Exodus 21-23

“These different regulations are as remarkable for their justice and prudence as for their humanity. Their great tendency is to show the valuableness of human life, and the necessity of having peace and good understanding in every neighbourhood; and they possess that quality which should be the object of all good and wholesome laws-the prevention of crimes.” (Adam Clarke) -on Exodus 21-23

This segment of the Scriptures is divided into a couple different "categories":

Case laws (Rights of slaves, laws protecting human beings, laws dealing with property and compensation)

Social and Religious Commands

Ritual Calendar

God's Presence and how He would conqueror the promised land

It is important to remember the basis for why God gave the Israelites these laws, and why they are important for us as we continue our daily walk with Jesus Christ. LOVE: These things are out of God's love for us as His beloved children, and this is why we should seek to honor Him in each of these areas and in all of the areas of our lives! Remembering the deliverance that God has given to us!

Last night I watched a particular episode of NCIS: LA where a woman entered the country, became a housekeeper, and was worked to the bone--serving late, getting very little sleep, and beaten if they did not like the way she did things. Yes it is a tv show, but  this is what happens. We just don't think about it, or see it in the media. If we do see it, we look away at the injustices.  Even though we do not have people we typically call "slaves" today, we have them. Wives, mothers, maids, housekeepers, nannies, prostitutes who have pimps, those stuck in human trafficking, etc. These are all people who typically fit that category of slave. Some fit the job title more appropriately, while others just scream wrong or INJUSTICE. Just because they serve in these positions (housekeeper, nannies, wives) and have given themselves to this work (whatever it may be), it does not mean they are to be taken for granted, neglected, or harmed in any way. A lot of times people, especially if they are illegal, are taken for granted. We get in this "I am better than you" mindset, and this is what God is warning us against: the severity of our actions against others. We need to be compassionate and loving others everyday in whatever way we can, while still wholly pursuing God's justice!~

Much of the Scriptures in this passage still apply to us today: think of the passages on an ox mauling a human being. The ox is to be killed, but if the owner knew of its tendencies (perhap teaching them)--they should be charged. Doesn't sound to different than what we ought to do if a dog mauls another, does it? Or, how about this one: if a ox goes in and eats of another's field--restitution should be made. What if someone's dog eats of all of our crops planted in our backyards? Or, completely destroys our yards? Would we not expect the same thing to be done? The Old Testament definitely applies to us today! Take time to soak it in!

 It is not about favoritism. It is not about always doing what we may want to do. It is about honoring God. It is about pursuing justice.  It is about pursuing justice no matter what--even if it means helping those who hate us (see Exodus 23:5), in order to show God's love and justice. "The social laws are framed by worship!" Worship. Worship is what to be our heart's aim, and the reason for why we choose to honor God, love all others, love people, and pursue justice!

What helps me is the note given on Sabbath rest in Exodus 23:12. It is for rest and relief that the sabbath is to exist. God has given us the sabbath to bless us... to bless those around us also!  In later part of Exodus 23, God declares that His presence will go before me. God will be my guide. He can send terror into the hearts of those we may encounter. God will be glorified; we need only to seek His face and be completely obedient to Him! We need not to hang onto the concerns of this world, but trust that God will have His way. Little by little is the phrase God uses when describing the process of eliminating Israel's enemies. It wasn't an immediate process, but it was for Israel's benefit. Trust even when the process seems so slow...He IS still working.

I enjoyed how well the passages fit together, and it all boils down to how we treat others. Exodus 22:21-27 really shows how to treat another. Exodus 21:5 gives a picture of the Christian believer. We are given freedom, but it is that tremendous love for God that keeps us seeking Him and seeking to serve Him!

Exodus 20:12-26

There are three parts to today's passage (Exodus 20:12-26).

A. Commandments that relate to both God and man. (12-17)

B. The people's fear and Moses comfort to them. (18-21)

C. God's command for Israel to build an altar where they could worship God. (22-26)

The last six commandments:

A. Honor (revere) (burdened with) your parents. Blessing: "Your life may be long in the land God is giving you" Bottom line is God blesses those who honor their parents. It's caring for our parents. It's allowing ourselves to have that deep caring for our parents, and doing what is right in God's sight!

B. Do not murder. What I found interesting was the reminder I came across that there is a distinction between murder and kill. We are instructed not to kill without any legal reason. This only makes a difference if there was a point of having to do it to protect ourselves if we were gravely in danger. It opens up the verse and reminds me that there is a difference...

C. Do not commit adultery (see Matt 5:28). D. Do not covet or steal (see Eph 4:28). E. Do not lie to our neighbors. These all really boil down to a heart issue at some level.

Israel and Moses:

The Israelites were very fearful, hearing God's mighty voice, air filled with smoke, seeing great thunder and lightening, sounds of the trumpet. Moses comforted them. How could he comfort them? He knew God's love. How did he know the love of God? Moses had a relationship with God!  The fear of God would keep them from sinning against God.

Altar:

Israel saw God and His might for themselves. God commanded them to make no idols, but worship the Lord alone. God called them to make a specific altar that would not be defiled: a place where they could worship God, sacrificing to Him, and God would come to them and bless them.

Exodus 20:1-11

The Ten Commandments is brought to us out of God's great love for us. He begins instructing Moses of the Ten Commandments, by stating what God has done for them. Likewise, we need to think on what God has done for us. We should seek to glorify God and honor Him with our lives--because of God's great love for us.

Two more commadments are given that go with how we treat God. With the whole thing, we should be asking:

• Are we showing Him our love? 
• Genuinely loving Him? 
• Or, do we only love Him when He does good things for us? 
• Where are our hearts at? 

These are the questions we should be asking ourselves.

The layout of the Ten Commandments is like this:

God reminds Israel (and us) what He has done for us. We may have not been literally trapped in Egypt as slaves, but we were slaves to sin...and it is only because of the power of God through His son Jesus Christ that we have been. set. Free.

There are four commands that go directly with loving God:

1. We are to have no other gods before our great God- Yahweh.
   
2. We are to not have idols, or bow down and worship these. Pulpit Commentary shares this significant insight:
   
   "Verses 4 and 5 are to be taken together, the prohibition being intended, not to forbid the arts of sculpture and painting, or even to condemn the religious use of them, but to disallow the worship of God under material forms."
   
   There is a blessing found inside verses 6. God lavishes His love on those who love God and keep His commands. There is also the warning God gives to us: "I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me," (verse 5). God is a jealous God. He has poured out everything to us--willingly calls us His children though we were once His enemies. That should draw us ever close to Him. But if we turn our backs on God,... woe to us!
   
3.  We are to not misuse God's name. Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible reminds us why this is to be a serious thing, just read: "the name of God ought never to be mentioned but in a grave and serious manner, and with an awe of the greatness of his majesty upon the mind." We take God's name too loosely instead of recognizing the great POWER of God even at the sound of calling out His awesome name! We fail to recognize the greatness of His name!
   
4. Ahh yes, the last of the four: Sabbath. This is another thing many of us do not do well or often enough. Taking time to literally rest and remember what God has done in our lives and what God is going to do in our lives and the lives of others. We need that time of reflection, thinking upon God and His Word, how He has worked not only in our lives but the lives of others. The Sabbath day is to be a blessing, but we often take it for granted... We need to come back to the true meaning of Sabbath and what God intended it for.

I came upon this quote a few days ago. David Murray wrote: "Redemption brought the Israelites into a relationship with God, which they were to respond to with grateful obedience." It wasn't a mere "earn it and you can be with me." They were already given access to God and His divine riches! The relationship always comes first, and obedience will follow. The Ten Commandments are a way to help us show our gratitude for all God has done for us, and to show our love for Him! It is to help us keep our gratitude and keep our relationship with Him "happy and healthy" as Murray says in his book (Jesus on Every Page)