Gud, Bibelen og politiske Justice: Del 3, Innledning
Del tre: Politiske Lærdommer fra jødisk historie
Innledning
Israel og Historisk Law
For Jews the Law is the entire Old Testament including the historical books. There was the Law as God gave it to Moses, den normative slik som 10 budene og loven som Moses tolket det i løpet av 40 years in the wilderness. But there was also the Law as revealed throughout Old Testament history as the Jews lived it out. We know the Jews understood the meaning of the Law by how they applied it and whether God was able to bless their application or not. Med andre ord, the Jewish people where taught that the Laws of God were not only words but also deeds. One did not know if they understood the Law or not until they applied it, or actively “loved your neighbor as yourself.” In the context of the Hebrew understanding of “knowing” you “knew” the law if you could apply it to a situation, ikke bare sitere det.
The greatest distinction between “religion” and “faith” in the God of the Bible is that religion is by definition a set of dogma we believe in. Biblical faith is action we take because of what we believe. Believing and action cannot be divided. Another way of saying this is that moral judgments are always situational, eller påføres og i reelle situasjoner, og ikke moralske abstraksjoner, ideer som kan bli omfavnet uten søknad. In following God we cannot just quote “thou shall not murder” without defining what murder is and working to stop it. You cannot say, “thou shall not steal” without defining the right to own and defending private ownership. So “the Laws of God” are not abstract principles, but principles and values applied in given situations. It is a living law.
Teologi, studiet av hvem Gud er, cannot be understood in theoretical isolation. Biblically to be known and understood it must be applied. The God of the Bible does not have the slightest interest in “how many angels can stand on the head of a pin?” Because it has absolutely no application to the reality of the world He has created. God will not enter the debate over “how much you may sin and still be saved.” This is not a question the Bible seeks to answer. The whole point of the Bible is the pursuit of God and His Glory.
Når vi sier at 10 Bud forteller oss ikke å "mord", og konkluderer vi eller antar det betyr at vi kan ikke være i hæren, eller politiet, eller forsvare våre familier eller oss selv mot angrep, vi har misforstått. Disse konklusjonene er diametralt apposed til hva Bibelen lærer om militærtjeneste og rett til å beskytte. Disse konklusjonene arbeider med en svært begrenset definisjon for drap etter vold, eliminere den bredere bibelske diskusjon av sultedøden på grunn av grådighet, dårlig byggeskikk på grunn av en mangel på interesse, dårlig hygiene og helse praksis i produksjonen av mat, mangel på medisinsk behandling, osv.. If we are to understand the Law we must understand the historical application of it in Israel through the lives of the kings and the message of the prophets.
