For the Sake of Others

What are some examples of technology that keep you safe? Seatbelts? Fire alarms? Weather alerts? Push notifications asking you if you just swiped your debit card? There are lots of innovations around protecting us or others, whether it’s our bodies, finances, or information. In fact, caring for others is a really good reason to innovate.

There’s a story in the book of Deuteronomy of new technology being invented to protect other people. Before you read it, here are some helpful details.

First, the Characters:

•Moses: The leader of Israel who spends a lot of time going back and forth between God and the people. It’s his job to help the Israelites understand who God is, remind them of what he did for them, and lead them to follow and obey him. In this story, he’s the one talking.

•Joshua: A successful military leader who isn’t directly mentioned in our passage but referenced in other parts of Deuteronomy. He will take over leading Israel and was chosen because he trusted and obeyed God when most people didn’t (Numbers 14:6-9).

•The People: Moses’s audience, a new generation of Israelites who are being invited into the special relationship (covenant) with God that their parents had. Most of the older generation died, and this generation is now invited to obey and follow God.

•The LORD God (Yahweh): The same personal name for God as in our last two stories, indicating his relational nature and regarded by some people as sacred. He rescued Israel from slavery, led them through the wilderness, provided food, and is instructing them to be his people and live the fullest and best life he’s created for them.

Second, the Context:

Moses is really old and will die before Deuteronomy ends. He’s reminding the next generation of all God has done for them and how much God loves them (Deuteronomy 4:36-37). He’s also reminding them of the Lord’s (Yahweh’s) expectations and gives them the chance to trust him for themselves.

Finally, the Genre:

Deuteronomy is book five of the Torah, a collection of Israel’s five most sacred (set apart) texts. Torah means “instruction,” and it includes key stories about the Lord’s (Yahweh’s) desire to bless the entire world through the nation of Israel. It also describes what it means for them to follow God, be his people, and do what’s best for them and others.

Open a Bible and read Deuteronomy 6:1-12 and 22:8.

Discuss these questions or journal your responses.

1. What did you notice in the story? Was there anything surprising? Anything that didn’t make sense or bothered you? Anything hard to believe?

2. Who is instructed to keep the laws (Deuteronomy 6:1-2, 7)? How can they make them easy to remember (vv 7-9)?

3. Verses 4-5 are considered the summary of the law. What does this imply about God’s reason for giving commands to his people?

4. Where did you see technology in the story?

First, the people were instructed to attach the law to their foreheads, and at some point, they took this literally. They invented ways to keep the law ever before them. To this day, you can find Jewish men at morning prayer with phylacteries (small leather boxes with the summary of the law inside) attached to their foreheads.

The people were also commanded to build railings on their roofs (Deuteronomy 22:8). Flat roofs were common in ancient cities, and although the people hearing these laws didn’t have houses yet, God was painting a picture of his desire for their new homes—a place to proactively care for others.

This story is challenging. We often use technology in a very me-centered way (noise-canceling earbuds, anyone?). My house is, well, mine! We don’t often think about it in terms of other people. But what might it look like to use tech communally? And what if we walked around our homes, apartments, or office spaces proactively looking for ways to protect others?

Obviously, we can’t think of everything, and even if we did, accidents would still happen. But it’s significant that Jesus later quoted these words from Deuteronomy. When he was asked to give the most important law in the Torah, he summarized what life is about: love God above all else and love others as yourself. And innovation and technology are at their best when they lead us to love God and others better.

End with this prayer and these invitations:

A Prayer for Putting Love into Action

Faithful God, who loves in both word and action, please help us see the needs of those around us, regardless of their backgrounds or beliefs, and to feed, clothe, and defend them. May we be defined by who we are for, and not by who we are against. Please help us be like you, and not just love in word or speech but in action and in truth.

1. Use Tech Well: Find a close friend who wants to set up healthy boundaries for devices. Create a few shared goals and check in with each other weekly.

2. Draw closer to God and/or others: Walk around your home, apartment, or office and find one way to make it more hospitable to others.