The church I have been attending (I'm not yet a member- something to be corrected) features expository preaching. We have been moving verse by verse through Paul's first epistle to the Thessalonians. Paul had established a church in Thessalonica and wrote this message somewhere in the AD 50's- one of his earlier epistles. Apparently there was some confusion amongst the Believers that required the instruction of Paul, along with Silas and Timothy.
Paul encourages these new Christians to "Be at peace among yourselves," and to "See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone." (I Thes 5: 13 and 15; ESV).
Recently I had a discussion with a client regarding divorce. In Pennsylvania there are two types of divorce: fault and no-fault. A divorce based on fault achieves the same end as a no-fault divorce, but serves to enrich the attorneys. There are also two types of no-fault divorce: one where the parties co-operate and the other where the parties do not co-operate. Again, the end result is the same, but a non-co-operative divorce enriches the attorneys. I also posited another way- one that involved personal harm. It was meant- and received- as a joke.
Divorce is never pleasant. There is always some level of regret and some level of wrong-doing by both parties. And there is always the desire to repay "evil for evil." Look around and you will see the attorneys that thrive on repaying "evil for evil." This is where less mature Christians or non-Believers will trot out the old "eye for an eye" excuse. But we must read the Scriptures in the manner and method they were written.
"But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe."
(Ex 21: 23-25; ESV)
What was the purpose of this law? To provide definitive retribution to eliminate evil and promote the holiness of God. Remember, these laws were given to Moses by God- they were not capricious. Furthermore, the goal was retribution- not revenge. Verse 26 shows that this law only applied to the free Israelite- if the wrong was perpetrated on a slave, the slave was to be set free.
As Christians and citizens of the US, we are no longer bound by the Mosaic Law. Instead, we are called to follow the second half of verse 15, "always seek to do good to one another and everyone." God, help me to remember to practice law as in I Thessalonians and not as in Exodus.
