Biblical Times Social Moral Problems

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Biblical times social moral problems.
Denis Bratcher argues that it is important to establish a clear understanding of prophets and their role in the Israelite culture for “how we think about their role may influence how we think about what they have to do about social ethics (1998 Lecture, Theology department- Korea Nazarene Community).
Prophets are almost generally thought of as fore-tellers but it is important to understand that predicting the future was not their primary task. The primary role of a prophet was to call people as a community to accountability and responsibility in their relationship with God. The afore-quoted Bratcher uses the metaphors of covenant and relationship to spell out the primary role of a prophet. He stresses …show more content…

And do no wrong or violence to the alien, the orphan, and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place. . . . Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness, and his upper rooms by injustice; who makes his neighbors work for nothing, and does not give them their wages . . . Are you a king because you compete in cedar? Did not your father eat and drink and do justice and righteousness? Then it was well with him. He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well. Is not this to know me? says the LORD. But your eyes and heart are only on your dishonest gain, for shedding innocent blood, and for practicing oppression and violence.
A look at prophet Amos, who is renowned by many a biblical scholar as a prophet of social justice gives us an insight into the social moral issues of the times. The most prominent problems are exploitation of the poor (Amos 2:6), sexual perversion, where the father and the son bedded the same woman (Amos 2:7), afflicting the just and taking bribes (Amos 5:12) and diverting the poor from justice (Amos …show more content…

Jesus
He was the embodiment of God. He summarised the law and the prophets in the commandment of love. Love God and love your neighbour.
For Jesus relationship with God was not just a matter of outward conduct but rather of internal disposition. Love was to be at the centre stage; being motivated by love. Paul was to later express this in his famous poetry in 1 Cor 13 if I have no love all I do amounts to nothing. That is why Jesus made love the greatest of all commandments. St Augustine of Hippo was later to say love, as it were gives one the license to do anything because guided by love one can never go wrong.
The main social moral problem then was social stratification. Modern day equivalent of tribalism. Jesus mixed with all and sundry. He sought to break the classification of humanity. He ate with the so called sinners. He praised widows- the widow who put in all she had in the offering box.
Paul: Important to mention that Paul’s letters were occasional which means that his writings were occasioned by what was actually happening in the

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