The Wisdom of Morality

UV 4279/10000 The Wisdom of Morality When you build a new house, you shall make a railing ( parapet) around your (flat) roof, so that you do not bring the guilt of (innocent) blood on your house if someone falls from it. Deuteronomy 22 v 8 It is amazing that God ( Jehovah) instructed the Israelites through Moses even about this- prevent any accidental death or injury to anyone in your newly built house. The immediate previous verse speaks of compassion to birds that on finding a nest on a tree, we can take the young but leave the mother. It comes with the promise that all shall go well with us and our days might be prolonged. God expects us to be both proactive and compassionate in all our ways. He is truly the Architect of Architects and instructed the ancient Israelites to even take steps to prevent an accidental fall from their houses. There is also the principle embedded in the word that we are accountable even for an accidental shedding of innocent blood or even cruelty to other creatures like birds. The spirit behind such instructions in the Old Testament is that we are to be conscientious, careful, compassionate even as God is compassionate and just. When we sow injustice in any manner, knowingly or unknowingly, there is a price to pay. Yet God allowed the innocent blood of His own Son, only One begotten of a woman, to be shed so that each of us can obtain grace for our own sins of omission and commission. It would have broken His heart even as it caused great agony to Jesus as witnessed on the rock of agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus could have pleaded that even the blood of creatures or a fellow human cannot be shed unjustly but He willingly paid the price for the absolution of mankind of all guilt for willful sins and the hidden, subtle, unconscious sins. The moral codes of humanity are derived from the Judaeo-Christian laws as embodied in this uni-verse. It stems from the belief that God exists and He is just and moral. Hence, we, His creatures and only creatures made in His image, need to obey His laws, His word, abide by His principles. We cannot question the logic behind taking the young birds and to spare the mother bird. We cannot plead that there is no mens rhea or guilty intention in an accidental injury or loss to our neighbours, the ones who are close to us in physical and emotional proximity as defined by Jesus in the story of the Good Samaritan. It is also a logical corollary that when we do not believe in God, then there is no need for sensitivity, morality, compassion. Ironically, much of the contemporary world seem to have no difficulty in accepting the need for a moral code of conduct but not the Law Giver, the Author of that code. The Author alone has the ultimate authority to enforce the code. The rider He has put in serves as a warning we need to heed, "that all shall go well with us and our days might be prolonged." Hence, there is a hidden self interest in all enlightened moral conduct as it is in our own interest we are to be moral, compassionate, righteous and we are by no means, doing God a favour. That said, our righteous conduct of all our affairs pleases the Lord God and He ordains that we are rewarded with " all shall go well.." and a promise of longevity since we respected the rules of life He has prescribed.