The Position of Biblical Law with Respect to Disabilities

The Position of Biblical Law with Respect to Disabilities

Just from the beginning of the bible, God created everything with love. Human beings were also created with love, and God expects them to rule the rest of living things with love. In the creation story of a man, men and women are created in the image of God, and no one is superior to the other regardless of gender. The bible has also stated that God cares for all of us, and he takes part in our sufferings. Therefore, individuals with disabilities are part of God's creation, and He is always there for them. This essay discusses the position of biblical law with respect to disabilities.

In the bible, being disabled is just a disease. Some of the diseases that have been highlighted in the bible include paralysis, leprosy, dumbness, deafness, and blindness. Visual impairment is a physical disability that has been mentioned in the bible. However, some individuals in the bible, such as Eli (1 Samuel 3:2) and Isaac (Genesis 21:1), lost their sight because of old age. Therefore, being disabled is related to nature and can be caused by various life experiences.

The bible illustrates disability as a curse due to ignorance, unbelief, and disobedience. In Leviticus 26:14-16, God promised Israelites that He would bring sudden terror, diseases, and fever that will destroy their sight and drain their lives because of disobedience. Judges 14:2 also states that Samson sinned using his eyes. The Philistine woman shaved his hair, and Samson's eyes were gouged out. His eyes were plucked because it was a punishment from God. God punished the wicked people of Sodom by making them blind (Wisdom 2:21). That is why blindness was blindness was considered a curse caused by disobeying God. "The Lord will inflict you with madness, blindness, and confusion of the mind. You will grope about like a blind man in the dark at midday. You will be unsuccessful in everything you do, day after day you will be oppressed and robbed, with no one to rescue you" (Deut. 28:28-29). This indicates that God can curse people, and they become disabled.

The biblical law suggests people with disabilities should be loved and treated with kindness without discrimination. For example, God used Moses to rescue the Israelites from Egypt despite his disability. Moses was frightened, and he was not aware that God could use him to rescue His people from the hand of Pharaoh (Exodus 4:10-16). God later sent Aaron to act as a spokesman. The story of the four men with a skin disease (leprosy) illustrated how people with disability were discriminated against and chased away from the community. However, they decided to go to the city of Samaria, where they were given food.

The biblical law also supports that being disabled is not a barrier to preventing someone from doing productive things in the community. For example, Zacchaeus had a small body size, considered a form of disability. When Jesus was passing by, he decided to climb a tree to be able to see Jesus. Initially, he worked as a tax collector, but meeting with Jesus changed his character and made him generous. Another example is the story of Isaac; he became blind at his old age to the extent of being unable to distinguish between his two sons. However, his old age did not prevent him from blessing his son and foreseeing what would happen in the future. 

The bible also suggests that givers benefit when they help the disabled. "Then Jesus said to the man who asked Him to eat in his house, 'When you have a supper, do not ask your friends, brothers, family, or rich neighbors. They will ask you to come to their place for supper. That way, you will be paid back for what you have done. When you have supper, ask poor people. Ask those who cannot walk and those who are blind. You will be happy if you do this. They cannot pay you back. You will get your pay when the people who are right with God are raised from the dead" (Luke 14:12-14). It means that helping the disabled does not guarantee that an individual will directly benefit from the action. However, God uses other means to bless anyone who spends their time and resources to help the disabled.

The biblical law also highlights that the disabled should not be seen as unworthy in society. King David had a servant who was physically disabled. Even the servant felt unworthy of living with the king (2 Samuel 19:24-28). However, David promised to show kindness to his servant as a recognition of his father, Jonathan. David's statement shows that it is a biblical law to be concerned about the lives, including the disabled. In the book of Daniel 1:3-4, the king ordered his servants to bring Israelites from the loyal family to be trained and become part of the king's service. However, he specified that those men must be handsome without physical impairment. His statement can be seen as a form of prejudice and discrimination where people with disability are treated as unworthy.

The biblical law also suggests that other individuals should be concerned with the lives of the disabled. An example from the bible's stories is when God decided to restore the Israelites. God said that he would take them out of captivity, including the disabled, and return them to Jerusalem. "See, I will bring them from the land of the north, and gather them from the ends of the earth. Among them the blind and the lame" (Jeremiah 31:8, 9). This indicates that God also wants us to include all individuals, including those who are disabled, when making decisions. Micah 4:6-7 has explained the plan of God to Israelites. "In that day," declares the Lord, "I will gather the lame, I will assemble the exiles and those I have brought grief, I will make the lame a remnant, and those driven away from a strong nation" (Micah 4:6-7). From the verses mentioned above, God had good plans for all individuals. He did not want the disabled to be left behind. God wanted all of them restored despite their disabilities.

Looking at disability from another perspective, we cannot say that disability is a curse from God. Psalms 145:8-9 highlights that God loves and cares for all of us without exemption. "The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made." (Psalms 145:8-9). Loving us without exemption means that he loves without discriminating against the disabled. The book of 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 states that we should not give up because our inner self is renewed every day. "So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed daily. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things seen but to the unseen things. The things that are seen are transient, but the unseen things are eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).

Another biblical law concerning disability is that being disabled does not mean that God's grace is not in our lives. "So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. I pleaded with the Lord about this three times that it should leave me. But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). This shows that God's grace is always with us despite all we go through in our daily lives.

Conclusion

Just from the beginning of the bible, God created everything with love including the disabled. In the bible, being disabled is just a disease or a curse due to ignorance, unbelief, and disobedience. The biblical law suggests people with disabilities should be loved and treated with kindness without discrimination. Also, being disabled is not a barrier to preventing someone from doing productive things in the community. Therefore, the disabled should not be seen as unworthy in society.

Work Cited

Freedman D.N. “Anchor Yale Bible Reference Library (43 vols.).” 2017.