19 February 2025

What we can learn from an obscure Old Testament law

Picture: iStock

Paul Barker

27 December 2024

Have you got a parapet on the roof of your house? Bishopscourt doesn’t have one. Yet the law in Deuteronomy 22:8 demands a parapet for the roof of the house for ancient Israelites. 

It is easy to dismiss Old Testament laws as irrelevant, either because the law is superseded by Jesus, or because we are not Israelite, or because surely we now know better. But Jesus and Paul both uphold Old Testament law, so perhaps we ought to consider this a bit more. 

Behind every Old Testament law lies a principle, sometimes stated, sometimes obvious, sometimes a bit obscure. In this case, the principle is stated: safety for people. Flat roofs in ancient Israel were places for work, play, even sleep depending on the season. Parapets provide safety against falling off. The roof on my house is sharply inclined, so no one goes on the roof. A parapet is unnecessary in such a case. So maybe the law can be dismissed? 

Read more: An elegant, joyful, gentle book: Reading Genesis

Typically Old Testament laws provide examples of principles. In this case, the parapet is an example of the principle of safety. The law is not limited to the example. Therefore, even if I do not need a parapet on my inclined roof, this law begs me to consider safety in my house. Are my electrical points safe? Is the kitchen safe? If children visit, or elderly people, is my house safe for them: even floors, child proof doors and gates, and so on. 

The principle ought not be limited to our houses. The same should apply to our churches. Our compliance to building codes ought not be a burden, but come from a desire for safety to protect others, as an expression of loving our neighbours. 

So too, it seems to me, providing safe churches for vulnerable people. The child safety rules are demanding these days. But safety for children is part of how we express love for others. We should be eager, despite the effort, to ensure our churches are as safe as possible for children, and other vulnerable people. 

Read more: Action plan set to help churches with evolving child safety laws

It is easy to feel burdened by the demands of compliance, whether child safety or OH&S, asbestos and other matters. Many clergy and layleaders feel the heavy yoke of compliance. It can be draining and dispiriting. 

Perhaps we can learn again from the Old Testament, which encouraged God’s people to delight in his law. For example, the longest psalm, 119, delights in God’s law at great length. Psalm 40:8 encapsulates this point: ‘I delight to do your will, O God’. I wonder, then, whether we need to remind ourselves of this and cultivate delight in applying the principles of God’s law for safety of others. If we delight in God, and in his perfect law, and understand that good law to revive the soul (Psalm 19:7), and if we truly love our neighbours, then we will be refreshed and eager to make our churches, buildings and communities, fully safe. 

Bishop Paul Barker serves as bishop of the Jumbunna Episcopate. 

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