This basic table was taken from The NIV Study Bible; ©1995 by The Zondervan Corporation; p. 267. The title of this original work is Major Social Concerns in the Covenant. I also found the table at Grace and Peace info accessed September 1, 2013. It has been greatly expanded upon.

Many people view the Bible as some old fashioned, out-of-date book which is no longer relevant to our time and place—as if the human race has evolved beyond the Bible and into better things. However, what follows is a list of social concerns and social issues addressed in the Bible 3500 years ago. Many of these concerns are fundamental both to our system of law and to the Bill of Rights of the United States. The ways in which these social concerns have been addressed in the United States will be included.

For those who say, “Well, this is just common sense; everyone knows this stuff.” It seems to be common sense to most of us, as this is the system under which we live. Compare what the Bible says, in sections written 3500 years ago, to Sharia Law, which is based upon texts written 1200 years ago. Since the writer of those texts had the Bible to work with, we would have expected progression rather than retrogression; however, sharia law is clearly retrogression.

What people actually mean when they characterize the Bible as old and irrelevant is, “I want to practice my brand of immorality and I don’t like the Bible telling me that I am doing wrong.”

All verses quoted from the HCSB, unless otherwise noted. Most of the quotation marks are left off.

Major Social Concerns Found in God’s Covenant with Israel

1. 

Personhood

Every person’s life and liberty are protected.

Exodus 20:13 21:16–21, 26–31 Leviticus 19:14 Deuteronomy 5:17 24:7 27:18.

Key verses: Ex. 20:13 Do not murder. Ex. 21:16 Whoever kidnaps a person must be put to death, whether he sells him or the person is found in his possession.

From the Declaration of Independence: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness..

2. 

False Accusation

Everyone is to be protected from slander and false accusations.

Exodus 20:16 23:1–3 Leviticus 19:16 Deuteronomy 5:20 19:15–21.

Key verses: Ex. 20:16 Do not give false testimony against your neighbor. Ex. 23:1–2 You must not spread a false report. Do not join the wicked to be a malicious witness. You must not follow a crowd in wrongdoing. Do not testify in a lawsuit and go along with a crowd to pervert justice. Lev. 19:16 You must not go about spreading slander among your people; you must not jeopardize your neighbor's life; I am the LORD. Deut. 19:16–19 If a malicious witness testifies against someone accusing him of a crime, the two people in the dispute must stand in the presence of the LORD before the priests and judges in authority at the time. The judges are to make a careful investigation, and if the witness turns out to be a liar who has falsely accused his brother, you must do to him as he intended to do to his brother. You must purge the evil from you.

We have laws against perjury and slander in the United States.

3. 

Women

Women are not to be taken advantage despite their subservience to men. In one of the passages noted below, even though land was traditionally passed along through sons (and their wives were a part of such an inheritance); if there were no sons involved, then land would be passed along to one’s daughter (s).

Exodus 21:7–11, 20, 26–32 22:16–17 Numbers 27:1–8 36:1–11 Deuteronomy 21:10–14 22:13–30 24:1–5.

Key passage: Num. 27:1–8 The daughters of Zelophehad approached; Zelophehad was the son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh from the clans of Manasseh, the son of Joseph. These were the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. They stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders, and the entire community at the entrance to the tent of meeting and said, "Our father died in the wilderness, but he was not among Korah's followers, who gathered together against the LORD. Instead, he died because of his own sin, and he had no sons. Why should the name of our father be taken away from his clan? Since he had no son, give us property among our father's brothers." Moses brought their case before the LORD, and the LORD answered him, "What Zelophehad's daughters say is correct. You are to give them hereditary property among their father's brothers and transfer their father's inheritance to them. Tell the Israelites: When a man dies without having a son, transfer his inheritance to his daughter. Deut. 22:25–28 But if the man encounters the engaged woman in the open country, and he seizes and rapes her, only the man who raped her must die. Do nothing to the young woman, because she is not guilty of an offense deserving death. This case is just like one in which a man attacks his neighbor and murders him. When he found her in the field, the engaged woman cried out, but there was no one to rescue her.

The Bill of Rights applies to men and women. The laws of our land are applied equally to men and women.

4. 

Women

Women are not to be taken advantage of even if they are slaves or captives in war.

Exodus 21:7–11, 20, 26–32 22:16–17 Deuteronomy 21:10–14 22:13–30 24:1–5.

Key passage: Ex. 21:7–11 When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she is not to leave as the male slaves do. If she is displeasing to her master, who chose her for himself, then he must let her be redeemed. He has no right to sell her to foreigners because he has acted treacherously toward her. Or if he chooses her for his son, he must deal with her according to the customary treatment of daughters. If he takes an additional wife, he must not reduce the food, clothing, or marital rights of the first wife. And if he does not do these three things for her, she may leave free of charge, without any exchange of money.

5. 

Punishment

Punishment for wrongdoing shall not be excessive.

Deuteronomy 25:1–3.

Key passage: Deut. 25:1–3 If there is a dispute between men, they are to go to court, and the judges will hear their case. They will clear the innocent and condemn the guilty. If the guilty party deserves to be flogged, the judge will make him lie down and be flogged in his presence with the number of lashes appropriate for his crime. He may be flogged with 40 lashes, but no more. Otherwise, if he is flogged with more lashes than these, your brother will be degraded in your sight.

Amendment VIII of the Bill of Rights: Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

6. 

Dignity

Every Israelite has dignity and the right to be God’s freedman. Even the rights of slaves are honored and safeguarded

Exodus 21:2–13 Leviticus 25 Deuteronomy 15:12–18.

Key passage: Ex. 21:2–6 When you buy a Hebrew slave, he is to serve for six years; then in the seventh he is to leave as a free man without paying anything. If he arrives alone, he is to leave alone; if he arrives with a wife, his wife is to leave with him. If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children belong to her master, and the man must leave alone. But if the slave declares: 'I love my master, my wife, and my children; I do not want to leave as a free man,' his master is to bring him to the judges and then bring him to the door or doorpost. His master must pierce his ear with an awl, and he will serve his master for life.

We no longer have slavery in the United States (and the slavery which we practiced in the United States was outlawed in Scripture). However, we have employers and employees, and this suggests that an employer ought to value his employees, which is both compassion and good business sense.

7. 

Inheritance

Every Israelite’s inheritance in the promised land is to be secure

Leviticus 25 Numbers 27:5–7 36:1–9 Deuteronomy 21:15–17 25:5–10.

Key passage: Deut. 21:15–17 If a man has two wives, one loved and the other unloved, and both the loved and the unloved bear him sons, and if the unloved wife has the firstborn son, when that man gives what he has to his sons as an inheritance, he is not to show favoritism to the son of the loved wife as his firstborn over the firstborn of the unloved wife. He must acknowledge the firstborn, the son of the unloved wife, by giving him a double portion of everything that belongs to him, for he is the firstfruits of his virility; he has the rights of the firstborn. God gave the land of the Philistines and Canaanites to the Jews as an inheritance. Specific parcels of land were given to the 12 tribes of Israel and then to the various Jewish families in the latter half of the book of Joshua. This land was passed along from generation to generation; but some of the land did revert back to the original family in the year of Jubilee (every 49 years).

Although, for the most part, we are allowed to pass along our wealth to our sons and daughters, our government has made laws to take away what they have determined is too much wealth. Very often, a business or a farm is thought to be worth too much, and the amount that the government takes is so much that the farm of business must be sold or parted out in order to meet government requirements. This is an evil in our society.

8. 

Property

Everyone’s property is to be secure.

Exodus 20:15, 17 21:33–36 22:1–15 23:4–5 Leviticus 19:35–36 Deuteronomy 5:19 22:1–4 25:13–15.

Key verses: Ex. 20:15 Do not steal...Do not covet your neighbor's house. Do not covet your neighbor's wife, his male or female slave, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. Deut. 22:1–4 If you see your brother's ox or sheep straying, you must not ignore it; make sure you return it to your brother. If your brother does not live near you or you don't know him, you are to bring the animal to your home to remain with you until your brother comes looking for it; then you can return it to him. Do the same for his donkey, his garment, or anything your brother has lost and you have found. You must not ignore it. If you see your brother's donkey or ox fallen down on the road, you must not ignore it; you must help him lift it up. One might call this the Good Samaritan Law.

People in the United States are allowed to own property, and, for most of our history, this has been a secure right. Amendment III of the Bill of Rights: No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law. Amendment IV: The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects... All of us own private property and many of us own land and/or a house.

9. 

Fruit of one’s labor

Everyone is to receive the fruit of his labors

Leviticus 19:13 Deuteronomy 24:14–15 25:4.

Key verses: Lev 19:13b The wages due a hired hand must not remain with you until morning. Deut. 24:14–15a Do not oppress a hired hand who is poor and needy, whether one of your brothers or one of the foreigners residing within a town in your land. You are to pay him his wages each day before the sun sets, because he is poor and depends on them.

This is the function of capitalism. Both slavery and socialism violate this principle. Socialism is a form of slavery, where the productive person is required to pay for the unproductive person. This also describes our social security system. We are not putting our money into an account which is held for us by the government; we are sending money to the government, which it spends and pays out to people who are not working.

AMENDMENT XIII: Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction. Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

10. 

Fruit of the ground

Everyone is to share in the fruit of the ground. In this, the poor are also taken care of. They are not given money but they can work to get food. God’s welfare system is work for food.

Exodus 23:10–11 Leviticus 19:9–10 23:22 25:3–55 Deuteronomy 14:28–29 24:19–21.

Key passage: Lev 19:9–10 When you reap the harvest of your land, you are not to reap to the very edge of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. You must not strip your vineyard bare or gather its fallen grapes. Leave them for the poor and the foreign resident; I am the LORD your God.

Although we have had work for welfare in the past, most of the welfare given today (section 8 housing, food stamps, Obamaphones) are given without charge or without an exchange in work.

My solution to that problem is, we call up a central number for our location, we are given the phone numbers of 3 families receiving welfare of various sorts in our neighborhood, and then we can call them up and ask them to come over and weed, mow, buy groceries, run errands, babysitting, or do housework for a minimal cost to us (say $4/hour), since they are already receiving benefits from us throughout taxes. Welfare recipients are not able to refuse work they are qualified to do, and must be available to work up to 40 hours a week for their neighbors, unless otherwise employed. In this manner, they are working for the benefits that they receive, they work for some additional monies, and the taxpayer receives some beneficial help in exchange for his tax dollars.

11. 

Rest on the Sabbath

Everyone is to share in the weekly rest of God’s Sabbath.

Exodus 20:8–11 23:12 Deuteronomy 5:12–15.

Key passage: Deut. 5:12–15 Be careful to dedicate the Sabbath day, as the LORD your God has commanded you. You are to labor six days and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. You must not do any work--you, your son or daughter, your male or female slave, your ox or donkey, any of your livestock, or the foreigner who lives within your gates, so that your male and female slaves may rest as you do. Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out of there with a strong hand and an outstretched arm. That is why the LORD your God has commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.

The 7 day work week is almost universal, with most people getting Saturday (the Sabbath) and/or Sunday (the Lord’s day) off.

12. 

Marriage

The marriage relationship is fundamental to society and is therefore to be kept pure

Exodus 20:14 34:16 Leviticus 18:6–23 20:10–21 21:7, 13–15 Deuteronomy 5:18 22:13–30.

Key verses: Ex. 20:14 Do not commit adultery. Lev. 21:13–15 He is to marry a woman who is a virgin. He is not to marry a widow, a divorced woman, or one defiled by prostitution. He is to marry a virgin from his own people, so that he does not corrupt his bloodline among his people, for I am the LORD who sets him apart. The Bible is filled with information about marriage and a great deal of this is found in the book of Genesis. However, this study is primarily confined to the Mosaic Law.

Until most recently, marriage between a man and a woman in the United States was fundamental.

13. 

Exploitation

No one, however disabled, impoverished, or powerless, is to be oppressed or exploited

Exodus 22:21–27 23:3 Leviticus 19:14 33–34 25:35–36 Deuteronomy 23:19 24:6, 12–15, 17 27:18.

Key verses: Lev. 19:14 You must not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but you are to fear your God; I am the LORD. Ex. 23:3 Do not show favoritism to a poor person in his lawsuit. Deut. 27:18a Cursed is the one who leads a blind person astray on the road.

AMENDMENT XV: The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude

14. 

Fair trial

Everyone is to have free access to the courts and is to be afforded a fair trial

Exodus 23:3, 6, 8 Leviticus 19:15 Deuteronomy 1:17 10:17–18 16:18–20 17:8–13 19:15–21.

Key verses: Ex. 23:3, 6 Do not show favoritism to a poor person in his lawsuit...You must not deny justice to the poor among you in his lawsuit.

Amendment VI of the Bill of Rights: In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.

15. 

Objective Law

The law of the people should reflect God’s laws. Law is more than a set of arbitrary regulations that we as a people decide upon and vote on. When arriving at a verdict that is particularly difficult, the Levites were consulted in the Mosaic Law.

Exodus 19:5–6 Leviticus 26:12

Deuteronomy 17:8–13 21:15–21.

Key verses: Ex. 19:5–6 [God speaking to Israel] “Now if you will listen to Me and carefully keep My covenant, you will be My own possession out of all the peoples, although all the earth is Mine, and you will be My kingdom of priests and My holy nation. These are the words that you are to say to the Israelites.” Deut. 17:8–13 If a case is too difficult for you--concerning bloodshed, lawsuits, or assaults--cases disputed at your gates, you must go up to the place the LORD your God chooses. You are to go to the Levitical priests and to the judge who presides at that time. Ask, and they will give you a verdict in the case. You must abide by the verdict they give you at the place the LORD chooses. Be careful to do exactly as they instruct you. You must abide by the instruction they give you and the verdict they announce to you. Do not turn to the right or the left from the decision they declare to you. The person who acts arrogantly, refusing to listen either to the priest who stands there serving the LORD your God or to the judge, must die. You must purge the evil from Israel. Then all the people will hear about it, be afraid, and no longer behave arrogantly.

Our society has veered away far away from this concept. It is clear that our founding fathers had the Bible in one hand and other writings in the other, when setting up our government. In the founding documents, including the Federalist papers, the oft-most cited authority is the Bible.

16. 

Respect for Parents (and the Elderly)

Fundamental to the plan of God, for believers and unbelievers alike, is an understanding of authority, which authority begins in the home.

Exodus 20:12 21:15, 17 22:28 Leviticus 19:3, 32 20:9 Deuteronomy 5:16 17:8–13 27:16.

Key verses: Ex. 20:12 Honor your father and your mother so that you may have a long life in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. Ex. 21:15 Whoever strikes his father or his mother must be put to death.

Our society has veered away from respect for authority, and, as a result, many of our public schools are in chaos. Having been a teacher, I can testify that, all it takes is perhaps 10% of the student body to lack authority orientation, and that is more than enough to destroy nearly all learning in the school. Some of this undermining of authority includes abortions given to underage children without telling the parents; and presentation of very explicit and questionable material, usually on sexuality, without giving any fair warning to the parents. Much of the approach I have seen should require an opt-in by a parent, rather than an opt-out (or leaving the parent in the dark about what is being taught).

17. 

Social order

Every person’s God-given place in the social order is to be honored.

Exodus 20:12 21:1–6, 15–17, 20–21, 26–27 22:28 23:12 Leviticus 19:3, 32 20:9 25:39–55 Deuteronomy 5:16 17:8–13 21:15–21 23:15–16 24:7.

There was a hierarchy in the ancient world, some of it based upon the authority of parents, success, nationality, and relationship to those who are successful. Although the Bible, to some degree, preserved the authority that existed, it did not seek to keep every person within an exact place in society.

Throughout most of human history, there have been slaves, and the Bible is very careful about the treatment of slaves. A fellow Israelite could only work temporarily as a slave, and not to do slave labor, but to function more like a hired hand (Lev. 25:39–41). The sort of slavery which was in the United States involved man-stealing, which is spoken of as a crime and a sin in both the Old and New Testaments. In fact, this is a crime punishable by death (Ex. 21:16 Deut. 24:7). Approved methods for slavery included people who had fallen on hard times and would work to get themselves out of a financial hole; or foreigners who had been taken in war. People who had become slaves in these ways could certainly be purchased. However, there were rights for slaves under the Mosaic Law, even though these rights may not have been as generous as those afforded fellow Israelites (Ex. 21:20–21). Today, it ought to be clear that the bosses son or the bosses nephew often receives some preferential treatment over the workers under the boss.

Slaves were also given the Sabbath off (Ex. 23:12). However, even though there was a clear hierarchy, even the slave would be freed at some point—even for being maltreated (Ex. 21:1–6, 26–27 Lev. 25:47–54 Deut. 23:15–16). Paul encouraged Philemon to free his slave, Onesimus, who had become a believer (Philemon).

What is established in the Bible is not a caste system, but a system which involved various established authorities, and proper deference to those authorities. However, Joseph of Genesis and Moses both clearly indicate that status, one’s place in society, and authority can vary dramatically during one’s life. There is nothing in the Bible which appears to trap a person within a particular status (recall that Joseph was a slave and a prisoner; and Moses became an outcast from both his people and his adopted family).

At some point, I need to expand this particular section.

18. 

Law

No one shall be above the law

Exodus 12:49 Leviticus 24:22 Numbers 15:29 Deuteronomy 17:18–20.

Key passages: Ex. 12:49 The same law will apply to both the native and the foreigner who resides among you. Deut. 17:18–20 When he [the king] is seated on his royal throne, he is to write a copy of this instruction for himself on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. It is to remain with him, and he is to read from it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to observe all the words of this instruction, and to do these statutes. Then his heart will not be exalted above his countrymen, he will not turn from this command to the right or the left, and he and his sons will continue ruling many years over Israel.

A grave problem in the United States are laws which Congress passes, and then exempts themselves from the same laws. I write this in 2013, and, it is not clear if Congress has exempted itself from Obamacare, it has the public paying for 75% of their premiums (whereas the people of Congress make 2x to 4x what the average American makes). They have done the same things with laws involving stocks. So, our laws may prosecute someone like Martha Stewart for possibly participating in insider trading (that was the original charge, but I think she was convicted for perjury (or some similar charges, if memory serves). Meanwhile, those in Congress have an incredible record of success when it comes to the purchase of stocks and bonds, given the fact that they make laws which can dramatically affect the value of a company’s stock. Similarly, many congressmen have become millionaires many times over because they purchase a worthless piece of land, and suddenly, there is a federal project built on it or next to it, doubling and tripling the value of that formerly worthless piece of land. Happy coincidence.

19.

Animals, land and conservation

The Mosaic Law looks to preserve the animals of the land; and to preserve the farm land as well.

Exodus 23: 5, 11 Leviticus 25:7 Deuteronomy 22:4, 6–7 25:4.

Rest was given to various fields; animals were not indiscriminately slaughtered.

Portions of the text have been edited. Commentary added.

It ought to be clear that, many of the laws found here in the Mosaic Law were clearly in the thinking of our founding fathers. However, the more current the law we examine, often the further and further it strays from the Mosaic Law.