“You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain.” Deuteronomy 25.4

We are seeking to discover the best ways of making good use of the Law of God in our day. The Law is good and useful, Paul insisted, when it is used “lawfully” (1 Tim. 1.8). The Law is used lawfully, in the first place, when it is applied to sinners and their lives in order to achieve the good purposes of God.

But just how the Law is to be applied can be a bit tricky. In this part of our series on questions and answers concerning the Law of God, we have been considering some general principles to help us in making good use of the Law. Now we want to take a look at some specific applications of those principles to select examples of the Law, in order to gain some practice in interpreting God’s Law for our lives today.

We begin with an example of the Old Testament civil code which is cited in both the Old and New Testaments. Paul cites our text twice, in 1 Corinthians 9.9 and 1 Timothy 5.17. Before we explore the New Testament’s use of what might seem like a fairly obscure precept of God’s Law, let’s have a good look at it in its proper and original context.

This statute illustrates the unity of the Law of God because it can be shown to be related to at least two of the Ten Commandments. Perhaps most obviously, Deuteronomy 25.4 relates to the eighth commandment and forbids owners of oxen to “rob” their animals of the fruit of their labors. It may seem strange to suggest that people could “steal” from animals, but, as we shall see, Paul discovers the principle of stealing in this verse and, therefore, we must assume that animals have certain “rights” which men transgress only at the risk of violating the commandments of God. And more, that those “rights” have something to say about the proper way of treating others.

Such an understanding suggests the fifth commandment, where we learn the principle of respect for others as creatures made by God, beginning with one’s parents. This commandment also includes statutes which point us to the creation and guide us in respecting the “rights” of non-human creatures. Thus, we must not take a mother bird with her offspring. We can take the eggs or the young, but we must leave the mother to propagate another generation of offspring (Deut. 22.6, 7). Similarly, in warfare we are forbidden to practice “scorched earth” policies, especially with respect to fruit-bearing trees (Deut. 20.19, 20). We must respect the creation as belonging to the Lord and serving His purposes (Ps. 24.1; 119.89-91).

The first principle we discern in Deuteronomy 25.4 is that creatures have rights and are to be treated in ways consistent with God’s love for His creation; oxen, it appears, are worthy of “double honor” under certain circumstances. They get fed in their cribs, and they must be allowed to feed as they work. Applications of this today might seem obvious and, a bit further along in our study, we’ll consider some examples.

T. M. Moore

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