Saving Private Dignity/通情达理的律法

申命记第22章：1-12节，24章：8节-25章：4节
Sermon on Deuteronomy 22:1-12; 24:8-25:4

One morning, I was having breakfast at a coffeeshop in Tiong Bahru. It is quite a common occurrence there to have old people carrying a big bag of tissue paper and asking if you want to buy a few for a dollar. Occasionally, there will also be one or two who would just beg for money instead. That morning, a man was doing just that, walking from table to table and then holding out his hand for money. He came to this middle-aged big-sized man who was eating alone, wearing a business attire with his long-sleeved shirt and tie. He said, “What do you want?” The old man mumbled something inaudible. The man asked again, “What? What do you want?” At this point, I was a little irritated. The old man was obviously asking for money. I felt that, either you choose to give him some money, or you can just say no, and the skinny little old man can just move on. What’s the point of this questioning? You can tell I was feeling a little angry. Then the man continued, “What do you want?” After hearing some mumbles from the old man, he said, “Ok, you want food, is it?” He sat the man down at the same table and walked to the noodle stall next to him. “A bowl of noodles for this man, I’ll pay.” In the end, they sat opposite one another eating noodles.

At that point, I felt a little ashamed of myself. I had learnt a good lesson on dignity. There I was judging the man because I thought he was harassing an old man. Yet, he treated the man with more dignity than all the times when I bought tissues from the disabled or supported a street musician. He treated him like any other person and not just a beggar, as if he was just a role that had to be dealt with or brushed aside. He is a person. Since it is an engagement between person to person, if you want something, you have to speak up and ask for it. If the money is for food, then I’m buying the food for you, not just giving you money. I’m not dispensing away with you, as if you have no part in my life. And if it is food you want, well, you are eating with me. In a way, this man was behaving quite strongly against the old man. I’m sure the old man would rather take some money and go away. But I admire the way he did not take the easy way out, and would rather take the time to engage the old man properly. In doing so, he has honored the old man with dignity. It was a person to person engagement.

I’m sure that when you are listening to the story, you may have your own interpretation of the right thing to do. How a society and an individual should deal with the poor and needy is an age old topic. Whether it is ancient times or modern times, as Jesus says, “The poor you will always have with you.”(Matthew 26:11) It goes without saying that a responsible community should be helpful towards the poor and needy. The question is how and in what way. In our passage today, we can identify at least one key criterion, help should be given in a way that preserves human dignity. We will take some time to understand the different situations used as examples, and then I will offer some of my personal reflections.

The first scenario refers to lending money to the poor. Chapter 23 already states that “19 Do not charge a fellow Israelite interest, whether on money or food or anything else that may earn interest.” But even though you cannot charge interest, you may want some form of collateral to ensure that the borrower would return the money.
Deuteronomy 24: 10 When you make a loan of any kind to your neighbor, do not go into their house to get what is offered to you as a pledge. 11 Stay outside and let the neighbor to whom you are making the loan bring the pledge out to you. 12 If the neighbor is poor, do not go to sleep with their pledge in your possession. 13 Return their cloak by sunset so that your neighbor may sleep in it. Then they will thank you, and it will be regarded as a righteous act in the sight of the Lord your God.
On one hand the law protects your property rights, and honours honest commercial and monetary dealings. But it also sets limits on the creditors so that the dignity of the borrowers can be preserved. Since you cannot go into the debtor’s house, you cannot seize the collateral of your choice. You cannot humiliate him in front of his family. If the debtor is so poor as to pledge his cloak, which serves as a blanket by night, you must return it to him so that he would not freeze to death, or have to beg you for it.

The second scenario is on workers who are fully reliant on others for work. It can be assumed that such a person would have to be landless and tradeless. He would have been able to find employment only seasonally.
14 Do not take advantage of a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether that worker is a fellow Israelite or a foreigner residing in one of your towns. 15 Pay them their wages each day before sunset, because they are poor and are counting on it. Otherwise they may cry to the Lord against you, and you will be guilty of sin.
Employers may have their interest to ensure that these workers really put in a day’s work, so they would withhold payment until they are satisfied that work has been done. But when the work is done, they may then lack a sense of urgency to pay. These laws spell out that God watches over those who are desperate, he becomes the protector of the poor. You may claim that late payment may be in your own interest or it is simply an oversight. But it is your responsibility to preserve the dignity of these poor workers, and be sensitive to their needs.

The third scenario refers to the family of criminals.
16 Parents are not to be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their parents; each will die for their own sin.
Even though the law at times deals with people as family units, and remember that I’ve talked about a clan-orientated society; but in terms of capital punishments, it chooses a compassionate and caring interpretation. This law keeps in mind the fully-dependent and vulnerable within a family, such as the very old or the very young. If they are innocent, then they should not be punished along with their family members who are criminals.

Hence this is the summary statement.
17 Do not deprive the foreigner or the fatherless of justice, or take the cloak of the widow as a pledge. 18 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you from there. That is why I command you to do this.
In all three scenarios, it is about how the laws of the people of God should be exercised. On one hand, the law recognizes the rights of the creditors, the employers and the aggrieved plaintiffs. But the rights cannot extend beyond infringing the dignity of a person, especially if they are poor and helpless. This is Justice. No matter who you are, you have the right to be recognised and treated as a human being. These laws give attention to situations in which human welfare and dignity are protected against any possible overly zealous administration of the law.

The fourth scenario then talks about proactive things you can do to help the poor.
19 When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. 20 When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow. 21 When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, do not go over the vines again. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow. 22 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt. That is why I command you to do this.
“Would it not have been easier simply to harvest thoroughly and to give a portion to the needy? Perhaps. But the biblical method allows the needy the satisfaction of work. It creates conditions in which even the most underprivileged may gain a sense of accomplishment and self-reliance.” [1]

The fifth scenario refers to the execution of punishments.
Deuteronomy 25: When people have a dispute, they are to take it to court and the judges will decide the case, acquitting the innocent and condemning the guilty. 2 If the guilty person deserves to be beaten, the judge shall make them lie down and have them flogged in his presence with the number of lashes the crime deserves, 3 but the judge must not impose more than forty lashes. If the guilty party is flogged more than that, your fellow Israelite will be degraded in your eyes.
Not just the family members of criminals, but even the criminals themselves also deserve respect. “One might expect (these precautions) to be for the criminal’s benefit, a humanitarian gesture. Instead, however, Deuteronomy specifies that they are so that the criminal may not be degraded in the eyes of the community. The concern is to protect the community from the very human tendency to devalue wrongdoers, to see them as somewhat less than human beings, as animals or monsters who deserve to suffer. Even criminals are fellow human beings who bear God’s image.” [2]

As we reflect on all five scenarios, we see how specific laws, precautions and injunctions were given to teach the community how to treat the marginalized. They may not have the yellow ribbon project or the community chest, but they have one underlying basic principle, every single human being has their dignity. It might be hard to see the link to the commandments, but these laws were actually elaborations on the commandment: Thou shall not bear false witnesses. “To assault human dignity in such a way is to bear false witness. It is to say through one’s actions that a person made in God’s image is of lesser value than a modest monetary sum, of lesser value than a cloak.” [3] How we treat others reflect how we perceive them. When we honor someone, we treat them with great respect. When we look down on a person, we treat them like dirt. It is easy and dangerous to think lowly of a person who is poor or a wrongdoer or someone who is vulnerable and fully dependent on you. I say it is dangerous because the moment you forget that they bear God’s image as a human, you are denying their worth before God. This is not just about how each one of us should behave, but also about how our community should behave. When we help the poor, we do it in such a way that they can work for themselves and live with dignity. When we punish those who do wrong, they can pay for their mistakes, but they can continue to remain within the community in future. Therefore, it is important how we see them, but it is also important how they see themselves.

Some of you, especially those from the elderly ministry would be familiar with Project Dignity Kitchen. This is their philosophy: “Since its inception in October 2010, Project Dignity Kitchen is Singapore’s first hawker training school for disabled and disadvantaged people. We operate real food court allowing public to experience and interact with our students just like regular eating places. This way we believe enhancing educational value inside-out from our students to public, as well as outside-in from public to get used to handicapped people servicing them. Our mission statement is: To build and return the dignity to the disadvantaged and disabled through vocation with passion.” [4] I think this project is very well thought out because it gives the community a proper perspective on how to see the disabled amongst us. They are also valuable contributing members. It also gives these people a proper perspective of themselves. They also can live with dignity with rewards from their own efforts.

The laws of Deuteronomy don’t just stop at human dignity. Animals are also God’s creation, and they deserve to be treated with respect too. The next scenario refers to working animals.
4 Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.
Israel’s respect of life and living things must extend to all levels of society and beyond to incorporate even the ox. When the animal is working, it deserves to feed itself.

And this respect is not just for your own animals. It includes even the animals of others.
Deuteronomy 22: If you see your fellow Israelite’s ox or sheep straying, do not ignore it but be sure to take it back to its owner. 2 If they do not live near you or if you do not know who owns it, take it home with you and keep it until they come looking for it. Then give it back. 3 Do the same if you find their donkey or cloak or anything else they have lost. Do not ignore it. 4 If you see your fellow Israelite’s donkey or ox fallen on the road, do not ignore it. Help the owner get it to its feet.
In this scenario, it is not enough that you do not cause harm unintentionally. One must strive to do good. We help, even animals, because we recognize the value of life.

Furthermore, this respect even extends beyond animals belonging to people, we must respect even animals in the wild. This is the final scenario for today.
6 If you come across a bird’s nest beside the road, either in a tree or on the ground, and the mother is sitting on the young or on the eggs, do not take the mother with the young. 7 You may take the young, but be sure to let the mother go, so that it may go well with you and you may have a long life.
“To prevent the depletion of bird population, one must not take mother and young at the same time. To take the mother only, before the young have reached maturity, would have doom the young and have the same effect of taking both together. The young may be taken (as food), then leaving the mother to rear other offspring in the future and assuring the continuation of (life). [5]

All these laws that we have seen, eight different scenarios from humans to animals, they may seem to be very obvious to you. You might be thinking that, of course I’ll do this if I was in that scenario. But one thing I learnt from looking at history, is that learning respect is never obvious. Some may argue that respect has to be earned. But I say that respect has to be learned. Big difference. We are inclined to respect someone or something when we can see its value to us, whether it is someone influential or something valuable. But when the value is not obvious, we actually have to learn the respect. Think of the days before women rights and anti-slavery laws. The respect of human dignity, no matter who you are, is never obvious. If this is the way we see humans, the animals can only fare much worse. And so as a community who claims to be the people of God, our laws should teach us what is respect, and how to respect. If we rely on what feels right, or what is obvious, then the marginalized continue to be marginalized.

In conclusion I would like to share a personal reflection on our society. I was watching a Korean Drama called “The Chaser” (追击者). One of the characters, who was a politician, aspiring to be the next President said this: When the chariot needs to go on a journey, running over some bugs is unavoidable. (大马车出征远行，难免会辗死几只虫子。) Does this sound right to you? Sacrifices are unavoidable when we want to have progress. Is that true? In the context of the Israelites, “progress was welcome, but it often came at a price that the smaller rural communities of Israel could ill afford. Wealth and the promotion of trade threatened to undermine many older values and supportive customs.” [6] The laws in today’s passage taught the Israelites that no matter how much the economy may change, nobody has the right to harm another man’s dignity. On the contrary, they need to strive to preserve their dignity through active help in sensitive ways. Similarly, our country has progressed much over the years. I think the government did well in giving subsidies to the poor and ensuring equal opportunity through education and employment. Nonetheless, I worry about certain “unavoidable” sacrifices for the sake of economic progress. With higher inflation, privatised public services, global competition and a general faster pace of life, I'm sure there are many who struggle to cope. As we get busier and busier, it gets easy to overlook the needy. But today's message teaches us, there is no such thing as minding my own business. Everybody's business can become your business, if you can play a part in restoring their dignity. Maybe it is lending money with kindness. Maybe it is treating your domestic helpers well. Maybe it is giving an ex-convict a job opportunity. Maybe it is fighting animal cruelty. I know there are no easy solutions. As a secular country, the laws must protect businesses, even the casino business. But our Bankruptcy Act protects the debtors from creditors who seize their the tools of trade and also clothing, bedding, furniture, household equipment and provisions as are necessary for satisfying the basic domestic needs of the bankrupt and his family. [7] This is the very minimum in preserving human dignity. I'm also thankful for laws such as the Maintenance of Parents Act, which helps parents in financial trouble. The law can do its part. Privately, I know that the welfare from the country goes beyond that. If you truly desperate and living on the streets, the police will bring you to a state destitute home.[8] I know because we have a church member living like that. So the country will do its part. And we as a community of the people of God should always strive to do better.

[1] Mark E. Biddle, Deuteronomy: Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary, p 365
[2] Biddle, p 366
[3] Biddle, p 361
[4] http://projectdignity.sg/about
[5] Biddle, p 331
[6] The New Interpreter’s Bible, vol 2, p 472
[7] See sub Section 2 of Section 78 of the Bankruptcy Act.
[8] See http://app.msf.gov.sg/Policies/HelpingtheNeedy/WelfareHomes.aspx