Day 18

When the Lord indicates it's time to conquer the land he promised to the Israelites ancestors, Moses makes a final speech to his people and reminds them how God has been among them throughout their journey since they left Egypt. He also reminds them of God's laws and exhorts them to live according to them. One of the laws received describes that if there disagreement between them and they appear before a judge to seek a solution, they will be fairly acquitted and the guilty party will be sentenced. The judge will order him to lie down and have him lashed in his presence according to the crime. In Deuteronomy 25:3 he says "Forty lashes* may be given, but no more; or else, if more lashes are added to these many blows, your brother will be degraded in your sight." Based on the culture and context of the time, the lashing or whipping was used as the most frequent punishment for minor crimes according to Hebrew law. Today God is asking you, do you believe in my justice? It is nice to see that in the text the mercy of God towards his children is more than evident, that despite failing him so much, he is always willing not only to forgive them but, above all, to respect their dignity as children of God and not allow their bodies to be abused. The text explicitly tells us that God does not want extreme suffering for his children or for them to feel humiliated or defeated at the sight of his brothers, although he does calls for justice in the face of problems. But a different kind of justice than the one we know today, a justice before a judge and not in one's own hand; firm, proportionate, not seeking revenge, honest and upright always trying to keep the fraternal relationship alive. That today we may we fully trust in God's merciful justice from his Love. May the Lord open our hearts to his eternal Love 🙏💕🕊️