Have you ever read through the Old Testament? Long about Exodus and Leviticus, the Bible starts to get very detailed. This is where Bible reading can feel slow going. It’s stuff like, “If an ox gores a man or woman to death, it must be stoned, and the flesh cannot be eaten.” There are hundreds (it seems like) of these dos and don’ts! Seeing what God has for us in this detail can be challenging. In my chronological Bible reading plan, I have just entered this zone.
As I thought about the verses I was reading, civility came to mind. Civility is orderly behavior. Another thought that comes to mind is the consequences of actions. God is separating His people from the chaos of the wicked around them through the dos and don’ts of civility. God wants his people to be civilized! To help with civility, He introduces consequences of action. In other words, “If your ox is known to gore people and you fail to keep it under control, and it kills someone, the ox and the owner must both die.” The basics of civility are in the dos and don’ts and consequences of actions. How good of God to bring civility to chaos!
God wants to bring civility to the chaos in our lives! He has given us His Word. Obedience to His Word, even in the details of our lives, will make for a life different from the chaos of the wicked around us.
“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” (Titus 2:11–14, ESV)
Let us be civilized amid a chaotic, crooked, and perverse world! Why?
“Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.” (1 Peter 2:12, NLT)