The Laws We Follow
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Obedience To The Law Provides Peace And Prosperity
by Eric Elkin
Haiti continues to dwell in chaos. This past Saturday, armed gangs broke into two prisons and freed a yet-to-be-determined number of prisoners. By the time news cameras got to the scene, the doors of the jails were all open, and dead bodies were strewn all over the streets. A few prisoners remained behind. They felt safer in a cell than out in the streets.
Decades of government corruption and foreign manipulation are primarily responsible for the country's current state. Corrupt leaders intimidated and executed rivals, forcing many intellectuals to flee the country. The resulting brain drain makes finding capable leaders to guide the nation forward even more difficult. The conditions are so chaotic that few international forces are willing to enter Haiti to help, so chaos continues to rule.
People in the United States should be paying attention to Haiti, but we won't. The chaos of the situation is too much for us to handle. However, one could learn a valuable lesson about what not to do. In a country ruled by laws, people have protection. Where guns rule, the person(s) with the most weapons determines the state of affairs.
The news about Haiti made me think about obedience to the law. The issue of obedience was on my mind as I read Deuteronomy this morning. A search on the internet led me to an excellent article by Claire Gardner on the William and Mary Law School website. Gardner described the difference between Rule by Law and Rule of Law. When governments attempt to Rule by Law, they place themselves above the law. Meanwhile, "Rule of Law means that all entities, including the government, must adhere to the supremacy of the law."
Democracy cannot exist without the Rule of Law. This is the point of Clare Gardner’s article. She cites the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 16:" The Rule of Law plays a key role in promoting peaceful, just, and inclusive societies and . . . ensuring sustainable development." Reading this article made me think about how all U.S. citizens could learn from these principles.
The Rule of Law is a fragile construct. It depends upon both leaders and citizens being obedient to the laws. If we elect leaders who do not respect the Rule of Law, order will rapidly decline. At the same time, if citizens do not respect or follow the Rule of Law, chaos, as we are witnessing in Haiti, is inevitable. Think about our roadways. What if people just stopped following speed limits? How safe would it be to drive?
Christians wildly misunderstand the laws of the Bible. We think of them as individual demands on our personal our relationship with God. We read them like they are Rule by Law. God is this omnipotent force above the law, demanding "good" behavior and punishment for" bad" behavior. The laws of God in Deuteronomy are intended to shape community life and provide a system of justice. We should read them as Rule of Law principles. The laws of God connect the obedience of leaders to the faithfulness of citizens so all might prosper.
Obedience is not the word we like to use in defining our relationship with God, but we should. If you want to know why, consider Haiti. When personal freedom rules without boundaries, people will live in chaos. Boundaries on behavior provide peace and freedom for all. In the Bible and in the culture, wisdom is defined by the laws we follow.
Click to read Deuteronomy 4:1;5-9