"Snippets" from David
 

Ancient Teamwork

Life is filled with complications! When you are an adolescent, life and the world is a super simple consideration in most determinations. A matter is either right or wrong. Everything with simplicity can be classified as right or wrong. “A” criteria is right, and “B” criteria is wrong. Thus determining right and wrong is simply a matter of applying the correct criteria—which just happens to be “my” criteria.

As a person enters into his or her twenties, a gray area begins to emerge. Usually it emerges when a person’s experience presents him or her with a complication that defies his or her simple criteria of right and wrong. The situation involves some right values and some wrong values. Suddenly, there emerges a deep consciousness of a right, a wrong, and a neither right or wrong—a condition in which both good and bad values are present.

As one grows older, the gray area typically increases. Increasingly with age there are matters that are easily decided [the primary values obviously are either right or wrong] and matters that involve situations too complex to decide easily.

The issue is rarely a matter of what to do when matters are obviously right or wrong, good or bad [unless personalities or emotions “cloud the issue”]. The issue is what should be done when a matter is too complex to decide. It is in those moments that the wisdom of a team is needed. That is when personal ego must not overshadow wisdom. That is when wisdom is found in a team approach rather than a strong willed or charismatic individual.

Any system of justice creates numerous opportunities for injustice. There are always “loop holes” in a justice system. Life situations are too complex to be oversimplified by regulations. Justice is a difficult state of affairs to reach when people seek vindication for unjust behaviors.

Deuteronomy 17:2-7 is quite clear about the fact that idolatrous influences were not to be tolerated in Israel. However, Deuteronomy 17:8-13 readily and quickly admitted that there were cases too difficult for the justice system in ancient Israel. If a situation was obvious, that ancient justice system should render a verdict without calling on the religious community. However, if the matter was too complex for the justice system, then the religious community was called upon to inquire of God what should be done. In that event, God’s verdict was to be respected and implemented. The wise course of action was determined by Israel’s courts and religious leadership.

Today Christians surrender to the compassionate God Who send His son to die for us, Who is delighted to forgive. Frequently seeing human behavior in simplistic terms with no gray results in neither God’s justice nor His compassion. The challenge of the Christian is found not God’s justice, but in God’s compassion.

Leave justice in God’s hand. God will take care of the rebellious and the cooperative (Romans 14:12 and 1 Peter 4:5). He knows hearts and motives. We do not. We can be moved by His compassion. We have seen and experienced His compassion. Compassion is within our capability. Read Ephesians 4:31, 32 lately?