This chapter is full of practical wisdom for living in harmony with others, and for conducting one’s household. We can’t go through everything in detail, but let’s focus on the “second-greatest commandment”.
“You shall not see your brother’s ox or his sheep going astray and ignore them. You shall take them back to your brother. And if he does not live near you and you do not know who he is, you shall bring it home to your house, and it shall stay with you until your brother seeks it. Then you shall restore it to him. And you shall do the same with his donkey or with his garment, or with any lost thing of your brother’s, which he loses and you find; you may not ignore it. You shall not see your brother’s donkey or his ox fallen down by the way and ignore them. You shall help him to lift them up again. When you build a new house, you shall make a parapet for your roof, that you may not bring the guilt of blood upon your house, if anyone should fall from it.” (v1-4,8)
Jesus summarizes all of the commandments and laws of the OT by saying ” ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.’ ” (Mt 22:37-40) Not only is Jesus summarizing the Ten Commandments, He is refers to laws such as these.
Is there any question that laws such as these are given by God as a reminder for us to love our neighbors? Going out of our way to ensure the safety of our neighbor and their property might seem like common sense upon an initial read, yet in this world, I can assure you loving our neighbor is not a commonplace practice. It’s so very easy to turn a blind eye to the struggles of those around us. We don’t have to actively persecute our neighbor to be unloving – we can be unloving by simply doing nothing to love them.
All laws for loving our neighbor (and God) require something from us – intentional actions for someone else’s benefit. We cannot fully love someone without serving them. Just as faith without works is “dead” (powerless, empty, void of action), love without works is also dead. We can profess our undying care and love for those around us, but if we don’t live that out practically, our proclamations are empty words lacking tangible results.
My challenge for us today is to build parapets for our roofs, and restore our neighbor’s cattle to their possession – metaphorically of course. Let’s invest in our neighbor’s well-being, living out the love of Christ in a tangible way. When someone inevitably asks why we’re so generous or kind, we can can testify with our mouths to that which we have testified with our actions.
Father God, our Sovereign King, holy is Your name. May all people profess with their mouths and their hands their love for You. May You also teach us and lead us to profess Your love for those made in Your image. Would You please align our hearts with Yours, so we would find joy in living out the love of Christ. Jesus, thank you for modeling practical ways of loving people – fellowship, food, prayer, and leading by example. May we learn to imitate You. Please be our guide, our strength and our courage, as we face a world of persecution. We cannot and will not do this without You. In Your holy and praiseworthy name, amen.
~ Conqueror in Training