because of human nature and human sin, we will have to address issues that are not just clear "black and white" matters. The grey areas of life may leave us uncertain as to how to proceed without ignoring what is wrong and at the same time maintaining a peaceful ordered society. The instructions God gave Moses to pass on to His people set out certain principles that guide us.
An unsolved crime, particularly murder, makes almost everyone in a community uneasy. If the matter is not addressed in some way there will come a resistance to those who are in authority. It is to be expected that some action will be taken to repair the situation, even if the root of the problem remains undiscovered. The illustration of the young heifer taken down into a rough valley where there is a running stream of water, indicates an action has been taken on behalf of the nearest community that would be suspect, even though the perpetrator of the crime was not found. The act they took in Israel was to recognize only God knew the answer to the problem and they were putting the whole matter into God's hands through the sacrifice they made. When there is neglect on the part of those in authority to correct a wrong, or pass judgment on a potentially divisive situation, God's people will be side-tracked from the goal and blessings of a well-ordered assembly.
There needs to be an awareness on the part of all of God's people as to what might be causing a problem, and responsibility taken on the behalf of all, by those who are spiritually mature, to solve the problem. "When one member suffers, all suffer with it." We cannot dismiss our responsibility towards others by saying, "I don't want anything to do with this problem." We are part of the situation whether we want to be or not. Anything that arises among God's people that affects them spiritually, morally, socially or even physically, needs our attention. It may be that a clear answer avoids us and we have to leave a matter not completed to the satisfaction of everyone. The important part of that situation is that we have done all we can do in as careful a way as possible. Then we have to leave the whole matter to our omniscient God. He knows what we do not know. He can do what we cannot do. Even then, an announcement to God's people or a public prayer to that effect can help people understand we have done all we know how to, so the problem could be solved.
Another matter the Israelites has to be taught was respect for one another as well as people who come into our lives from somewhere else. In the case of a man marrying a woman from another ethnic group, there was the responsibility on the man to guide her in the way to adapt to where she now was going to live; not to maintain the cultural mores from which she came. Her hairstyle and fingernails were often reflections of the place and religion from which she came. To maintain order among God's people she had to leave her past lifestyle and conform to where she was now going to live and to the man she married. A multi-cultured community of believers is not what God intends. If a person will not submit to the biblical changes in order to keep the pattern of life God expects, that person is allowed to go their own way without any censure.
Partiality among God's people because of personal likes or dislikes is not allowed among God's people either. For favoritism to be shown causes division among the people of God. When a person is a part of a fellowship of saints, the rights and privileges of the family of God are as much to one person as they are to another. "God is no respecter of persons," and to maintain order among the family, we need to avoid anything that would demean one person and exalt another. Personal rights of inheritance in families, marriages, assemblies or nations are not based on the personal opinions of those who are in a position to dispense privileges or property. Those things are rights because of the position one is in and who they are, not the rights of the administrator to decide.
Some people resist and rebel against authority in spite of the necessity of order being maintained for the benefit of all. To some people stubbornness is no more than a difficult character trait. In God's eyes rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. The attitude of one person can have detrimental effect if it is rebellious, or a positive effect if it is gracious and godly. A heretic is a self- opinionated person who takes the position that he is right and all others should accept him the way he is and conform to his ideas. "A heretic after the first and second admonition, reject." When a person resists the disciplined life that is expected in a society of people whether it be a nation, a city, an assembly of Christians or even a family, the order needed to keep from chaotic discontent is missing. That person will have to be disciplined in some way to maintain order.
Capital crimes in nations today are given great coverage by the media and everyone who wants to get all the gruesome details can find them out. It has led to some "copy-cat" crimes committed by some people who want to get notoriety or attention. God's way is to deal with the problem legally and quickly. Don't leave things hanging out in the open for everyone to gossip about. Act in whatever way is necessary to legally maintain order and then bring the whole matter to a close as soon as possible. When events and/or sins are made public and left out in the open, the problem will still be a source of unnecessary talk and speculation.
Orderly living focuses on that which maintains a society in the most useful and contented way possible. The lives of families and assemblies depend on those who are responsible for the well-being of others because of their maturity and experience in maintaining order. This can, and should be done in a gracious spiritual way.