Law and living example

“Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness.
Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that Stumblingstone;
As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a Stumblingstone and Rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed.” (Rom. 9:31,32).

Among the many beautiful principles of the laws of Moses was the law of the master-slave relationship. The servant was to work efficiently for his master; and the master was to provide for and remunerate the servant fairly.

“Now these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them.
If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing.
If he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself: if he were married, then his wife shall go out with him.
If his master have given him a wife, and she have born him sons or daughters; the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out by himself.
And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free:
Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever.
And if a man sell his daughter to be a maidservant, she shall not go out as the menservants do.
If she please not her master, who hath betrothed her to himself, then shall he let her be redeemed: to sell her unto a strange nation he shall have no power, seeing he hath dealt deceitfully with her.
And if he have betrothed her unto his son, he shall deal with her after the manner of daughters.
If he take him another wife; her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish.
And if he do not these three unto her, then shall she go out free without money.
He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death….
And if a man smite the eye of his servant, or the eye of his maid, that it perish; he shall let him go free for his eye’s sake.
And if he smite out his manservant’s tooth, or his maidservant’s tooth; he shall let him go free for his tooth’s sake.” (Ex. 21:1-12,26,27).

We see in Genesis, the first book of the law, examples of faithful discharge of the law of the servant /master. Moses’ biography of Joseph served as a high standard by which the Israelites could compare the letter of Moses’ law to the law’s full expression in Joseph’s life.

Abraham also exemplified that principle by humbly bowing as a servant before the Hittite landowners and paying full price for a piece of their land. Isaac, also, displayed the same humility by deferring to the abusive locals, envious at him because he could dig water-producing wells, and they couldn’t. He bowed to their unfounded accusations by giving up his wells to them until their consciences got the best of them and they stopped accusing him. Jacob, too, exhibited the high standard of God’s law to Moses as he faithfully cared for Laban’s huge flocks in the frost and heat, night and day, whether thirsty in drought or soaked in the rain.

Yet it was Joseph who best displays the beauty of holiness; who so faithfully discharged his duties as slave and household accountant, that his master, Potiphar, didn’t even know or care to think of his own personal finances because he so loved and trusted his Hebrew servant.

All these examples placed beside the law of Moses gave life to the law. Moses’ law wasn’t characterized by oldness or deadness, as Paul alluded, unless it was presented and taught to the people without the involvement of these human recipients and channels of God’s grace and prosperity, these living examples of the principles pronounced by the law.

Hebrews, chapter eleven, says how it is that they became such great people—By faith… By faith… By faith…. By faith in self? Self-esteem? No, by faith in God, waiting patiently for God to esteem them. These heroes in the epistle to the Hebrews were children of the law through faith in God’s promises.

Likewise, we today can read the Law, newly amplified and filled to its fullness in the greatest example ever—through Jesus, the Son of God.

“Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.
For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.
For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.” (1Pet. 2:18-20).

This rule is founded wholly upon the Old Testament law given by Christ to Moses. No? And we can keep this rule of conduct and tuck it away deeply into the memory banks of our minds; but its principles alone won’t do us any good; not without the living examples of the past patriarchs and prophets, priest and kings and holy men of old—and even infinitely so much more through the life of Christ—the Example who “ever liveth to make intercession for us.”

As we read on, “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps:
Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth:
Who, when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not;but committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously:
Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” (vs. 21-24).

It’s not enough to take the principle of efficient work and productivity and be able to serve our bosses effectively… even if the principles are from the Bible, the best of any other inspirational book. If we just take the law (or principle, or the work ethic, etc.) and go to put it into effect, just for the sake of principle, we will find that we can never attain obedience to those wonderful principles and ethics, as holy and just and good as they are.

We will stumble over the very same stumblingstone that Israel did. We will attempt righteousness by ourselves, of our own steam and willpower.

How does this work? Just like so:

If I put my boss’s interest first and foremost in all my thoughts and goals, I destroy my family. The whole motivation behind a company is to survive in a dog-eat-dog economy. Constant usurping of the comfortable place of large market shares strikes fear in every company, and causes their continuous efforts to bring greater efficiency and creativity to their company. This must be accomplished by the labor force within that company. Thus, the whip is lashed over the employees.

Let’s say I give 110% of myself to the organization of my employ, 110% of my life as they desire. Then what’s left for my family? What’s left for my health? Or my God? An employer may recognize the importance of the family life upon his employees’ frame of mind, and he might see the place of good health to overcome the stresses of the job. But rarely will he realize God’s place in the realm of productivity.

But, if we will take the law of God regarding the faithfulness of employees, and we look to Jesus and His perfect example of love for us and for His bosses, then we will be imbued with a power to serve in perfect efficiency; we’ll receive a creativity to bring new and better methods and products. We will also not allow work to destroy our family, despite our employer’s attempts to cause this to happen. We will jealously guard the encroachment of work into time with spouse and children and our extended family matters. And God will protect us as we do this.

We will also not allow work to destroy our health. We will use the Lord’s preventive measure in His 8 laws of health and find new energy to perform better than anyone else in the workplace.

We also won’t let work demands tempt us to be sparing in our service to God. We will be seeking first the kingdom of God, and prosperity and productivity will come our way. And this is the only way it will come. Every other method is a dead end street. And that prosperity by God seen in our performance trickles down to benefit our employers, and may possibly even spread throughout the office, the department, and, given time, throughout the whole company, catapulting it to the top of the charts.

Getting to know God. Getting acquainted with Jesus is the one and only way to prosperity. He is the way. He is the truth. He is the life. He is the law.

Truth is not an it , it’s a Him .