Moral Code

We in the US enjoy protection from several branches of military and each branch has their own Code of Conduct.  Among the masses of soldiers are some who are the most highly trained –  the elite, who carry their code throughout their lives.  The Marines are well known for their code and it is said that “once a Marine, always a Marine” because the code is so ingrained in their training.

We all have some sort of moral code.  Society needs a set of rules to live by or it becomes total chaos.  Even the most backwards heathens have a set of rules to live by.  And every moral code addresses, in one way or another, the issue of integrity.... what defines honesty.

Over the past few days, a lot of what we’ve read has covered how to handle “sin” and “sin” has been used to broadly cover a range of actions of disobedience to God.   The matters of honesty and integrity are addressed more specifically today as well as how restoration is to be handled.   Notice that when deception is used to achieve gain, it is not enough to simply return what was taken – there is an additional “fine” attached.   This became such an important principle to the Jews as we will see later when we read the account of Zaccheus in the book of Luke.  Zaccheus was a tax collector who greedily overcharged many people – when he comes to Christ and realizes his sin, he not only returns the money he’s embezzled, he also restores them “four fold”
– or 4 times over.

Also up to now, we’ve seen the requirement for animals sacrificed to be those without spot or blemish – today that, too, is clarified.  In our culture, we may struggle a bit with the definitions of various maladies as being unacceptable to God.  I don’t believe, however, they were not to be used because God didn’t value them.  From my understanding of the times, it was a matter of culture.  Many of the false religions surrounding the Jews also offered animal sacrifices but without regard for the condition or quality of the animal.  By requiring perfection, God was setting His people apart to be distinct from those around them.  And the external examination of the sheep to be given to God in sacrifice is a picture of the process of self-examination to find the internal flaws within ourselves.