God Bends But He Doesn’t Break

How to handle the disobedience of people over whom you have authority, such as subordinates, students, or children? Hopefully, you look for ways to discipline that benefit the offender rather than just exploding in anger. If so, you’re following in the footsteps of God, whose discipline of Israel offers insight into dealing with disobedience.

Israel repeatedly broke God’s commandments. For example, within a generation or two of entering the Promised Land, the people were worshipping idols (Judg. 2:10-13). Throughout their history, they failed to keep the sabbatical and jubilee years (Jer. 34:12-16). And they repeatedly dishonored the Lord’s sanctuary and its implements (1Sam. 4:3-4, 11: 13:7-13). These were direct violations of the covenant (Lev. 26:1-2). And Israel broke almost every other law as well.

In every case, God responded with firm correction, just as He had warned (26:14-39; compare Judg. 2:14-15; Jer. 34:17-22; 1Sam. 7:2; 13:14). Finally He allowed foreigners to take His people into exile (2Chr.36:17-21). Nevertheless, God’s relationship with his recalcitrant and rebellious people always included a place for forgiveness if they repented:

1. He would remember His covenant with Israel’s ancestors, Jacob and Abraham (Lev. 26:42, 45).

2. He would remember the Promised Land (26:42).

3. He would not cast His people away completely, or “abhor” them (26:44).

4. He would not utterly destroy them or break His covenant with them (26:44).

5. He would remain their God (26:44-45).

God shows that a leader must practice loyalty toward disobedient followers even when correcting them. Following His example, can you exercise discipline in a way that helps people rather than destroys them? Can you “bend” under the pressure of disobedience, but not totally break?

A Man Of His Word (Lev. 24-25)

One of the most difficult tasks that anyone in authority faces is to take disciplinary action against people for violating organizational standards. Whether the discipline involves a mild verbal warning or a career-ending firing, there is no way to make it easy. But in God’s severe discipline of a blasphemer (Lev. 24:13-14), we can see two important principles that may help to make discipline more consistent and effective:

1. Enforce standards from the beginning. God had already told His people that He considered blasphemy a capital offense (Ex. 20:7). This case involving Shelomith’s son (Lev. 24:10-12) was the first major test of that law. God followed through on His warning by instructing Moses to carry out a sentence of stoning. In effect God was making an example of the young blasphemer. The principle here is to make expectations clear and then start tough. There’s no point in letting improper behavior slide, hoping it won’t happen again. It invariably will. But if people can see that there are definite consequences for noncompliance, they are likely to think twice before violating the policy.

2. Hold everyone to the same standard; don’t play favorites. The fact that the text names offender’s father as an Egyptian (Lev. 24:10) is significant. Perhaps some among the Israelites thought that the severity of the man’s punishment was due to his racially mixed background: he was the son of a foreigner; he had cursed Israel’s God; so of course he would be punished by stoning.

But God made it clear that there would be no double standard: “Whoever curses his God… whoever blasphemers the name of the Lord…the stranger as well as Him who is born in the land” would be punished (Lev. 24:15-16). God had no intention of playing favorites. How consistent is your discipline, if you are in authority? Justice for all means justice for each one. Certainly there are times for mercy and taking into account extenuating circumstances. But fairness demands that even these be exercised evenly.

Find The Truth In God (Lev. 18-20)

“You can believe anything you want.” “We each have to determine what is right for ourselves.” “That may be true for you; I have my own truth.” The frightening thing about these modern viewpoints is that those who believe them become the definers of truth and reality. The leave no room for objective truth or absolutes. Yet if there are no absolutes determined by a Source that is higher than us as human beings, then we are all gods; or else no truth exists, and we have nothing to bind us together or define how we should treat each other.

God did not leave His people Israel in such a philosophical morass. He clearly spelled our moral and spiritual absolutes, and warned His people to seek ultimate truth from Him, not from other sources (Lev.20:6-8).

We who live today do well to pay attention to God’s unchanging Word. Apart from Him, how can we coexist? By what standards will we define issues such as community, honesty, ethics, truth, morality, crime, and justice? Apart from His help, we are on a destructive path in a world where everyone is always right and no one is ever wrong. Only God holds the key to the truth so seek Him while He can be found.

Give God Your Best (Lev. 21-23)

When it came to sacrifices, offerings, and the payment of vows, God required that the Israelites bring their best animals and goods to Him. Nothing with a defect was allowed (Lev.22:20-23). This was because God is a holy, perfect God. He was worthy of the best that His people had to offer. In the end, all that they had belonged to Him anyway (compare Deut. 8:18, 1Chr.29:14-15).

In light of this command to bring God the best, believers today do well to consider:

Ø Do we honor God with the best of what we have in terms of our time, talent, and treasure or do we just offer Him the “leftovers”?

Ø Do we serve God with our best effort at work, utilizing the resources and abilities that He has given us as best we can?

Ø Do we worship God in an alert, active way, paying attention and entering into His presence with all that we have mind, emotion, and will?

Ø Do we treat others who are made in God’s image with the best of intentions, showing honor, respect, and love toward them as we would toward Christ?

Every moment that God has allowed you to see make an effort to give Him your best.