Friday - Exodus 23 – More Rules & God’s Angel

Verses 1-19 are more or less a continuation of the last couple of chapters. However, the end of this chapter is different. God promised that a RULER would accompany all of these RULES.

Here are a few outstanding issues He raised:

1.         God warned the people not to be influenced by peer pressure.

2.         He laid down a rudimentary foundation for the “love your enemy” principle (Matthew 5:44 & Exodus 23: 4-5)

3.         He warned against leaders accepting gifts from anyone subservient to them. It's awfully hard to be firm with someone under you who has just given you a generous present (Exodus 23:8).

4.         He demanded that the people prove their faith in Him by allowing their fields to rest every seventh year (Exodus 23:10-11).

5.         He expected the fourth commandment to be kept... not only to respect the example He had set (Exodus 31:17) and to show their faith, but also for their own good (Exodus 23:12)

6.         He ordained 3 main feasts (sacred celebratory parties) for the people.  The holidays were called PASSOVER, PENTECOST & TABERNACLES. (see Adam Clarke’s comments).

Was God speaking generally and with casual liberality? Hardly!  In fact, He said for them to "be circumspect" in all of this (Exodus 23 13); circumspect: prudent, vigilant... exact.  He required perfection.  And, to assure that they would not get away with disobedience He sent His Angel (or, Messenger) to be with them constantly (Exodus 23:20). The purpose of this theophany expression was to keep the Hebrews "in the way" and to "bring them into their place." The Angel was also their to reward obedience and to punish any disobedience.  God warned that they should "beware of Him and not provoke Him."  

Now, the message wasn't all threats and warnings. He also promised that He would send hornets into Canaan in front of the Jews to drive the inhabitants of the land out a little at a time... at a rate and pace that would allow the Jews to move right into vacant neighborhoods. Can't beat that!  And, He also promised to give them land from the Nile to the Euphrates; from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea (Exodus 23:31 & Genesis 15:18).  They have never once claimed all of it... at least, not yet...

Thursday - Exodus 22 - An Assortment of Rules

Talk about a varied selection of regulations! In this chapter it is recorded that God issued decrees regarding stealing, manslaughter (in defense of personal property), slavery, retribution (for stolen or damaged goods), trespassing, arson, borrowing, renting, the loss of virginity, witchcraft, bestiality, idolatry, hospitality, bullying, charging interest, disrespecting authorities, tithing and what to do with road-kill.  Quite a conundrum of items, eh?

If you want to look for a phrase to sum the chapter up, check out verse 31a, "You shall be holy men unto me..." God was trying to promote holiness, righteousness, separation, sanctification, etc. And, actually we've already covered the purpose for all of these detailed rules. So, allow me to pick several of the most interesting dictates from this list.

1.         It's remarkable that God allowed deadly force to be used in the defense of personal property, but did not allow capital punishment in the same cases if the crime was over (Exodus 22:2-3).

2.         While we know from other passages that the punishment for adultery or rape was death, there was really no punishment at all for consensual sex with a female virgin... unless the girl's father refused to allow marriage after the fact. A "shotgun wedding" was the first option... but so was payment of damages if there was no wedding. So, whether or not a man was punished for seducing a single lady depended on the attitude of the girl's father (Exodus 22:16- 17). That seems to be more lenient than perhaps we would have expected.

3.         Bestiality was a capital crime (Exodus 22:19) ... as well it should have been (and should still be). The shocking thing about this is that the rule was even present in the first place. If God made the rule, then obviously it was a problem in those days... or at least the potential was there.

4.         Kindness, congeniality, generosity, philanthropy, benevolence, hospitality... whatever angle one prefers; strangers, widows and orphans were to be treated well (Exodus 22:21-23). Through neglect or malevolent opportunism, the disadvantaged can end up being oppressed (Deuteronomy 10:18 & 24:17; Zechariah 7:10)!

5.         God was not altogether opposed to the charging of interest, but He was against anyone charging their own family members interest for a loan (Exodus 22:25, Deuteronomy 23:19-20 & Matthew 25:27). However, He was (and is) opposed to excessive and oppressive interest rates in any situation (Proverbs 28:8).
6.         Respect for authority is high on God's list of important things (Exodus 22:28). And why not? All authority is ultimately His authority (Romans 13:1-2). We conservative Christians need to remember God's standpoint about this when we discuss our least favorite political leaders (Acts 23:5, II Peter 2:10 & Jude 1:8). Jesus, Paul and David all set glowing examples for all of us in this regard.

Tuesday - Exodus 21 - An Eye for an Eye Makes the World Less Prone to Violence

Supposedly Mahatma Gandhi was the originator of the famous line, "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind." Well, obviously he was borrowing from (and denying) the Bible... much like Satan did in Eden. The eternally wise God of heaven was the originator of the "eye for an eye" principle of justice. Essentially God was advocating equality in punishments.  Even today we understand that punishment for a crime should fit the crime itself.  That was the root of what God was teaching through Moses.

The concept of exact reciprocity serves two primary functions in human society. First, it prevents injustices by limiting those who are in authority. A standard of mirror punishments prevents the powers that be from allowing their passions or biases to taint their judgment in a way that would result in overkill in their attempts at the execution of justice. Second, it also bars the miscarriage of justice by requiring fair retribution even in cases where a judge might tend toward leniency. Chronic leniency can eventually evolve into anarchy and amorality (Ecclesiastes 8:11). So, "an eye for an eye" is indeed a very fair, just and righteous adage.

But, is justice the only objective in God's heart? Hardly! He also values mercy (Romans 3:25-26 & Psalm 85:10). Strangely, despite Gandhi's unregenerate station, the Mahatma was actually (and inadvertently) on to something legitimate. He saw the ineptitude of "The Law" to ultimately fix humanity... but, he missed the true solution. The solution is Jesus. Jesus came and preached a higher principle (Matthew 5:38-42) He didn't deny or destroy the law. In fact, He fulfilled it to the max. When Jesus died on the cross he epitomized God's demand for exact reciprocity. Yet, in doing so He ushered in a better way. Jesus replaced the "eye for an eye" principle with a “turn the other check” principle.