When Life Isn't Perfect

WHEN LIFE ISN’T PERFECT—Deuteronomy 21-25 (read 24:1-15)

(1st church—Susan: can’t stay in marriage—5 kids, limited education, no job, no house)
Sometimes life isn’t perfect!
Maybe not that bad—
maybe were blessed with stable family growing upàemotionally, relationally healthy,
are blessed with faithful, loving husband or wife—kids doing great
healthy and capable, financially secure, good life
(or maybe it’s mostly that you’re able to keep up appearances)
But many people in our society aren’t
(one reason they avoid church: for nice people and nice families)
(when they come to church, reminded that their lives aren’t so perfect
Sometimes life isn’t perfect—that’s why we need to study Old Testament
World of Old Testament was far from perfect
Most obvious for women: often treated like property
Polygamy common (rivalry)
Double standard: women could be stoned for adultery, but men…
Men held all the cards: threat of divorce or disinheriting children…
Economically: if divorce or widowhoodàeither cult prostitution or total poverty
Most men didn’t have it that great either
Many were “servants” (really slaves)
Those who weren’t: often one bad year away from being sold to pay debts
Crime or even accidentà”eye for an eye” or much worse (Taliban)
Life simple—but disease common (life expectancy perhaps 40)
Sanitation and personal hygiene pretty primitive (much of Leviticus…)
In many ways, we can’t relate—but we can relate to one thing: Life isn’t always perfect
Old Testament is very realistic book, for people whose lives aren’t perfect—
Helps us to deal with real world—gets us looking for something better
If here last week, to interpret O.T.: What do we learn about God and God’s way of life?
(God and human nature and things like right and good way of life don’t change)
{{{3 points}}}
I. God is restrains evil in world that is less than perfect
(Charles and Diana—storybook wedding—affairs, bulimia, tension and deception)
(many live in beautiful homes: hurting people, unhealthy patterns of behavior…
(for millions: “normal life” of marriage, steady work, stable home life seems out of reach)
Sometimes life is not perfect—and God sees and knows
· God steps in to restrain evil
-most clearly, he protects vulnerable women
not play musical wives—not divorce her for no reason—
if accuse her of not being a virgin as she claimed, and that was a lie, pay a fine
in case of adultery: both man and woman liable to same penalty (unlike Afghanistan today)
rape (he said, she said): some provision for her protection
even captive from war: must have month to mourn—status of wife—not treat her as slave
-debtors—not take advantage of person in bad situation (equivalent today: bankruptcy laws)
loan at no interest (today, not beyond “price of money”)
for collateral—don’t take his millstone (future livelihood)
if he is poor, and gives you his cloak as collateral—let him sleep on it at night!
if he becomes slave to someone else and shows up at your door—give him place to sleep