Book by Book
The Bible is the most important book in the world.
It not only takes us through the whole history of the universe from beginning to end, but it can also speak clearly to us about daily life:
Why are we here?
Is there really a God who has shown up in human history?
How should we live?
Book by Book explores the Bible's answers to the deepest questions.
Book by Book
Deuteronomy episode 7 - Ordered Lives, Honorable Living
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Chaos has become our default state. As we rush through life tethered to our devices, boundaries blur and integrity falters. But what if there's a better way?
Deuteronomy offers striking wisdom about living ordered lives that honor God. Those unusual Old Testament laws about not mixing different seeds or fabrics? They're actually teaching us something profound about maintaining boundaries and integrity in every aspect of life.
"The Lord is trying to give them physical boundaries that are constantly making them think: am I single-minded or am I double-minded?" explains Dr. Paul Blackham. These principles extend to our understanding of gender, sexuality, community, and even business ethics.
When discussing gender, Dr. Sunil Raheja observes that while cultural stereotypes can be unnecessarily restrictive, God has established certain realities in creation itself. "God has made categories," he notes, explaining that there are consequences when we disregard the order established by our Creator - like a fish attempting to survive on land.
Perhaps most countercultural is the Bible's elevated view of sexuality. Where modern culture reduces sex to recreation or mere appetite, Deuteronomy treats it with profound seriousness. "Sex is like fire," Sunil illustrates. "Within monogamous marriage, it's like the fireplace - providing warmth and comfort. But take the fire out of the fireplace, and you can burn the whole house down."
God's vision extends to how we treat the vulnerable, approach justice, care for creation, and conduct business. Each area demands the same integrity - no cutting corners, no exploitation, no dishonesty. These boundaries aren't restrictive but protective, creating space for genuine flourishing.
Are you tired of living chaotically? Join us as we discover how centering our lives on Christ brings the order, purpose and integrity we desperately need in today's fragmented world.
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Welcome to Book by Book
Speaker 1Hello and welcome to Book by Book . Now , if this is the first time you're joining us , this is the place where we have the joy of meeting Jesus in all the scriptures . My name is Steve Nicholls and it's great to have you with us for study number seven on the book of Deuteronomy . Are you under pressure ? Always in a hurry , many of us are cutting corners , slaves to our phones , often full of anxiety . This can have an impact on our moral and our spiritual life as well , and in today's study we're going to learn how our lives can be ordered and have an integrity that honours the
Meet Our Guests
Speaker 1Lord . With me today for our study are Dr Sunil Raheja , psychiatrist , coach and author , originally from a Hindu background but a follower of Jesus now for many years , and Dr Paul Blackham , church planter , church minister and theologian . We're going to dive straight into our Bible . So if you have one there , please turn to Deuteronomy , chapter 22 , and we'll read from verse 9 .
Speaker 1Do not plant two kinds of seed in your vineyard . If you do , not only the crops you plant but also the fruit of the vineyard will be defiled . Do not plow with an ox and a donkey yoked together . Do not wear clothes of wool and linen woven together , make tassels on the four corners of the cloak you wear . Wow , interesting reading
God's Order and Integrity
Speaker 1. Paul Deuteronomy 22 opens with a whole range of wisdom on how to live . What's all this about ? What connects all these different laws in this chapter ?
Speaker 2Yeah , and sometimes the bit like that you read and it has a thing about don't wear clothing that has like two to the , the two different kinds of cloth in the same piece of clothing . That sort of thing is often what people read if they want to mock the bible . And then if you say , oh , I don't , you know , I think it's important to tell the truth , or I don't think you should steal they , and they'll go , oh , are you wearing clothes with different kinds of cloth ? And they'll think they're clever , remember it . And I'm saying , but what is that law about ? Well , you've asked me .
Speaker 2The thing is , all of this is to do with what we might call boundaries and integrity and boundaries , and it's about the crops and things Now at one level . So the Lord's , what we tend to do is mush everything up into chaos in life and we don't have boundaries and we don't have integrity , and the Lord is trying to give them physical , like boundaries . That is constantly making them think am I like single-minded or am I double-minded ? Am I living in chaos or am I living in a certain sort of order with proper boundaries ? And so actually , don't plant two kinds of seed in your vineyard . It's like all farmers know it's much more efficient to have a field that's just potatoes . So if you're like I'm going to have potatoes and cabbages and have a few tomatoes in there , well , that's an incredibly difficult way to farm .
Speaker 2All of it actually makes common sense . A piece of clothing that's 100% cotton is like the best quality or 100% something , whereas if you go , it's cheaper clothing , if it's like mixed integrity . So we kind of all know this , we all know this to be true , but the Lord's actually just saying I'm going to give you , I want you to live a kind of life so that all the things you do farming and eating and getting dressed will be subtly reminding you don't live in chaos , don't run over boundaries , try to have things in an ordered , thought-through , logical way of life , because it's not just that I'm bothered about how you do your crops and your cooking and things . I'm really wanting this to be the kind of character of your heart and mind that you have integrity , a single-mindedness , and you're just not living in chaos .
Speaker 1So helpful . Thank you , sunil . If I can turn to you Chapter 22 , verse 5 . A woman must not wear man's clothing , nor a man wear woman's clothing . I mean , these kind of verses jump out at us today particularly don't they . What's the Bible's wisdom can you tell us for people who may feel they don't fit the stereotypes in society of gender
Gender, Boundaries, and Design
Speaker 1?
Speaker 3Yes , and again , I think it goes back to Paul's comment about God has created an order and a system that needs to be respected . And so when we look at passage you know , deuteronomy 22 , verse 5 that appears so out of sync with our culture and our age and our way of thinking . What it's saying is , again , as Paul was saying , is that God is a God of order and in the same way as there's day and night , in the same way as there's day and night , in the same way that there's right and wrong , there is male and female . And you know the fascinating thing you know talking , you know , as someone who's a doctor as well is every single cell of your body is either XX female or XY male . You have billions of cells and within every cell , that blueprint is there . Now some people say , what about things like intersex and people who are ? Well , intersex is at 0.02% . It's tiny and unfortunately there's a lot of misinformation going around . But the reality is , when you look at the science , they're categories . And again it goes back to this issue is that God has made categories .
Speaker 3I think one of our challenges that we have in our modern world is because of technology and because of the power that technology gives us , we can blur those boundaries . And we can blur that , you know . And you know as a simple example . You know , because of our smartphones and our computers , I can be working 24 , seven . I can be doing , I can be working 24-7 . I can be working at 3 o'clock in the morning , I can be sleeping at 3 o'clock in the afternoon . We can mess things up , but we weren't created that way .
Speaker 3And it's again . You know , in a previous study we talked about don't remove an ancient boundary stone . Well , these are , if you like , boundary stones that God has put and dangers and consequences arise when we break them , and they will . And again , if I choose to , you know an example if I buy a new car and , instead of putting petrol in the car , I put water , and if I drive it at first gear , you know , at 50 miles an hour , what's going to happen . Okay , you know I'm not respecting the order and structure that the manufacturer has made the car . Now , if I go and break the order that God has made , I'm going to spoil everything . And so we are made for order . You know Ecclesiastes . You know there's that . There's a time for everything under the sun you know it's , everything is , that's the way we're made .
Speaker 3But again , I think the problem is because we have the power now to change things . We somehow , as it were you know , using another metaphor throw the baby out of the bath . Well , we just think . Well , we can just blur everything . Well , we blur , blur everything . We will suffer consequences .
Speaker 1Our culture , views of gender . Well , gender stereotyping can actually be quite oppressive and narrow , can't they ?
Speaker 3Well , yes , no , that's a great point .
Speaker 2I mean that is a thing because , like the law , it's funny because he has proper boundaries . Like it says male or female . But what often people get concerned about ? They , like it says male or female , but what often people get concerned about ? They'll say like , well , this is what a man's supposed to be and I don't really feel that way . That doesn't fit me . And it's like , yeah , but god , the bible doesn't have these ludicrous views of what it means to be a man or what it means to be a woman . Like it's . There's these biological realities , but the lord's like don't like feel you need to live up to cultural pressures and and I and imagine , you know , oh , this is what I imagine a woman should be like . Or and he's like no . The lord's like no , just be what you are , be what you are within the confines that he's given you , he's given these boundaries , but don't the human that human ideals and things ?
Speaker 3they're the problem well , you know like it's . Like , yeah , a fish is called to live in water . A fish says , well , I don't like the boundary of water , I want to live on land . It's not going to survive very long . A train is made with tracks and it can travel on the tracks . Well , we're made with the boundaries of male and female . But , as you said , there's a huge variety . You know the jobs and things . You know in the Bible there are men doing embroidery ,
Sex, Marriage, and Sacred Boundaries
Speaker 3women warriors . There's women , yeah , women warriors . There's that huge variety that God gives , and God gives incredible freedom within the boundaries he's created . The problem is humanly speaking , I think so often we resent that and we want to create the boundaries , and that's where we become unstuck .
Speaker 1That's so helpful . Thank you , sunil Paul , can I press you a little bit more on the end of chapter 22 ? It's such a serious view of human sexuality , yeah , what , what's , what's ? What's the wisdom here for our modern life ?
Speaker 2so it's like another boundary line that the lord has , this boundary that he like . I guess in the modern world sexuality is not taken that seriously . It's something like it's almost . Sometimes it's almost just like a recreational pursuit or an appetite yeah , or just a mere desire , yeah , yeah .
Speaker 2And whereas here there's like the boundary is marriage between a man and a woman , and the lord's like now , inside that boundary , yes , sexual expression and activity outside of that , not in the church community . And again , what comes with that ? It's almost like sexual activity is like a matter of life and death . Here it takes it that seriously and for a modern we're like what it's as serious as life and death . It is to the Lord God , because it's such a deep thing about human beings and as we read through the whole bible we know it's actually got something to do with spiritual , eternal things , about christ and church .
Speaker 2So this view of sexuality and virgin and things , and it's as if to say the lord's like , yeah , you don't actually have to be sexually active at all . And there's the Bible has this idea that there's a kind of because go through Christian history and often our ancestors would write about virginity and things and we're like , oh , why are they always going on about that ? Well , because there's this vision that Jesus has about being a unit for the kingdom of God and the apostle Paul says actually , if you're a celibate , single person for the kingdom , you can know a devotion to Jesus that married people cannot know , because married people have to be concerned with each other . So all the way through here there's a kind of vision of human life and sexuality that's very high and includes this kind of passion and devotion to the Lord himself .
Speaker 3I think that's the key point . I think the Bible's view of sex is so high , whereas the world's view of sex is so low . Sex is seen as an appetite , as you said earlier on , which is separate from the consequences . So sex is something I just enjoy , like I might enjoy some food and that's it , and then there's nothing more to it . But no , the Bible's saying sex is deeply . You know there are huge consequences , I think , because , again , because of technology , we can separate it out . You know contraception I'm not saying contraception is wrong , it's a gift . But what the danger is , what that means , is that the Bible is saying that you know it's a bit like sex is the analogy I find helpful . It's like a fire . You know sex is within monogamous marriage between a man and a woman . It's like it's the fireplace . So within a fireplace , that fire can warm the house . It provides much comfort , it can provide much warmth , it provides a wonderful blessing . But you take the fire out of the fireplace you can burn the whole house down .
Speaker 2Wow .
Speaker 3And that's again the importance of the boundary . Yeah , take it out . And unfortunately , what we've done is we have taken sex out of the boundaries that it was intended for . And now we're getting and again , it's a private act between two individuals and it's nobody else's business . Well , no , sex leads . Well , it can lead to children . It can lead to abortion . It can . It leads to Public consequences , public consequences , children growing up without parents and all the ramifications that we have because we have neglected . You know , sex is the glue that holds the family together , and yet it's . And what do we have ?
Speaker 1We have a societal breakdown as a consequence of that Marriage and sexual activity within the marriage is a picture of something much bigger , isn't it ? Of the union of Christ and his church ?
The Church as Radical Community
Speaker 1Such a high calling as we go on to chapter 23, . Paul , why is there so much care about who can join the ancient church , who's in , who's out ?
Speaker 2yeah , again , it's because at first it's like it sounds as if it's almost like oh , we don't like ammonites , we don't like my moabites , and it sounds almost like they've got this sort of almost like racist thing against foreigners . And it isn't that because actually and we read through in exodus , when they was the exodus people of all kinds of nationalities were part of the Exodus . And if we look at the names and backgrounds of people in the law and in the histories the people from all the nations Ammonites , moabites , edomites , all these kinds of things so what the point is is what is that person's identity ? So he's really saying a person cannot join church if their identity is to be a pagan . So he's like I want Ammonites , moabites , edomites , all these things , can join church , but they cannot remain with their old , non-christian identity .
Speaker 2We still say that to people . They say we want you to join church , but if you're going to do in church , it's a new identity , it's a new life for you . Now the center of your life is christ and church . That's your true family . Well , if a person says , well , I want to go to church but I'm going to carry on being , say , a muslim , or I'm going to carry well , no , no , no , you can't do that like it's one or the other you . Jesus is not an option , he's the option . You can't have him alongside other identities . He's your , your old identity , or you can't have him at all . That's really what's being said . It's like , yeah , all the nations are welcome in , but as you join , you leave your old identity and get this new identity of I'm born in Zion .
Speaker 1You die to self and rise with Christ .
Speaker 2Yeah .
Speaker 1So now we're thinking about the life of the church family in these verses Chapter 23 , verses 15 to 23 , we get a vision of the church family as a way of freedom , purity , integrity , generosity and so on . Why is it important for the church to show off this radical wisdom to the world around ?
Speaker 3Yes . So these passages here , they're talking about treating each other with honour and respect , about really growing as a family of love , and it's really , it's a fulfilment of , you know , treat your neighbour as you would rather , love your neighbour as you would love yourself . And it's showing the radical love and counter-cultural nature of God's people and God's community . And again , if you're going to have that , you're going to have to have boundaries and , as Paul was saying , you can't do a mix and match . You can't say , well , I'll worship my pagan God over here and then I'll cheat somebody within my family member here , and obviously , yeah , you can't do those kind of things . You've got to show that distinct difference because this is a counter-cultural community .
Speaker 3And , again , if you take the original vision that God has for his church , for his community , for his people , it's that they would show off what that looks like to the world with all its brokenness , and that not to say that that churches or Christians or God's people are . Again , you only have to read the Bible to see how messed up they are . But they are on a journey of transformation . That's the key thing . I'm on this transformation journey . Wow , sunil , can I ?
Speaker 1press you a little bit more on that . Yes , Caring for the vulnerable , the needy , the poor is such a big part of the Lord's vision for his people . Absolutely yes . How do we see that in Deuteronomy 24 ?
Speaker 3Yeah . So what it's emphasising again in this new community is the fact that , ultimately , under Christ , under God , we are all equal . It's not about one is . You know , somebody may have more money , they may be richer , somebody may not have a biological family , and they may be an orphan or a widow , but under him we have that equality together because we are equally valuable . And so we need to learn that there isn't that discrimination or there isn't that ranking system or a pecking order that somehow or other , somebody is at a higher class or a higher level than anybody else . No , before God , all of us are sinners in need of grace , in need of his love and his transformation through Christ .
Speaker 2And can't take advantage of people because the poor or in difficulties . Make sure people look back .
Speaker 3Which is the way of the world . The world will do that . It will seek to create this pecking order , and those who are stronger will seek to exploit the weaker . That's the natural tendency , but God says no . In my family that doesn't happen . We all have different roles and responsibilities and there's great variety there , but it's not a place of exploitation .
Speaker 1Yes , and it's such an attractive thing to see , isn't it ?
Speaker 3when it happens , and people are drawn in and I think that's one of the beautiful things , in a sense you have people of ages , of genders , who are able to relate and connect to each other in freedom and genuine love and concern for one another . Yeah , and it's powerful .
Speaker 1Paul . Just staying in Chapter 24 , looking back a little bit to the first few verses about marriage , you know , man marries a woman , she becomes displeasing to him and so on . How does this fit in with the rest of the Bible's teaching about marriage ?
Speaker 2I know , because it's like he's actually
Justice, Creation Care, and Business
Speaker 2giving rules for divorce . And Jesus , when he comments on this , says look , that is hardness of heart . That is not what I would wish . I wish in the church there were no problems in marriage ever . But then he says but look , there is a . If things go really bad , there is a possibility of divorce . He describes this , but then it's interesting that he's very careful with these law that it's like what you can't have is divorce . Have like we have the why the ex-wife then married off to somebody else , then divorced and then come back and get married again , because that sort of thing does happen in different cultures and religious traditions . And suddenly you're into really messy exploitation of things . So it's like no , because of the hardest heart , because it's a fallen world , things can go wrong . But if it's going to be done , even that should be done with a proper integrity and making sure no one's going to be exploited or taken advantage of , even in when things go wrong in a marriage .
Speaker 1Yes , Thank you , thank you , and just sort of extending that a little bit Sunil . The dignity and the value that each person has extends to the laws of punishment here . And even animals must be respected and workers deserve to be paid properly and so on . What's the wisdom here from the Lord for us in the modern world ?
Speaker 3Yes , I think again , it's the sanctity of life , it's about the value of human life , the value of creation of animals , and the world he's given us needs to be treated with dignity and respect , and so any kind of punishment that degrades a person doesn't get . You know , in a sense it's dangerous . You know you don't fight evil with evil . You know if you start , you know again , if you think about the communities around , you know if you steal my land , then I'm going to destroy and butcher you . It sets limits to retribution with an understanding of justice , and so those again , those boundaries are really important , because the danger is that when there's revenge , the revenge then gets out of control , as it were , and the medicine becomes worse than the actual condition itself , and that's why you get this spiralling of revenge and counter-revenge and more and more violence .
Speaker 2And it's often why Christians have been so involved in crime and punishment and prison reform , because you can't just say , because the state might go , oh well , stick them in prison forever . And Christians are like , well , hang on , you cannot dehumanise a person and destroy them in punishing them , because you've got to love them and find out how to keep them with integrity and respect , even when they're a criminal and you're punishing them . Christians have been a voice for that all over the world down through the ages .
Speaker 3Because , again , so long as a human being is alive , there is a spark of humanity in there and so you need to respect that humanity that lives there . And the other , obviously , thing about , as you mentioned , about creation and animals , and interestingly there's such a our world is so full about creation care now , but fascinatingly it's there in the Bible . It's there thousands of years ago , about treating animals with respect , treating the land you've been given with respect . And you know , cs Lewis has got this lovely quote , which I like . He says man with dog closes a gap in the universe . We've been given dominion of this creation and we're called to steward it and take care of it . And unfortunately , I think , christians have lost that vision , lost that picture , but we're red to steward it and take care of it . And unfortunately , I think , christians have lost that vision , lost that picture , but we're rediscovering it again . But it's there in the Scriptures .
Speaker 1If only we would read our .
Speaker 3Bibles more carefully .
Speaker 1We've just got a few moments left . Why is it important to apply the kingdom of God to business life , commercial life as well ?
Speaker 2Yeah , because it's there in chapter 25 and verse 13, . Don't have differing weights in your bag . Different measures , accurate , honest measures . The Lord loves that . He detests dishonesty in business . So again , that integrity where people should be able to say , oh , I'm dealing with a Christian , I know they're going to be absolute integrity and honesty and that idea . I've got some weights that are good for me and all that stuff . No , absolutely be straightforward all the time in business , because that is a tremendously powerful witness , because people who aren't Christians , it's very easy to cut corners and not be honest and not have integrity , and the Lord makes a big deal of it , and that comes from understanding that God is God of everything .
Speaker 3I think somebody said there's no blade of grass that Jesus does not say that is mine . Everything is under him . His are the eyes that sees and knows all things . I think it's in the prayer , isn't it ? It's him to whom all eyes are open and all desires known , All desires known yeah . Everything , yeah , nothing can be hidden from him .
Speaker 1So all of life should be a reflection of his truth integrity , character , order and so on . He's a God of order . Yeah , that's so helpful ,
Living with Purpose and Integrity
Speaker 1sunil Paul . Thank you , as always , for joining in this discussion today . Thank you in this discussion today , thank you . Summing up the various regulations in these chapters , then , the key truth seems to be there needs to be a bounded integrity to everything we do . We probably all know people whose lives can only be described as chaotic . They may have great gifts or wonderful opportunities , but there's no centre or purpose to their lives . Followers of Jesus are not immune . Some Christians never mature , never see fruit in their own lives or the lives of those they're closest to .
Speaker 1I came across the example of Samuel Taylor Coleridge recently . He was one of the so-called romantic poets of the 18th 19th centuries , a friend of William Wordsworth . One writer said about him never did so great a mind produce so little . He left Cambridge University to join the army , but he left the army because , in spite of all his learning , he couldn't care for his own horse . He returned to Oxford , but left without a degree . Own horse . He returned to Oxford , but left without a degree . He started his own newspaper , but after just 10 editions , it stopped . He had great visions of what he was going to do , but was so caught up in the dreams that he never achieved any of them .
Speaker 1God's first rule in the cosmos is order , and for us to live in a way that pleases him , our lives need to have an order and integrity too . We don't have to have a diary . Plenty of people in the world have never seen one . It's more about knowing the centre and main purpose of our lives . So just think why has Christ put me here ? Who am I becoming as a person ? Let everything else be shaped around that Lord . Help us to live as children of eternity , with integrity , grace and truth in all that we do today For your name's sake . Amen , until next time . God bless you and goodbye .
