The Sixth Commandment: Statutes and Precepts (17)
Deuteronomy 22.8
“When you build a new house, then you shall make a parapet for your roof, that you may not bring guilt of bloodshed on your household if anyone falls from it.”
1 Corinthians 8.9-12
Here is yet another way that neighbors exercised responsibility for one another’s wellbeing. Since Israelites frequented their roofs for a variety of reasons, a railing was an essential safety measure. Today we put fences around pools and decks, cut back bushes that obstruct the view of traffic, take precautions when burning in the open air, and enforce other measures that indicate we understand the wisdom and necessity of thinking about others and their wellbeing as part of our civic duty.
All these are forms of preventive justice, that wisdom aforethought that allows us to love our neighbors by keeping their wellbeing in mind in all our plans and projects.
T. M. Moore
The Law of God is the soil which, fertilized by the rest of God’s Word and watered by His Spirit, brings forth the fruit of Christian life. If you’d like to understand this process better, and how to make best use of the Law in your walk with and work for the Lord, order the book, The Ground for Christian Ethics, from our online store.
Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
