It seems to me that the most logical place to begin to think through a biblical approach to justice and mercy would be at the beginning, so that is where we shall take our first step - specifically by looking at how these themes come to life in the Torah. I think often we who approach the Hebrew scriptures from a Christian perspective fail to grasp how truly revolutionary the Torah actually was. We find it difficult to read Leviticus sans Romans or Deuteronomy outside of Galatians and so tend to dismiss it as a burden, as bondage, as something that had to be for a little while so that we could truly appreciate our sinfulness and the freedom that Christ brings. I would argue though that Paul, as well as Jesus, had a profound respect for the Torah that we miss to our detriment. The Torah is where we first begin to see something of God's revelation and so something of His character, and for this reason we would do well to listen closely to what it may have to say.

What made the Torah such a remarkable text was not simply that it created a means whereby God might dwell among people without incinerating them, although that is certainly an upside to the whole affair. In order to appreciate what is happening here we must absolutely keep in the back of our minds that this was primarily an instruction manual for a community, not for individuals. It defined how society was to work and how individuals within that society were to relate to each other. With this perspective, then, we begin to see something different than perhaps we otherwise would find. "An eye for an eye," for example, is not a vengeful declaration as it might be read today. Rather, it is a boundary that says, "This far and no more!" Revenge is tempered by justice, held in check to prevent hostility and escalation.

Once we find this perspective, it immediately becomes apparent that something quite remarkable is taking place. The pages of the Torah are filled, absolutely filled, with God's concern for the alien, the fatherless, and the widow. The Torah places a communal responsibility on the people of Israel to see that the alien, the fatherless, and the widow receive provision and protection. The boundaries are set in place for those of privilege to say, "This far and no more!" in their dealings with those on the margins of Israelite society. In fact, Deuteronomy goes so far as to call curses on those who withhold justice from these people. More than that, the Torah places specific responsibility on the community to care for those who are unable to provide for themselves - among God's people, none are to be left behind or forgotten (to borrow from Lilo and Stitch).

Perhaps what should catch our attention most as it relates to the question of where our responsibility as Christians lies should be specifically the instructions on care for the alien, the foreigner who has chosen the land of Israel as his or her home. For those of us who are accustomed to living in a society that guards private property rights, it is incredibly difficult to make the transition to the Torah mindset. One's identity and standing in Hebrew culture were closely tied to the land itself. We'll look at this in more detail in my next post, but for now recognize that the other two groups mentioned were those most likely to lose possession of the land their family possessed. The alien, however, was in the position of having no land allotment - even land that might come into his or her possession was to revert back to the original family during the celebration of Jubilee. So the alien was truly a transient person in some sense of the word, having no place of permanence in the grand scheme of society as instructed by God.

This, then, should cause our ears to perk up a bit when we read of God's instructions for care of the alien. The foreigner was to have much of the same rights as the Hebrew - even though he or she had no inheritance. And why did God give these instructions? It was because of the Israelites' former status as aliens and strangers in the land of Egypt! They were to take care of the foreigner because God remembered them when they were in captivity in a hostile land. God specifically draws the boundaries for justice and mercy wide, encompassing even those who were outside of the people of Israel. And for those of us who are also known as aliens and strangers, how much more should we draw the boundaries wide, as we were once captives ourselves.