Chapters 21 - 23 of Exodus are known as the Book of the Covenant. They are a series of laws that expand on the Ten Commandments. They are not an exhaustive list of behavior in any and all circumstances - but they gave the Israelites guidelines in how to treat each other and how to worship God.
They also give us some good guidelines to follow as well - as sometimes we get caught up in our own culture and forget just what God’s character is like - fidelity, fairness, compassion and loyalty.
Chapter 21
Laws about hurting others
Verses 1 - 11 Slaves and the bondservant
1 - 3 Was God condoning slavery? No. It was a practice already in place which God is regulating to protect the slaves. God also did not condone divorce but regulated it to protect the woman. This might seem a little hypocritical - if God is so pure then why didn’t He outlaw slavery altogether?
Point 1: God did not want Israel to end up doing the same thing as Egypt did to them.
Point 2: The focus of the passage is not on the legality of slavery, but on the treatment of them. This would set Israel apart from any other culture - with no perpetual slavery.
Point 3: It pictures something greater - the bondslave. If a man married while a slave and wanted to keep his wife and kids, he became a permanent slave by choice.
Philippians 2:5-9 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. ESV
The word ’servant’ is the Greek word for "bondslave." Jesus willingly became a bondslave forever - serving God permanently. And we are told to have that same attitude.
Verse 7 Why did female slaves not go free? My reading is that they are treated even more special - they must be married or sent away with a dowry. Women needed protection in that society - they would starve if simply sent away empty handed.
Verses 12 - 17 Manslaughter
The difference between manslaughter and murder is premeditation. God recognized the fact that sometimes in the course of things people would die - there would be negligence, but not to the point of capital murder. So God will created Cities of Refuge in the Promised Land so that proportional justice can be afforded. Otherwise, a relative, known as the Avenger of Blood would simply kill the person accused.
So what about striking parents? The word "strike" can also mean kill - and that may be what is in focus here. Kidnapping also meant the death penalty - as did cursing your parents.
Cursing probably meant some outrageous act - God is not capricious in handing out capital judgment. But we simply don’t have a lot of details.
Verses 18 - 27 Personal Injury
Verses 18 - 19 Notice how close to today’s laws these are - payment for lost time and payment for medical expenses.
Verses 20 - 21 Not really sure what to make of this. "avenged" means to punish. It appears the idea is that if there is loss it is the slave owners loss of productivity of the slave.
Verses 22 - 25 If a woman is an innocent bystander to a fight and she gets injured so that she gives birth prematurely - some scholars assume a stillbirth - but the woman is not harmed - then there is a fine. But if she is harmed then the Law of Retribution comes into play. Again, this is proportional justice.
Verses 26 - 27 The slave gets to go free and the owner suffers financial loss - but the slave is without his tooth or eye (as examples) and must now fend for himself. My thought is that this protects the slave from an abusive master.
Verses 28 - 36 Animal-caused Injury
28 - 32 Here is the concept of personal liability. This might be called criminally negligent homicide in the case of an animal that has a history of goring. There was a famous case in San Francisco not too long ago where a woman was convicted of murder when her pit bull killed someone.
Notice that the person can redeem their life with a fine.
Notice too that if a slave is killed there is just a fine. I don’t know why.
33 - 36 This is personal liability - like if someone slips and falls on the snow on your driveway. And there is a distinction made between a known and unknown hazard.
Chapter 22
Laws about Personal Property
Chapter 22:1 - 15 Personal Property Laws
Verses 1 - 4 Theft and Robbery
Here we have financial accountability and restitution. Also the concept of self protection in case someone breaks into a house. But notice that if it happens in the daytime when you can see the person and know if whether or not they are a physical threat - then you can’t just kill them.
Verses 5 - 6 Harm to land or crops
This would be the same as if you had a tree and it fell on your neighbors house - you’d be liable.
Verses 7 - 15 Harm to Borrowed Items
You’d think this kind of stuff would be obvious - and the Lord isn’t giving every little nuance of every situation - but pointing out that you take care of something entrusted to you - you don’t steal it.
Interesting that they could bring unclear matters to the Lord for resolution - if only we could do that today!
Personal accountability - personal responsibility
Laws about Social Justice
Verses 16 - 17 Protection for Unmarried Women
Being a virgin was of supreme importance. If a woman was not a virgin she could not marry. Funny today how we’ve almost turned that around. This forces men who want to have sex with a single woman outside of marriage to be required to marry that woman or pay her dowry - so she won’t starve. Women couldn’t work like they do today - so God is looking out for them.
Verse 18 Laws against sorcery
Sorcery is a very dangerous thing. Basically it is attempting to manipulate the environment by tapping into the demonic realm. Anyone who aligns themselves with Satan will share Satan’s fate of eternal death.
People today have really no concept how serious this is. Satan comes only to steal kill and destroy - and he will use anyone to do this. They think they are getting what they want, but they are just pawns.
Oddly - sorcery did get a foothold in Israel. We see one in 1 Samuel 28 with a medium who Saul inquires because God will no longer talk to him. The law is further clarified in Deuteronomy 18. If you can’t get what you need from God - it is a serious mistake to try to get it any other way.
Verse 19 - 20 Debauched Sexuality & Idolatry
Both of these acts should be seen in context of cultish religions that will surround Israel in the Promised Land. Worshiping anything other than Yahweh is to be utterly destroyed.
Verses 21 - 24 Caring for the Downtrodden
These verses give clarity in part to why God wants slaves to be treated well - because the people of Israel were slaves in Egypt. God heard the cries of the Israelites when they were mistreated and took vengeance on Egypt - he will do the same if the Israelites themselves mistreat others.
Verses 25 - 27 Money lending
Some people in this section think that God is outlawing the charging of interest. In context we are talking about the poor and destitute. Desperate to survive - the Israelites were not to charge interest when helping them. We see this happen all the time around us - charging exorbitant rates of interest knowing that someone will never be able to repay it. It was common to give collateral for a loan - giving a cloak shows how destitute the person is. In cases like that - the lender should make sure that they are not putting someone’s life at risk.
The charging of interest in general is not in view here - and there is a big difference between the days here, and our day - where we "rent" money on a regular basis.
Verse 28 Respect for God and Leaders
This verse is a conclusion to the pervious section about treating the downtrodden properly. Failure to follow God’s Law or the civil authorities charged with enforcing it is a serious thing.
Verses 29 - 31 Giving to God
This section re-iterates that the first and the best belong to God. Eating animals torn by beasts would make someone ceremonially unclean (Leviticus 17 & 22).
Chapter 23
Verses 1 - 9 Fairness in law and conduct
It is in man’s sinful nature to abuse any system for his own gain. This still happens in our time as well - perjury, malicious prosecution - and pressing your advantage when someone else is down.
Act fairly God says. There is a place to deal with your issues - it’s not when your adversary has been in a car accident or when his little dog runs into your yard.
Laws about Festivals
Verses 10 - 12 The Sabbath
This introduces the concept of gleaning - which the Lord will clarify later. The Sabbath concept is not only to obey God but has a practical application as well - rest. Let the land rest, let the poor rest, let your servants and your animals rest. We as humans will drive ourselves and those around us until we all drop. Create a sustainable atmosphere, God says. Does this still apply today? Not technically - Jesus Christ fulfilled all the Law, including the Sabbath (see Colossian 2:16 and Hebrews 4:9). But other than living a Sabbath life in Jesus - the value of taking a Sabbath is still a good one.
Verse 13 - Fidelity to God
This verse introduces the last part of the book of the Covenant - and reiterates the first two commandments. Israel belonged to God and was to serve God only - period.
Verses 14 - 19 Festivals and Regulations
Three festivals - Passover (commemorating their release from Egypt), First Fruits (7 weeks later) and Ingathering - in the fall. This one was also the festival of booths. 1 Corinthians 15:20 Paul refers to Christ’s resurrection as the "firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep" - that will be followed by the full harvest - the Ingathering of the saints in the Rapture. They were agricultural feasts - knowing that all substance really came from God.
The final verse has created a lot of controversy. It’s why the Jews will not mix dairy and meat lest by chance the meat was boiled in it’s mother’s milk. It may be a warning about a pagan practice - but we’re really not sure.
Orders for the Conquest of Canaan
Verses 20 - 22 The Angel
The angel can be seen as an extension of Yahweh - and as Paul suggests in 1 Corinthians 15, could be Jesus Himself - leading His people as the agent of God to the Promised Land. Disobedience will be met by consequences.
Verses 23 - 28 Canaanite Religions
Remain true to God and He will make your land prosper, your people healthy, and your enemies hurt! I like the hornets part - just try to do anything with a mass of angry hornets coming after you!
It’s too bad that Israel didn’t follow through with this - and they suffered because of it.
Verses 29 - 33 Canaanite Conquest
It surely was a snare to them. How often do we go into a situation with the intentions of completely serving God - but we begin to take a peak at the world around us and we too are ensnared by sin.
Israel never filled the borders promised here by God.
Conclusions
God’s Law is enduring
I want you to connect with how much of the Book of the Covenant has found it’s way into the laws of today. Property rights, personal responsibility, liability - time loss - as much as today’s society tries to excise God from our culture - His Law is woven into the very fabric of our society.
God’s Law is complex in application, but simple in its base
It still all boils down to two things: Love God, love others
Are you a bondslave or a day laborer?
At the beginning of most of Paul’s letters he identifies himself as a bondservant - a servant for life by choice. Have you made an "out" for yourself in your relationship with Jesus? Go all the way - let your life show that you are the Lord’s bondservant forever.
God’s angel goes with you too (23:20)
Hebrews 1:14 Angels are ministering spirits sent to help the elect
Do you trust God with your heart, yet hurt others with your actions?
Romans 7:15-25
Rom 7:18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. ESV
Rom 7:24-25Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! ESV
How easily do your eyes wander to sin?
Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. ESV
Rom 16:19 For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil ESV
