Appreciation
How do you feel when someone doesn't appreciate the gifts you have given them?
When the Lord your God has brought you into the land that he swore to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you a land with fine, large cities that you did not build, houses filled with all sorts of goods that you did not fill, hewn cisterns that you did not hew, vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant and when you have eaten your fill, take care that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. The Lord your God you shall fear; him you shall serve, and by his name alone you shall swear. Do not follow other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who are all around you, because the Lord your God, who is present with you, is a jealous God. The anger of the Lord your God would be kindled against you and he would destroy you from the face of the earth. - Deuteronomy 6:10-15
In today's reading, we are told God will get angry if we fail to follow His commandments after all He has done for us.
It's only fair, right?
They came out of oppression and slavery into a land where everything was given to them, so it is only right that they would be expected to obey the laws.
It's a matter of appreciation. When you are given something, you should be thankful and willing to reciprocate the goodness of the giver.
It may be a lot to ask, though. Having spent all their lives in oppressive slavery, and then being brought to a land where everything they imagined was available, could be too much of a shock to bear.
And that's if they have everything available to them to start a new life. What if they come and have nothing?
Certainly, if they fail to follow laws when all is given to them, why would they follow them when the opposite is true?
I guess we have to accept the fact that we create the problem when we don't fully think through what we are doing. Our acts of kindness and compassion may not be as beneficial as we thought, if those coming to escape a bad life find little to make their lives better here.
More to come...