Recently there has been a fresh realisation of the need for civility if we are to have healthy, orderly societies. If people are to live in harmony, they must be sensitive to the needs and scruples of others. Civility is defined as ″the act of showing regard for others″. Deuteronomy 22:1-12 gives several rules intended to keep a society harmonious and healthy.

Verses 1-4 are about helping neighbours who have lost something or are having problems of some sort. The word ″ignore″ (vv. 1, 3-4) refers to not responding to another's need; literally it means ″hide″. The natural tendency of most people would be to leave the scene when we encounter a person in need, as the priest and the Levite did in the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:31-32). God's people must not do that! We reject the saying: ″every man for himself and God for us all″.

Verse 5 prohibits ″cross-dressing″. Two different Hebrew words are translated as ″clothing″ here and they together cover not only clothes, but anything worn as a symbol of masculinity or femininity. Cross-dressing may have been part of a pagan temple ritual and also used for emotional or sexual (possibly homosexual) gratification. The words ″God detests″ show that we should respond seriously to today's blurring of God-given gender distinctions (see Genesis 1:27), which some mistakenly regard as expressions of gender equality.

Verses 6-7 direct that when a nest is found, the mother bird must not be taken, though the young birds may be taken. This law is intended to preserve species of birds which are used for food. This is another reminder of the need to be responsible in the use of natural resources for the sake of the generations that will follow us (see Deuteronomy 20:19-20). Godliness must extend to our interactions with all of creation.

Verse 8 gives a building regulation. The roofs of Middle Eastern houses were flat and were used for sleeping in the hot season and various other activities (see Acts 10:9-20). Owners would know the boundaries of their roof, but visitors would not. Hence, owners were to make ″a parapet around [their] roof″ (Deuteronomy 22:8) for their visitors' safety. God's people must not allow situations that would jeopardise the safety of others. Wells without a boundary wall in village communities pose a similar threat today. And when we let our vehicles emit harmful toxic fumes, we also violate the spirit of this law.

Verses 9-11 prohibit the mixing of different things like plants and animals in a field and clothing material. This could have been to prevent mixing ceremonially clean and unclean things or for practical reasons, because such combinations would not work well.

Finally, verse 12 instructs the people to wear tassels at the corners of garments as a reminder to obey the Law (Numbers 15:38-40). These add to the list of visual aids to obedience given in Deuteronomy 6:8-9.