April 20, 2018

Should you break the law to meet someone's need?

by Jennifer Johnson (author's profile)

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Should You Break the Law to Meet Someone's Need?

I really want to visit this subject because there has been people who seriously live in poverty, not because of their choosing. They lost their job by getting laid off, etc.

Homeless don't know where their next meal or their family meal is coming from, so they stole out of the store on a continuous basis. One day, they get caught. The judge sentenced them to jail time for stealing out of the store. The owner wanted them to pay for stealing from them.

If I was the store owner, I would have wanted to know why they were stealing. What are they conditions in life. Once I found out, I would not want charges against them but would have tried to help them. Some things are very petty when it comes to the laws of the land.

I want to share this little nugget with you. ISamuel 21:1: This is the first time Ahimelech is mentioned. Either he was the Ahijah mentioned in ISamuel 14:3 or 18 or, more likely, he was Ahijah's successor. In either case, Ahimelech had to go against the law to give the consecrated bread to David because the bread was supposed to give only to the priests (Leviticus 24:5-9). But Ahimelech put David's need and life ahead of religious ceremony and fed him the consecrated good. This upheld the higher law of love (Leviticus 19:18). Centuries later, Jesus would refer to this incident to show that God's laws should be applied with compassion. To do good and to save life is God's greater law.

Will you save a life instead of sending everyone to jail or prison for breaking the law?

Written by Jennifer Johnson

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