A retired couple recently moved from the United States to Thailand. Why Thailand? Because their retirement income, meager by US standards, made them wealthy in Thailand. They bought a mansion in the country and hired both a maid and a cook. They lived like kings and traveled constantly, convinced they had discovered the secret to retirement.
What if you could shop for a nation the way you shop for a new car—make a list of features you desire, then look for one that suits you? What would you seek? I’d like: nice weather, beautiful views, peace, low crime rates, thriving healthcare and educational systems, and laws that protect essential human freedoms like speech, religion, press, assembly, and the right to own property.
Moses looked at the fledgling nation of Israel—with its 613 laws[1] —and predicted its future reputation:
“When they hear about these statutes, they will say, ‘This great nation is indeed a wise and understanding people….’ For what great nation has righteous statutes and ordinances like this entire law I set before you today?” Deuteronomy 4:6,8-9.
Christians often speak negatively about the law. We laugh about the 613 laws in the Old Testament, and imply that something was lacking in the law. I’m sure Christians who read the Bible read the law less than other books. Yet Jesus said He came not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. And Moses said Israel’s legal system would make Israel a respected nation. After all, this highly developed system of laws addressed everything: crime and punishment, education, marriage and family, taxes, business, employment, banking and lending, housing, lawsuits, travel, diseases, food, worship, and more.
THAT is how you build a thriving nation. Beaches and sunsets are nice, but when God built a nation, He built it as a nation of laws. The law is the architecture, the framework, on which the entire civilization rests: your job, your home, your food supplier, your entertainment, your family, your religion.
God, teach us to revere and respect the study of Your laws.
ΑΩ
[1] https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/756399/jewish/The-613-Commandments-Mitzvot.htm
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