Can God Sin?

This week's Torah Portion, Deuteronomy 21:10-25:19, is one filled with controversies. In Ki Tetze כִּי־תֵצֵא (When you Go), we encounter 74 different commandments from Adonai. They seem disconnected and are filled with sensitive and often misunderstood topics. You can literally randomly pick out a verse from a hat and find something that would cause dilemmas in a group, especially in today's modern way of thinking. Each of these commands can be explored in countless bible studies that demand a deep dive into the culture and time they were given to the Israelites if they are to be fully understood. We must also remember that these chapter and verse divisions were not part of the original Torah. They are not disconnected and should be explored as a whole. That is, we need to remember that they came immediately after last week's lesson on judging with righteousness. These are additional rules and stipulations given to the judges of Israel in order for them to judge correctly and based on the LORD's viewpoint.

I can easily sum up this week's lesson with this subtitle: "God's way to ensure social justice." That is because to understand these commands, we must understand that they were all created to benefit the victims of injustice. That is, after all, what performing justice really means. It means to correct what has been done unfairly and reconcile things to the best of our ability to perform justice.

One command, or verse in particular, caught my eyes and heart this week. Because it is a verse that we are told to do, but it seems that God has ignored it. That's right, God, because of His love for His people Israel, may have been broken for our benefit. It is this verse:

"If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, and if after she leaves his house she becomes the wife of another man, and her second husband dislikes her and writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, or if he dies, then her first husband, who divorced her, is not allowed to marry her again after she has been defiled. That would be detestable in the eyes of the Lord. Do not bring sin upon the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance." Deuteronomy 24:1-4

Isn't that what Adonai has promised to do with Israel? Let me clarify, for I know that many people may not be familiar with the entire story. God proposed marriage to Israel at Mount Sinai when He presented to them His Ketubah (10 commandments) and Israel accepted (see Exodus 20). Israel displeased Him, and He divorced them as stated in Jeremiah 3:8 "I gave faithless Israel her certificate of divorce and sent her away because of all her adulteries" (also see Hosea 2:2, Isaiah 50:1, Ezekiel 16:38-41, Malachi 2:16, and Romans 7:2-3). Israel was unfaithful and sought other "gods" several times and never reconciled with Him. Judah returned to Him, but Israel became assimilated with other nations (see Jeremiah for more details). This is a known fact amongst the Jews, which is one of the reasons they despised the descendants of the tribe of Israel (northern kingdom). One of these conflicted relationships is their indifference to the Samaritans. Samaria was the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel (Jerusalem was the capital of the southern kingdom of Judah). Therefore, one of the biggest reasons the Jews rejected the Samaritans and other surrounding "Hebrew" nations was because they believed that these nations could never be reconciled with Adonai. This belief is based on this very verse and command in Deuteronomy 24. Adonai cannot break His laws and remain just. However, that is exactly what He promised to do:

"'Return, faithless people,' declares the Lord, 'for I am your husband. I will choose you—one from a town and two from a clan—and bring you to Zion.'" Jeremiah 3:14

"'The days are coming,' declares the Lord, 'when I will bring my people Israel and Judah back from captivity and restore them to the land I gave their ancestors to possess,' says the Lord." Jeremiah 30:3

If the very definition of sin is breaking Torah, then Adonai would be sinning if He restores Israel as a wife (see 1 John 3:4 "Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.") Based on the command in this portion, Adonai could have taken Israel back if they repented and returned to Him, but they did not. They assimilated with other nations and have served other "gods" for centuries. There is no denying that Israel has become the wife of another entity. So how can Adonai stay true to His word and command and still take back Israel?

When confronted with this dilemma, most Jews will say: "He is God and therefore can do anything. Nothing He does is wrong." As for me, that is not a satisfying response or a response I can accept. The God I serve is perfect and beyond reprehension. He leads by example and does not demand from His people anything He did not do Himself. The God I believe in and serve "...is not human, that he should lie, nor a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?" Numbers 23:19.

He is risen. Indeed, He is. He didn't just die for you, but He rose again for you. Halleluiah!

How, then, will Adonai perform such a feat? The truth is that He has already done this without breaking Torah. As any temporary law on earth, the law of marriage or the contract of marriage, to be more specific, loses all its power upon the death of either party. Even our marriage vows often contain the phrase, "'til death do us part". This wasn't something we picked randomly. It is based on God's laws:

"A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord." 1 Corinthians 7:39

If the husband dies, the marriage laws are null and void. That is one of the many reasons Yeshua, Jesus, had to die and be resurrected. For the forgiveness of sins, Jesus needed to die in our place. It was an expiatory death of equal value. A human life for a human life. However, a sacrifice did not have to be revived or resurrected to accomplish its duty. Never before, until Jesus, did a sacrifice given to cover sins come back to life. There are other reasons for His triumphant resurrection. To prove He has power over death. To confirm that He was indeed the promised Messiah. To show He was the Son of God and God incarnate. One of the often overlooked and yet so perfectly executed reasons for His resurrection is Jesus becoming an available and suitable bachelor for Israel and the church. Halleluiah! Jesus' death gave God the ability to annul the law that prevented Him from remarrying Israel. Now Adonai can take Israel back without breaking His Torah. Amazing! He is indeed perfect and wise beyond our comprehension. God CANNOT sin, and if He did, He would cease being God.

Praise be to God Almighty. He is worthy of all praise, and His Word is perfect. There are no contradictions or errors in it, and He fulfills every promise and follows every command. For me, He is a God worth following and obeying. I will praise Him with every breath and will praise Him even after I go beyond this life and this world. I hope this information blessed you and encourages you to serve the God of the universe with every part of your being. Shalom Ve'Shavuah Tov!

The LORD of Hosts says, "Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, 'My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.'" Isaiah 46:9-10 Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh!