A Just Society

Deuteronomy 24:  http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=deu%2024&version=NIV
            I have a feeling that most of the reaction to Deuteronomy 24 is going to center around the first few verses, namely, the prohibition on remarrying a former spouse.  And I have a feeling that that reaction is going to be looking for a reason for this prohibition.  Let me respond to those questions in two ways.  First, let me say, I don't know why this prohibition is in there.  I've performed a few marriages over the years in which the couple was coming back together after time apart, and I've found them blessed events.  This may be a case where we say, "I'm not going to get bogged down in the details of Moses' law," rejoice that we are not bound by all the specific regulations, and recognize that the principle--namely, the sanctity of marriage--is the important principle.
            I have a second response, too, and this one is a little snippy:  Let's not get so bogged down in the parts we don't understand that we miss what a remarkable chapter this is in terms of its concern for justice for the poor.  People who think that Moses is all hellfire and brimstone need to take a look at passages like this.  Acts of mercy abound:  newlyweds are not to be sent into battle; livelihoods are not to be endangered in greed; the dignity and needs of the indebted are to be considered; portions of crops are to be left behind for the poor.  You know, our world could stand those lessons!  I've performed many weddings in which no honeymoon was possible because there was no vacation time available.  We live in an age dominated by big banks and huge corporations and we hear all sorts of horror stories of the impersonal policies and practices that don't see human beings to be cared about but customers to be fleeced for as much as possible.  And don't get me started about the tragedy that a nation that produces food for the world has its own poor and starving!
            So, let's be fair to Moses.  On the one hand, there are parts of his law that we don't fully understand (although with a little imagination we can figure out some still-applicable principles).  On the other hand, there is a vision of a just society in parts of his law that ought to be the envy and the desire of the industrial West.