We live in a time when questionable ethics pervade every aspect of our society. The Bible has much to say about ethical conduct for those who consider themselves followers of God's laws. The terms ethics and morals are virtual synonyms. Ethics is what is normative and absolute. It refers to a set of standards around which we organize our lives, and from which we define our duties and obligations. Morality, or mores, is the shifting set of behavioral patterns within a society or culture.
The LORD was developing a nation that was based on the ethical holiness of GOD. The moral laws in the 19th chapter were not just commands of conformity. They called for just, humane, and sensitive treatment of others. The elderly, the handicapped, and people experiencing Poverty were all to receive consideration and courtesy. The laborer was to be paid promptly. The stranger was to be shown the same love given to fellow citizens. The ethical treatment of people was not about overt behavior but about motive; vengefulness and bearing a grudge were condemned, as our society has changed from how the LORD intended for us to act.
Regarding the aged or elderly. I can remember when older people were respected. People would hold doors for them, offer them a seat, and allow them to go first in line; they were respected. Older adults were considered wise and insightful. Here in the 19th chapter, we are given this command: Show honor to older adults, stand up when they enter the room. We are to stand upon in the presence of the aged, show them respect, and by doing this, we show reverence to God. Manners are not taught to children today. When an older adult is speaking to you, stand up. Don't walk in front of two older adults talking. Don't interrupt older adults who are in conversation.
There was a time when people looked up to those who had been around the block a couple of times. They had certain knowledge and skills that society considered useful. I remember holding my teachers in high regard and having respect for most of them. Sure, there were those you couldn't stand, but for the most part, you treated them with respect. You would not even consider cussing out a teacher or calling them a name to their face or threatening them with violence. When did we lose our respect for older people? I am not trying to make this a generational issue, but it does seem that every generation has less respect for older people. I am aware that some have been taught to respect their elders; I am speaking about those who don't. What happened in their life that made them so disrespectful?
Our traditions are part of who we are, and many seem unimportant to the culture today, but they are the connection to the past. Some of our traditions are like Grandma's quilt. It is threadbare, hard to clean, and not very warm in the winter. A newer quilt would be much better, warmer, easier to clean, and even fits the bed. We don't throw out Grandma's quilt because we want to hold on to the past. The same goes for the customs of honoring older people; they are our connection to the past and should be honored.
At the beginning of our country, there was no place for people with disabilities. They were treated differently. It wasn't until some people set out to change the way the handicapped were addressed that legislation was enacted in 1973 to change how they were treated. In 1975, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act provided free education for children with disabilities. In 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act protected individuals from discrimination by employers. Do these laws work to give a better life?
People with disabilities are four to ten times more likely to be victimized than people without disabilities. Most crimes against the disabled are not reported. Caregivers often do not believe them when they do report abuse. Most programs for crime victims are not available to many disabled people because of accessibility issues. The FBI and the National Crime Victimization Survey, administered by the Department of Justice, do not include people with disabilities.
Over the past few years, the number of people experiencing Poverty in our country has increased. When President Johnson declared war on Poverty, it was a no-win situation. The War on Poverty has cost $22 trillion -- three times more than what the government has spent on all wars in American history. The federal and state governments spend $1 trillion in taxpayer dollars on America's 80 means-tested welfare programs each year.
Even though the war on Poverty has been a failure, the poor in this country are far better off than in other countries.
Eighty percent of poor households have air conditioning. By contrast, at the beginning of the War on Poverty, only about 12 percent of the U.S. population had air conditioning.
Nearly three-quarters have a car or truck; 31 percent have two or more.
Nearly two-thirds have cable or satellite television.
Two-thirds have at least one DVD player, and a quarter have two or more.
Half have a personal computer; one in seven has two or more computers.
More than half of low-income families with children have a video game system such as an Xbox or PlayStation.
Forty-three percent have Internet access.
Forty percent have a wide-screen plasma or LCD TV.
A quarter have a digital video recorder, such as a TiVo.
Ninety-two percent of poor households have a microwave. TV newscasts about Poverty in America depict the poor as homeless or as residing in dilapidated living conditions. While some families do experience such severe conditions, they are far from typical of the Census Bureau's definition of low-income people. The actual living conditions of low-income families vary widely.
Over the course of a year, only 4 percent of poor persons become temporarily homeless. At a single point in time, one in 70 poor persons is homeless.
Only 9.5 percent of people with low incomes live in mobile homes or trailers; 49.5 percent live in separate single-family houses or townhouses, and 40 percent live in apartments.
42% of poor households own their own homes. The average home owned by persons classified as poor by the Census Bureau is a three-bedroom house with one-and-a-half baths, a garage, and a porch or patio.
Only 7 percent of poor households are overcrowded. More than two-thirds have more than two rooms per person.
The average poor American has more living space than the average individual living in Sweden, France, Germany, or the United Kingdom. (These comparisons are to the average citizens in foreign countries, not to those classified as poor.) Could it be that our changing definition of poor has contributed to the problem?
1.2 billion people live on $1.25 a day. Poor people in developing countries spend 60-80% of their income on food. 3 million children die from malnutrition every year.
Imagine if every child under age 4 in Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia, New York, Connecticut, Delaware, and D.C. had died in 2026. It would be utter chaos.
Maybe the government needs to teach family responsibility and support the family unit instead of breaking it up. Nearly two-thirds of those classed as living in Poverty are single-parent families. It is easier to get government assistance when you are a single parent. Jesus said that we would always have people with low incomes with us. Does that mean we ignore them and treat them with disrespect? No. We need to help free them from the bondage of Poverty.
I am about to wander into an area that has already offended some people. I have been told I lacked love and was a poor example of a Christian. That may be true, but what I believe is not based on my belief system but the word of God.
So, let us tackle the subject of how we treat the stranger. Countless Bible studies have been conducted in America using the passages of scripture about the "stranger" and the "aliens" in our country. The 19th chapter of Leviticus is the foundation for some of this discussion.
Let us read from the Bible, Leviticus 19:33-34. Christians were supporting the "stranger and illegal alien" stop right there and decide they know all they need to know about their duty as Christians towards the illegal alien. We are to treat them like one born among us, according to the Bible. That means the benefits of citizenship.
But wait, they have developed some terrible theology- not to mention politics. Liberals have taken a scripture out of context by failing to understand who is being addressed and what is being said. The question is, how do we deal with the "strangers or foreigners"? Before we start quoting scripture, we need to define the eight words that translate the word stranger, strangers, foreigner, sojourner, or alien, and how they are used. Without this clarification, we have scriptures that appear contradictory and inconsistent.
These laws were given to distinguish the Hebrew people from non-Hebrews. The strangers were not permitted to worship with the Hebrews. They were not to come near the Tabernacle; if they did, they were to be put to death. They could not participate in the Jewish Passover. They were to stay separated from the Hebrew people.
The command is to treat the stranger well because they knew what it was like to be a stranger. Here is a significant difference between the Hebrews and those coming illegally into our country. At first, the Hebrew was the guest of the Egyptian Pharaoh. Later, they would be oppressed by a ruler "who did not know Joseph." They were not trespassers or lawbreakers; they were not there in Egypt illegally. In fact, Genesis 46:28-34 states that they were not to offend their host in any way. God loves the stranger, and so should we. They are to be treated with respect and dignity. They should not be mistreated. They should be given food and clothing as they need. That is the message of the Bible- treat the law-abiding foreigner and aliens with love and compassion.
Those who came into the land of the Hebrews were expected to obey Hebrew Law. They were treated differently from the Hebrew citizens. They could not own property; they could be bought and sold as enslaved people. Strangers were charged interest on loans, and strangers would be put to death if they violated the Law of worship.
So, if we are to follow the teachings of the Bible, those who come to this country do so by invitation only. Foreigners can never own property, they will be put to death if they disrupt our worship, are not to offend the citizens of this country, and they cannot celebrate our religious holidays.
We have an ethical obligation to follow the command of God regarding our fellow man. We can always expect those who have no regard for the Law to disagree with us. I find it difficult to understand why someone would take away from their family and give to someone who disrespects them. I find it even harder to understand how someone can willingly give away the future of their children to criminals. We have all witnessed on the news the stories of those in our country illegally who have taken the life of someone's son or daughter. How is this justified?
As Christians, we have an ethical and moral obligation to treat people with respect, but we are not obligated to assist lawbreakers. Let me say again: the moral laws in the 19th chapter were not just commands for conformity. They called for just, humane, and sensitive treatment of others. The elderly, the handicapped, and people experiencing Poverty were all to receive consideration and courtesy. The laborer was to be paid promptly. The stranger was to be shown the same love given to fellow citizens. The ethical treatment of people was not about overt behavior but about motive; vengefulness and bearing a grudge were condemned, as our society has changed from how the LORD intended for us to act.
When Jesus stated the next great commandment was to "Love your neighbor as yourself, He was saying an Old Testament command found in verse 18 of chapter 19. This scripture is what has been called the "golden rule." There are both negative and positive forms of this "rule," but all of them demand that we treat others with the same kind of treatment we want for ourselves.
At the beginning of chapter 19 of Leviticus, God gave this command: "Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy." There is no doubt a great distance between the holiness of God and the holiness of man, yet God urges us to close that distance by keeping the commandments of God. Jesus said, If ye love me, you will keep my commandments." The Law of Holiness is not addressed to a selected group of individuals. It is applied to the entire community of Believers. The Law aims to create a holy people who live their lives in a display of consecration to God in their day-to-day relations and in all their affairs.
In chapter 18, verse 21, it states, "Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molek, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the Lord." In chapter 19, verse 12, the same expression is used," 'Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the Lord." To profane the name of the LORD is to impair His reputation among the non-believers.
When Christians agree with, tolerate, or condone actions that the LORD has said are a violation of His commandments, they profane the name of the LORD. During the time, these commands were given, people would sacrifice their children to the God Molek. Sacrificing to Molek is no different than those who sacrifice their children to the abortionist. Christians who agree with, tolerate, or condone abortion profane the name of the LORD. Murdering an innocent child is to profane the name of the LORD. How can the LORD bless a nation that both believers and non-believers support the killing of innocent children?
In the book of Ezekiel, when the people of Judah brought punishment upon themselves, they profaned the name of the LORD. The Gentiles regarded the defeat of Judah as a defeat of Judah's God. The reason the people of Judah were in exile was that their God was not powerful enough to protect them. So, the reputation of God was profaned.
How the non-believer views the LORD is not His worry; it is the responsibility of those who call themselves Christian. Christians must live and act to win respect for Jesus Christ among non-believers. Any behavior that brings public disgrace on Christians is taking the name of Jesus Christ in vain. As a representative or witness of the LORD, any action that enhances the dignity and honor of Christianity is the sanctification of the Name of the LORD.
In conclusion, morality, or mores, is the shifting set of behavioral patterns within a society or culture. We have been warned about living a "moral" life. The morality of the end times is given to us in Paul's second letter to Timothy, "But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away." These are the behaviors that exemplify our society.
As Christians, we are to live holy lives in accordance with God's ethics. Ethics is what is normative and absolute. It is the standards around which we organize our lives, and from which we define our duties and obligations. The command to be a holy people is based on ethical living. The ethical standard was given to us by the LORD for the normal life of the Christian. The commands are absolute and not based on cultural morality. The LORD says today, 'You shall be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy."
