“When you lay siege to a city for a long time, fighting against it to capture it, do not destroy its trees by putting an ax to them, because you can eat their fruit. Do not cut them down. Are the trees people, that you should besiege them?” — Deuteronomy 20:19
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There’s a rule in the area where I live that if the temperature outside rises to 90 degrees or above, all high school football practices have to be shut down. This rule may make preparation for a team’s next game more difficult, but it is far from some arbitrary imposition to frustrate players and coaches.
This rule is in place for no other reason than to protect the health of the hundreds of players (and even some coaches) who would have tried to push through the heat and been at risk for heat stroke. It protects people from themselves. It’s good for all involved.
This paradigm can be a helpful way to think about the many rules — sometimes seemingly random — God gave His people in the Bible. Don’t eat shellfish? Don’t mix fabrics? Don’t cut down trees? God’s people in Biblical times may have wondered what God’s purpose was behind rules like these, and you may be too.
God had various purposes for His Old Testament law. One of them was that He desired the wellbeing of His people and that He cared deeply for them. His rules were good; they helped the people to live healthy and flourishing lives, and they helped the people to recognize God’s steadfast love.
His love was most evident in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, to whom the entire Old Testament points. Jesus came to earth to fulfill the law by living a life of perfect obedience that we never could, and dying a death that we deserved. Then He rose from death, conquering our sin and freeing us to love each other and follow Him without having to earn our salvation. This is the law of Christ. It is very good.
So, when you read about the many rules in the Bible, don’t feel overwhelmed. Remember, they are for your good, so you can live a life abiding in the immeasurable love of God.
— Kevin Mercer
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