There are many commands given in the Pentateuch (the five books of Moses) concerning

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1 Rev. David R. Solum Lent Midweek service 3 February 28, 2018 Immanuel Lutheran, Michigan City Deuteronomy 22:23-27 Hebrews 13:4 Matthew 26: th and 6 th Commandments There are many commands given in the Pentateuch (the five books of Moses) concerning adultery and sexual immorality and most end up in stoning. For our modern ears it is a shockingly brutal punishment. But I would imagine if the Jews of Moses day could see the sexuality of our culture today, they would be equally shocked. The pendulum has swung so far the other direction that most people don t even know what marriage is or why we have it. Sexual immorality is so rampant even among Christians that good, concerned pastors are overwhelmed and left scratching their heads as to what to do about it. If your average Christian shows no self-control, do not be surprised to find all kinds of sexual perversions in the world, inside and outside of the Church In a world that seems to give permission for people to have sexual encounters of any kind at any time (so long as there is some sort of undefined consent ), one should expect to also see horrible, ugly harm done to coworkers, spouses, girlfriends, and at its farthest extreme, even children. When the sexual revolution tore down the barriers of marriage, it opened Pandora s box. It has left its carnage in divorce, children without fathers or mothers, abortion, abuse, rape, and many permanently scarred individuals. What should we do as the Church? First, where we have sinned in our relationships we must repent. Whenever our eyes have wandered or we have entertained dirty jokes or our thoughts 1

2 have been impure, we must lay our sins down before God. Let Christ crucify your sinful nature and its passions and the Spirit purify your hearts. Secondly, live as a godly example of purity and faithfulness in marriage. Don t tell the world to do as you say and not as you do. Show them by example the blessings of chastity, faithfulness, and true, godly love. Ask of your God to help you in this. He will surely cleanse you of sin and give you the strength you need. Thirdly, do not be afraid to talk to others about marriage and family. Be prepared to talk about the definition and purpose of marriage to those who might never have understood it. Share your concern to those who are living in sin and help them to amend their ways. And in the civic realm, elect representatives who will defend the institution of marriage and family. Finally, comfort, defend, and help lift up those who have become casualties of this lawlessness. It s on this point that I d like to spend more time. You ve heard the previous advice before, but the Church doesn t talk enough about what to do with the victims. A few weeks ago I referred to an article from Christianity Today which interviewed Rachael Denhollander, the one who first opened up publically about Dr. Larry Nassar. I mentioned especially the failure of Christians to give her adequate comfort to her in her distress. What I didn t emphasize enough though, was that the main way the Church had failed her was in not helping her find justice. Christians had discouraged her from telling her story and pressing charges. She was told to forgive and forget. 2

3 And this does seem to come into conflict with certain words of Jesus like, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, Forgive your brother who sins against you, and also Turn the other cheek. But does that mean it is wrong to want justice? Does that mean that abuse should go unchecked? This was a struggle for Denhollander. In our reading from Deuteronomy is it abundantly clear that our God desires justice to be done. God ordained the government to punish the wicked and reward the good. It is given the power of the sword to kill. It can take a person s property, freedom, or even life and not be breaking the Fifth or Seventh Commandments. A person who takes justice into his or her hands and harms or kills a person without having the authority to do so, is a murderer. But God-appointed rulers are as St. Paul wrote in Romans 13 avengers who carry out God s wrath on the wrongdoer. That is, governing authorities act as God s arm of justice to punish wickedness and curb sin in the world. God gave us rulers so that we would have safety from evildoers. St. Paul wrote that the ruler is God s servant for your good. Ruling authorities are given the responsibility to defend those who are victimized in society. King Solomon wrote in Psalm 72, May [the king] defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor! And as Solomon wrote in Proverbs 31 as an instruction for kings, Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy. God desires justice on earth because He is a holy and just God and because He loves all His people and wants their needs met. 3

4 It is also incumbent on Christians, when they know of the needs of their neighbor, to help them. This is part of obeying the Fifth Commandment. Martin Luther wrote in the Large Catechism, This commandment is violated not only when we do evil, but also when we have the opportunity to do good to our neighbors and to prevent, protect, and save them from suffering bodily harm or injury, but fail to do so. If you send a naked person away when you could clothe him, you have let him freeze to death. If you see anyone who is suffering from hunger and do not feed her, you have let her starve. Likewise, if you see anyone who is condemned to death or in similar peril and do not save him although you have the means and ways to do so, you have killed him. It will be of no help for you to use the excuse that you did not assist their deaths by word or deed, for you have withheld your love from them and robbed them of the kindness by means of which their lives might have been saved. So then likewise if a child reports abuse and you do not report it to the proper authorities, you are guilty. If a woman confides in you that she has suffered violence and you do nothing to help her find safety or help her seek justice, you are guilty. In addition to giving the comfort of the gospel, Christians must be prepared to act in defending their neighbor, as the Lord proclaimed through Isaiah in chapter 1, Cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow s cause. The commands in our Old Testament reading also give God s people the responsibility of coming to the help of those in distress. To better understand these commands, remember that women lived with their families until they were married. They only met and conversed with other men in very public places like a well or marketplace. There wasn t much opportunity for 4

5 rape in the city. This is why the command was for both to be stoned if a man is found to have slept with a betrothed woman in the city. It was assumed that they were both at fault. But for those who lived in rural areas, it would be more possible for rape to happen without anyone around to hear and help. Therefore only the man would be stoned. The expectation behind this command was that if anyone heard a woman crying out for help, they would come to her aid. God likewise expects us to rescue our neighbor in distress. Do not, though, do it as the world does. They love to destroy reputations without giving a person due process. We are not vigilantes. Otherwise you might mistakenly destroy an innocent person. Then you would be also guilty of sin. But bring cases before the proper authorities and submit to their decision. Then you have no guilt on your hands. One can still love one s enemies, pray for them, and forgiven them, and still let justice be done. Denhollander declared her forgiveness for Nassar and stated her hope that he comes to know the depravity of his sin and repent, yet she also helped him to be convicted of his crimes. She let go of any desire for personal vengeance against him and hoped for his salvation as a Christian should. But she made sure that he received his full and just punishment from God. In this way one can remain humble before God. We leave divine justice in His hands and those whom He has appointed as authorities. The God who hears our cries is the judge. He does not take pleasure in the oppression of His people. He will act on our behalf. Whatever justice you do receive here on earth give thanks to God who gave it. We also recognize that we are all sinners and deserve His punishment, but Christ received God s full judgment on our behalf. 5

6 Therefore, while justice must be done in this life for wrongdoers, salvation can come to all who repent and believe in Jesus Christ. Let everyone find cleansing and restoration in Jesus Christ who was sorely abused for our sake. Let the abused know that they have a Savior who was spat upon, struck, slapped, and mocked for them. Let those who found no justice in the world know that their Lord suffered injustice at the hands of Caiaphas and Pontius Pilate and that He now sits on the throne of God to make sure judgment comes to the wicked in this life or in the life to come. And let the evildoers find Christ who received full divine justice for their sins. In bearing our sins, Jesus became the victim and perpetrator so that He could save both. If you suffer guilt or shame remember the one who became your heavenly bridegroom in baptism. While all earthly marriages are imperfect and all people sinners, Christ is a perfect groom. He offered Himself up for you so that He would cleanse and purify you. Christ only sees His spotless, beautiful bride in you He presents you as such to the Father. Where relationships on earth have failed you, your relationship with God will never fail. God, who gave the commandment to love your neighbor, is love itself. The world and all the powers of hell cannot separate you from this love. The Lord will not fail to deliver you out of your troubles and will at last separate you permanently from the wicked to live forever by His righteous throne. He will wipe away your tears and lead you to everlasting joy. Amen. 6