In Principle

“When thou dost lend thy brother any thing, thou shalt not go into his house to fetch his pledge. Thou shalt stand abroad, and the man to whom thou dost lend shall bring out the pledge abroad unto thee. And if the man [be] poor, thou shalt not sleep with his pledge: In any case thou shalt deliver him the pledge again when the sun goeth down, that he may sleep in his own raiment, and bless thee: and it shall be righteousness unto thee before the LORD thy God.” (De 24:10-13 AV)

Reading this passage, one might be curious as to exactly what the pledge was.  The pledge spoken above is a garment used for protection against the cold while one slept.  That is pretty detailed.  If we didn’t understand the principle of the law, we might pass right over it.  The law is specific here, but it teaches a broader principle.  If a temporary loan of a necessary possession is needed to be returned, the creditor is not to keep that which the debtor needs.  It is to be returned on a temporary status and then retrieved until the loan is paid.  The Bible may use specifics, but it uses specifics to teach broader principles.  Some believe the bible is antiquated and outdated and does not answer today’s issues.  Yet Peter says, “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:” (2Pe 1:3 AV)  The Bible is the final authority in all matters of faith and practice.  No matter the culture, time, or place, the Bible has the last word.

My wife is a master game player.  If there is a loophole to exploit, she will find it.  A case in point concerns a game called Worst Case Scenario.  Gameplay involves one player to rank in order from least appalling to most appalling five different scenarios.  The rest of the players try to guess the rank of possibilities.  The spirit of the rules is to judge each possibility as an equal scenario.  Hence the name of the game.  However, when my wife plays, she ranks them according to the likelihood of occurrence.  Thus, she ranks losing all her photos on her phone as far more fearful than being mauled by a bear.  The directions do not specifically state that the player is to treat all scenarios as equally possible.  So, she stretched the spirit of the game because the letter of the law does not state the obvious.

The Bible isn’t a detailed rule book that covers all scenarios.  If it was, then there would be no end to it.  Rather, the Bible speaks of principles illustrated by examples but not necessarily constrained by them.  The Bible is filled with principles that guide our choices in every possible scenario.  It is a guide manual.  What follows chapter 24 of Deuteronomy are laws of separation.  The law speaks of keeping separate crops, types of linen, etc.  The principle is separation and distinction.  Not every possible distinction is mentioned.  But the principle remains.  God created things distinct and with particular purpose.  We are not to confuse them.  The point is this.  If we treat the word of God as a mere rule book with all relevant detailed laws enumerated within, we will fail to live a godly life.  It is, and always has been, the principles.