Exodus
21-22: “The Civil Law Is Given To
By
1.
INTRO:
1.1.
In our last study, we looked at chapters
19 and 20 of Exodus.
1.1.1. We saw that the children of
1.1.2. We talked about this new covenant the children of
1.1.3. We saw how that when the Lord first began to reveal
Himself to man that He revealed Himself in His holiness and righteousness. We discussed the fact that this is very
important to consider because coming to salvation involves coming into
relationship with a God who is totally holy and righteous. Jesus Christ, having paid the full debt of
our sin, becomes the Christian’s righteousness allowing us to be in God’s
presence and come to know Him.
1.1.4. We looked in depth at each of the Ten Commandments
that were given to the children of
1.2.
In our study today,
we are going to look at chapters 21-22 of the book of Exodus.
1.2.1. In our last study we looked at the various breakdowns
of the Law of Moses, and we saw that it consisted of the Ten Commandments
(“Moral Law”), and the rest of the 913 ceremonial and civil laws.
1.2.1.1.The book of Leviticus contains those parts of the Law
of Moses that contain the ceremonial law, and it contains those things that
involve what God would have us to consider as ceremonial cleanness and
uncleanness.
1.2.1.2.The chapters in our study today establish the “Civil
Laws” of the Law of Moses, and these are the regulations that involve the just
punishment and procedure to follow for crimes committed.
1.2.2. As we look at these civil laws instituted and directly
communicated by the Lord, we can see first of all that they reveal a morality
that is far beyond that of the nations in that day. They also reveal to us the fairness,
goodness, and justice of God. All
nations derive to some degree their laws from these laws of the book of
Exodus.
1.2.3. Psalm 19:7-10 tells us about the quality of God’s law,
“7 The law of the Lord
is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. 8 The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. 9 The fear of the Lord
is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether. 10 They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much
fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.”
2.
VS 21:1-4 - “1
“Now these are the ordinances which you are to set before them: 2 “If you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve for six
years; but on the seventh he shall go out as a free man without payment. 3 “If he comes alone, he shall go out alone; if he
is the husband of a wife, then his wife shall go out with him. 4 “If his master gives him a wife, and she bears him
sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall belong to her master, and he
shall go out alone.” - The Lord gives the law for requiring that any
slaves a man takes shall be free in the seventh year, and that if he has a wife
that she shall go out with him when he leaves
2.1.
I find it
comforting to know that the first civil law that the Lord records for
2.2.
Harper’s Bible
Dictionary states the following about the Laws of Moses relative to
slaves:
Although
the Bible acknowledges the slave’s status as the property of the master (Exod.
21:32; Lev. 25:46), it seeks to restrict the master’s power over the slave. The
master was punished for excessive use of authorized force leading to the
immediate death or permanent maiming of the slave (Exod. 21:20, 25-26). The
slave was part of the master’s household (Lev. 22:11) and was required to rest
on the Sabbath (Exod. 20:10; Deut. 5:14) and to participate in religious
observances (Gen. 17:13; Exod. 12:44; Lev. 22:11; Deut. 12:12, 18; 16:11,
14). In contrast to ancient Near
Eastern treaties providing for the mutual extradition of fugitive slaves,
biblical law prohibited such extradition and granted them asylum (Deut.
23:16-17; but cf. 1 Kings 2:39-40). The servitude of a Hebrew debt-slave was
limited to six years (Exod. 21:2; Deut. 15:12; Jer. 34:14). Upon manumission,
slaves were to receive gifts (Deut. 15:14) to enable them economically to
maintain their new freedom. The servitude of voluntarily self-enslaved Hebrews
ended with the onset of the Jubilee Year and their return to their patrimonies
(Lev. 25:13, 40).
2.3.
A slave was to be
set free after serving six years, and if he had a wife she would be freed with
him at the same time. But, if the
slave’s master had given him a wife then his wife must remain with his master.
2.4.
Unique laws
regarding a female slave are given later.
3.
VS 21:5-6 - “5
“But if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife and my children;
I will not go out as a free man,’ 6 then his master shall bring him to God, then he shall bring him to the door
or the doorpost. And his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall
serve him permanently.” - The law for
becoming a ‘bond-slave’ for life is given by God
3.1.
If at the end of
six years of service when a slave could be set free, he instead honored his
master, he could choose to become a slave for life to his master. The ceremony then to enact this was for the
slave to have his master pierce his ear with an awl to make a permanent mark
upon his showing his mater’s ownership.
3.2.
The Christian
life is to be the life of a “bond-slave” of God, for the Christian has
chosen of his own free will to submit himself to serve the Lord as His Master
for his entire life. The Lord is the
benevolent master who deserves our love and service for life. The apostle Paul
wrote of himself as being the Lord’s “bond-slave” (
3.2.1. Galatians 6:17, “17 From now on let no one cause
trouble for me, for I bear on my body the brand-marks of Jesus.”
3.2.2. 2 Corinthians 11:23-27, “23 Are they servants of
Christ?—I speak as if insane—I more so; in far more labors, in far more
imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. 24 Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes.
25 Three times I was beaten
with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day
I have spent in the deep. 26 I have been on frequent journeys, in
dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen,
dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness,
dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; 27 I have been in labor and hardship,
through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in
cold and exposure.”
3.3.
For a deeper
symbol here, we can think about the Lord Jesus Christ. In His incarnation he willingly submitted
Himself to be the Lord’s “bond-servant” and performed everything that
was commanded Him from His father, and He forever bears in His body the marks
from His master, for he was a “bond-servant” as well:
3.3.1. John 20:27, “27 Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach
here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but
believing.”
3.3.2. Revelation 5:6, “6 And I saw between the throne
(with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain,
having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out
into all the earth.”
4.
VS 21:7-11 - “7
“If a man sells his daughter as a female slave, she is not to go free as
the male slaves do. 8 “If she is displeasing in
the eyes of her master who designated her for himself, then he shall let her be
redeemed. He does not have authority to sell her to a foreign people because of
his unfairness to her. 9 “If he designates her for
his son, he shall deal with her according to the custom of daughters. 10 “If he takes to himself another woman, he may not
reduce her food, her clothing, or her conjugal rights. 11 “If he will not do these three things for
her, then she shall go out for nothing, without payment of money.” - The laws regarding a daughter that is sold as
a slave to another are given by God
4.1.
The next law has to
do with a ‘female slave.’ A ‘female
slave’ was unique because she could be as a secondary wife to her master or
to her master’s son. Being in that
position as an indentured slave she was vulnerable and needed protection
through the law.
4.2.
If a man sold his
daughter to be a female slave, the girl would not automatically ‘go
free’ in six years as was the case of a male slave. However, if the master found the girl to be ‘displeasing’
to him, he could allow her to be redeemed (30 pieces of silver was the price of
freedom for a slave), but not to a ‘foreign people.’
4.3.
Likewise, if a
man gave a female slave to his son as a wife, then she would have all of the
rights of any other wife of an Israelite.
And, if the son then took other wives after taking her as his wife, he
could not ‘reduce her food, her clothing, or her conjugal rights.’ However, if the son was not willing to do
these things, then he had to grant her complete freedom with no price of
redemption necessary for her release.
5.
VS 21:12-14,
18-19 - “12 “He who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put
to death. 13 “But if he did not lie in
wait for him, but God let him fall into his hand, then I will
appoint you a place to which he may flee. 14 “If, however, a man acts presumptuously toward his
neighbor, so as to kill him craftily, you are to take him even from My
altar, that he may die…18 “If men have a quarrel
and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist, and he does not
die but remains in bed, 19 if he gets up and walks
around outside on his staff, then he who struck him shall go unpunished; he
shall only pay for his loss of time, and shall take care of him until he is
completely healed.” - The laws
regarding what constitutes murder verses manslaughter are given by God
5.1.
Here we see the
laws that differentiate between the committing of murder and accidental
manslaughter. The accidental killing of
someone in which you did not plan to murder would allow a person to ‘flee’
to a place that the Lord promises He will ‘appoint you.’ The cities of refuge were later established by
the Lord as places where a man who committed manslaughter could flee and be
protected from being killed by vengeful relatives of the one died.
5.2.
Willful
murder was distinguished from accidental homicide, and was invariably visited
with capital punishment (Num. 35:16, 18, 21, 31; Lev. 24:17). This law in its
principle is founded on the fact of man’s having been made in the likeness of
God (Gen. 9:5, 6; John 8:44; 1 John 3:12, 15). The Mosiac law prohibited any
compensation for murder or the reprieve of the murderer (Ex. 21:12, 14; Deut.
19:11, 13; 2 Sam. 17:25; 20:10). Two witnesses were required in any capital
case (Num. 35:19–30; Deut. 17:6–12). If the murderer could not be discovered,
the city nearest the scene of the murder was required to make expiation for the
crime committed (Deut. 21:1–9).
5.3.
The Lord says
that if a person who had been struck lived and walked around for a day and then
died that the person who struck him would not be held accountable for his
death. In that case the person would
only be responsible to pay for his time off of work or whatever care he might
need until he healed up.
6.
VS 21:15, 17 - “15
“He who strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death…17 “He who curses his father or his mother shall
surely be put to death.” - The laws
prohibiting striking or cursing your father or mother are given by God
6.1.
The fifth of the
Ten Commandments was that a person has to honor his/her father and mother, and
yet it was not defined what it meant to do this.
6.2.
Here we see that
striking or cursing a father or mother was an offense that was to be punishable
by death.
7.
VS 21:16 - “16
“He who kidnaps a man, whether he sells him or he is found in his
possession, shall surely be put to death.” - The law prohibiting kidnapping is given by
God
7.1.
The Lord declares
that there is no excuse for kidnapping.
7.2.
Te penalty for
kidnapping was to be ‘death.’
8.
VS 21:20-21,
26-27 - “20 “If a man strikes his male or female slave with a rod and
he dies at his hand, he shall be punished. 21 “If, however, he survives a day or two, no
vengeance shall be taken; for he is his property…26 “If a man strikes the eye of his male or female
slave, and destroys it, he shall let him go free on account of his eye. 27 “And if he knocks out a tooth of his male or
female slave, he shall let him go free on account of his tooth.” - The laws pertaining to punishment for injuring
or killing your slave are given by God
8.1.
Here is yet
another law that was designed for the protection of slaves. Slaves have throughout history been
considered as sub-human creatures and therefore it has often not been
looked at as a crime if a person beat his slave.
8.2.
This law declared
that if a man struck his male or female slave and then the slave died, he would
be punished. The expectation then would
be that this would be a capital crime because the law was based upon an “eye
for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.”
Causing death would result in death.
8.3.
If however the
slave, after being struck, ‘survives a day or two’ before dying, then
the owner at that time was not to be punished, and for this ‘no vengeance
shall be taken.’
8.4.
Causing serious
injury to your slave such as knocking out his eye or tooth would result in
having to give your slave his freedom immediately.
9.
VS 21:22-25 - “22 “If men struggle with each other and strike a woman with
child so that she gives birth prematurely, yet there is no injury, he shall
surely be fined as the woman’s husband may demand of him, and he shall pay as
the judges decide. 23 “But if there is any
further injury, then you shall appoint as a penalty life for life, 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot
for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for
wound, bruise for bruise.” - The law is given regarding the punishment for
striking a woman who is pregnant by God
9.1.
The first law
here involves a man somehow striking a woman in such a way that she ‘gives
birth prematurely.’ If there was ‘no
injury´ other than the premature delivery, then the man was to be ‘fined´
to the extent that the woman’s husband ‘may demand of him.’ This sounds like a law that might have to be
ruled upon in a court of law since unrealistic fines could be exacted and some
intermediary would have to determine what was truly fair.
9.2.
But, if there was
some injury to the woman or her baby as a result of the man striking her, then
a judge would have to ‘appoint’ an appropriate penalty, and then penalty
would have to be appropriate to the injury:
‘eye
for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.’
10.
VS 21:28-32 - “28
“If an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the ox shall surely be stoned
and its flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall go unpunished. 29 “If, however, an ox was previously in the habit of
goring and its owner has been warned, yet he does not confine it and it kills a
man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned and its owner also shall be put to
death. 30 “If a ransom is demanded
of him, then he shall give for the redemption of his life whatever is demanded
of him. 31 “Whether it gores a son
or a daughter, it shall be done to him according to the same rule. 32 “If the ox gores a male or female slave, the owner
shall give his or her master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall
be stoned.”
- The laws are given by God regarding
when a man’s ox gores someone to death
10.1. People need to be responsible for what their animals
do. It is almost daily in our country
that we read about someone’s dog(s) attacking and mauling a person. The owner is held responsible for such things,
especially where “negligence” is involved.
10.2. Here if someone’s ox gets out and ‘gores a man or a
woman to death,’ then the ox ‘shall be stoned and its flesh not eaten,’
but the owner ‘shall go unpunished.’
10.3. Here is where the penalty for “negligence”
comes in. If a person was gored to death
and the person’s ox was previous ‘in the habit of goring and its owner had
been warned’ about this and yet did not ‘confine it,’ then the
animal and its owner ‘shall be put to death.’
10.4. The family of the one who was gored to death could
choose rather than to put the owner to death, to “demand a ransom,” and
in this case the ransom would have to be paid by the owner to keep him from
being put to death.
10.5. These laws are to be carried out the same whether or
not it is a man, woman, or a ‘son or a daughter’ who is gored.
10.6. In the case of a ‘male or female slave’ who is
gored to death, then the owner would be required to pay the master of that one
gored to death the redemption price for a slave of ‘thirty shekels of silver.’ The animal itself was to be stoned in this
case.
11.
VS 21:33-34 - “33
“If a man opens a pit, or digs a pit and does not cover it over, and an ox
or a donkey falls into it, 34
the owner of the pit shall make restitution; he shall give money to its
owner, and the dead animal shall become his.” - The law is given by God about what to do if
you dig a pit and not cover it and someone’s ox or donkey falls into it
11.1. This law has to do with the issue of negligence on
your own property. Here a man ‘opens
a pit’ or digs one but he doesn’t think about others and the dangers that might
befall people, and so he ‘does not cover it over.’ Then, an ‘ox or a donkey’ falls into
this pit. This law states that the
person shall then have to ‘give money to its owner’ and the dead animal
will now ‘become his.’
11.2. The offender in this case suddenly found himself
having to pay the fair market value for an animal of the type as fell into his
pit, and the result was that he got to keep the animal’s carcass.
12.
VS 21:35-36 - “35
“If one man’s ox hurts another’s so that it dies, then they shall sell the
live ox and divide its price equally; and also they shall divide the dead ox.
36 “Or if it is known
that the ox was previously in the habit of goring, yet its owner has not
confined it, he shall surely pay ox for ox, and the dead animal shall
become his.” - The law is given by God about what to do if
your ox gores or hurts another man’s ox
12.1. Here is the situation where one man’s animal kills
another man’s animal such ‘that it dies.’
12.2. The person that owns an ox which through the man’s “negligence”
kills another man’s animal, he has just bought himself an ox at the current
going rate for buying oxen.
13.
VS 22:1
- “1 “If a man steals an ox or
a sheep and slaughters it or sells it, he shall pay five oxen for the ox and
four sheep for the sheep.” - The law was given by God about what to do if
someone steals a sheep or ox
13.1. Theft is a particularly heinous crime and causes
anxiety and great inconvenience for people.
13.2. The penalty assigned to someone who is caught having
stolen a sheep or ox and slaughtered it, is ‘five’ times what was
stolen.
14.
VS 22:2-4 - “2
“If the thief is caught while breaking in and is struck so that he dies,
there will be no bloodguiltiness on his account. 3 “But if the sun has risen on him, there
will be bloodguiltiness on his account. He shall surely make restitution; if he
owns nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft. 4 “If what he stole is actually found alive in his
possession, whether an ox or a donkey or a sheep, he shall pay double.” - The law is given by God about what to do if
someone injures a thief while he is breaking in
14.1. Breaking into someone’s house in the dark of night
causes them to become very afraid for their life and the lives of their family
members. Therefore, the law states here
that if a person strikes one who is in the act of breaking into his house at
night, then there will be no penalty for his act of killing the man: ‘no bloodguiltiness on his account.’
14.2. But, if a man breaks into your house during the day
when you can see, and you kill him, in other words ‘the son has risen on him,’
then you will be guilty of murder and it shall be a capital offense.
14.3. Further, if a thief is caught and the animal he stole
is in his possession, then that man is to just pay double for the animal he has
stolen. If the thief does not have the
ability to pay double for the theft then he shall lose his freedom and become
your slave.
15.
VS 22:5-6
- “5 “If a man lets a field or
vineyard be grazed bare and lets his animal loose so that it grazes in
another man’s field, he shall make restitution from the best of his own field
and the best of his own vineyard. 6 “If a fire breaks out and spreads to thorn bushes, so that stacked grain or
the standing grain or the field itself is consumed, he who started the
fire shall surely make restitution.” - The laws are
given by God about what to do if your animal is let loose and grazes in another
field, or if you started a fire that burned another man’s field
15.1. This first law has to do with keeping your animals out
of other people’s fields where they may eat or damage their crop. The penalty for your animal eating your
neighbor’s crops was to ‘make restitution,’ in other words you were
required to pay back whatever was eaten.
15.2. The second law has to do with starting fires that end
up burning other people’s property or fields.
The penalty again was for the arsonist to ‘make restitution’ of
whatever was damaged because he had set the fire.
16.
VS 22:7-9 - “7
“If a man gives his neighbor money or goods to keep for him and it
is stolen from the man’s house, if the thief is caught, he shall pay double. 8 “If the thief is not caught, then the owner of the
house shall appear before the judges, to determine whether he laid his
hands on his neighbor’s property. 9 “For every breach of trust, whether it is for ox, for donkey, for
sheep, for clothing, or for any lost thing about which one says, ‘This
is it,’ the case of both parties shall come before the judges; he whom the
judges condemn shall pay double to his neighbor.” - The laws are given by God governing what to
do when someone gives you something to keep for him and it gets stolen
16.1. This law has to do with those situations where you
have been given ‘money or goods’ by someone to keep for them, then those
are stolen from you. If the thief is
caught in that case, then ‘he shall pay double.’ But, if the thief is not caught then you
would have to appear before a judge in order for him to determine if somehow
you were negligent in taking care of the person’s stuff.
16.2. If it turns out that a thief was not caught and the
judge determines that somehow you had laid hands on your neighbor’s property,
then you would have to ‘pay double’ for what is missing.
17.
VS 22:10-13 - “10
“If a man gives his neighbor a donkey, an ox, a sheep, or any animal to
keep for him, and it dies or is hurt or is driven away while no one is
looking, 11 an oath before the Lord shall be made by the two of them
that he has not laid hands on his neighbor’s property; and its owner shall
accept it, and he shall not make restitution. 12 “But if it is actually stolen from him, he shall
make restitution to its owner. 13
“If it is all torn to pieces, let him bring it as evidence; he shall not
make restitution for what has been torn to pieces.” - The law is given by God about what to do if
your neighbor gives you a donkey, ox, sheep, or any animal to keep for him and
it dies or is hurt or is driven away
17.1. This is similar to the previous law. It involves what to do if someone gives you
any animal to keep for him and while it is in your care ‘it dies or is hurt
or is driven away.’ The first thing
that was required was that you had to make an oath that you had not laid hands
on your neighbor’s property, and in that case your neighbor had to accept that
oath as being credible. He was supposed
to take your word. If the oath was
accepted, then you were not required to make repayment. If that oath was contested, your neighbor
could take you to court for a decision.
17.2. If the animal however was stolen from you while you
were keeping it for your neighbor, then a previous law kicked into affect, and
you would be required to make double restitution.
17.3. But, if the animal was ‘torn to piece’ by a
predator while in your care, then you were not required to make restitution.
18.
VS 22:14-15 - “14
“If a man borrows anything from his neighbor, and it is injured or
dies while its owner is not with it, he shall make full restitution. 15 “If its owner is with it, he shall not make
restitution; if it is hired, it came for its hire.” - The law is given by God about what to do if
you borrow anything from your neighbor and it is injured or dies while its
owner is not with it
18.1. Here, we see that if a man borrowed anything from his
neighbor and it is injured or died while he had it, then he is to ‘make full
restoration.’
18.2. The first caveat here is that if the owner happened to
be there when the calamity occurred, then he would not be liable for it.
18.3. The second caveat is that if the man was renting the
animal when the injury occurred then the amount of his rent is all that he
would have to pay to the owner.
19.
VS 22:16-17 - “16
“If a man seduces a virgin who is not engaged, and lies with her, he must
pay a dowry for her to be his wife. 17 “If her father absolutely refuses to give her to
him, he shall pay money equal to the dowry for virgins.” - The law is given by God about what to do if a
man is found to have seduced a virgin who is not engaged and lies with her
19.1. If a young woman were to have sexual relations before marriage,
then her worth to other men was greatly reduced, and thus the dowry that her
father was to receive when she married would be compromised. This law was for protection primarily for the
fathers of young women.
19.2. Here we see that if a man seduced a virgin who was not
engaged and she had relations with him, then he was to take her for ‘his
wife,’ and he was also required to ‘pay a dowry’ to her father.
19.3. According to Deut. 22:23-24, if the girl had been
betrothed when this seduction and sexual relations occurred it would have
resulted in stoning for both parties.
19.4. If the father refused to give his daughter to the man,
he was still required to pay a typical ‘dowry for virgins.’
20.
VS 22:18 - “18
“You shall not allow a sorceress to live.” - The law is given by God prohibiting a
sorceress to exist
20.1. This is a prohibition of females who practiced
sorcery, which was the telling of the future through spirits. Deut. 18:9-12 speaks in more detail to the
type of thing that is prohibited here: “9
“When you enter the land which the Lord
your God gives you, you shall not learn to imitate the detestable things of
those nations. 10 “There shall not be found
among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, one
who uses divination, one who practices witchcraft, or one who interprets omens,
or a sorcerer, 11 or one who casts a spell,
or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. 12 “For whoever does these things is detestable to
the Lord; and because of these
detestable things the Lord your
God will drive them out before you.”
20.2. The Bible Knowledge Commentary has the following
comments on this Deut. 18:9-12 passage:
All
these practices are forbidden because they divorce life from morality. Several
factors make this clear: (1) The future was “determined” by one’s moral
behavior, not by magical manipulation. (2) Using magic to manipulate one’s
circumstances was in essence a futile attempt to flee from the Lord’s ethical
laws which promoted life and blessing. (3) The use of magic and divination (vv. 10,
14) was a refusal to acknowledge the sovereignty of the Lord. (4) Reliance on these
practices indicated a corresponding failure to trust the Lord with one’s life. People who are
knowledgeable of the occult and demon possession quickly point out that the
practices mentioned in verses 9-14 have led many into satanic bondage.
Divination
(vv. 10, 14), from the verb
qāsam, “to divide,” means to give false prophecy or seek to determine the
will of the gods by examining and interpreting omens. (Qāsam is also used
in Josh. 13:22; 1 Sam. 6:2; 28:8; 2 Kings 17:17; Isa. 3:2; 44:25; Jer. 27:9;
29:8; Ezek. 13:6, 9, 23; 21:21, 23, 29; 22:28; Micah 3:6-7, 11; Zech. 10:2.) Sorcery
(‘ānan, Deut. 18:10, 14; cf. Lev. 19:26; 2 Kings 21:6; Isa. 2:6; Micah
5:12, “cast spells”) is the attempt to control people or circumstances through
power given by evil spirits (demons). To interpret omens is to tell the
future based on “signs” such as the movements of birds, fire, or rain. Witchcraft
(kāšap̱) involves practicing magic by incantations. One who casts
spells is literally “one who ties knots” (ḥāḇar), thus one
who binds other people by magical mutterings. A spiritualist is one who
supposedly communicates with the dead but who actually communicates with
demons. One who consults the dead may mean the spiritist’s attempt to
contact the dead to gain advice, information on the future, or help in
manipulation.
Such
detestable practices were one reason the Lord used
21.
VS 22:19 - “19
“Whoever lies with an animal shall surely be put to death.” - The law is given by God prohibiting sodomy
with an animal
21.1. Bestiality is what is referred to here, and it was of
concern because it was practiced in Canaanite Baal worship (cf. Lev. 20:16;
Deut. 27:21; Lev. 18:23-24):
21.1.1.Leviticus 20:16:
“16 ‘If there is a woman who approaches any animal to mate with it,
you shall kill the woman and the animal; they shall surely be put to death.
Their bloodguiltiness is upon them.”
21.1.2.Deuteronomy 27:21:
“21 ‘Cursed is he who lies with any animal.’ And all the people shall say,
‘Amen.’”
21.1.3.Leviticus 18:23-24:
“23 ‘Also you shall not have intercourse with any animal to be defiled with
it, nor shall any woman stand before an animal to mate with it; it is a
perversion. 24 ‘Do not defile yourselves
by any of these things; for by all these the nations which I am casting out
before you have become defiled.”
22.
VS 22:20 - “20
“He who sacrifices to any god, other than to the Lord alone, shall be utterly destroyed.” - The law is given by God prohibiting
sacrificing to any other god
22.1. Anyone in the nation of
23.
VS 22:21-24 - “21
“You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in
the
23.1. The Lord wanted the Israelites to realize how
vulnerable foreigners were by reminding them about the fact that they
themselves once were foreigners when they lived in
23.2. The Lord especially wants His people to watch out for
and protect the weak, vulnerable, and helpless.
Widows and orphans are at the top of that list, and taking advantage of
them or ignoring their needs would cause God’s ‘anger’ to be ‘kindled.’
23.3. The Lord says that He hears the cries of the orphan,
indicating that He will be moved to act on his behalf.
23.4. The Bible Knowledge Commentary includes the following
about orphans: “Grain was to be left
behind for widows and orphans during harvest (Deut. 24:19-21) including the
edges of fields (Lev. 19:9-10). The helpers were to be given special hospitality
at feasts (Deut. 16:11-14), to receive a special tithe every third year (Deut.
14:28-29; 16:12-13), and to be allowed to plant crops in others’ fields during
the sabbatical year (Ex. 23:11-12).”
24.
VS 22:25 - “25
“If you lend money to My people, to the poor among you, you are not to act
as a creditor to him; you shall not charge him interest.” - The law is given by God prohibiting the
charging of interest in lending
24.1. Here the prohibition was to charging interest if you
lend money to anyone.
24.2. Wouldn’t our world be a different place today if we
never charged anyone interest.
25.
VS 22:26-27 - “26
“If you ever take your neighbor’s cloak as a pledge, you are to return it
to him before the sun sets, 27
for that is his only covering; it is his cloak for his body. What else
shall he sleep in? And it shall come about that when he cries out to Me, I will
hear him, for I am gracious.” - The law is
given by God about taking your neighbor’s cloak as a pledge
25.1. When a poor person was in need of borrowing money or
purchasing something, he could borrow money but leave his cloak (coat) as
pledge. The prohibition here is that if
he did this that he had to have his cloak returned to him every not by sunset
so that he could use it for a blanket when he slept at night.
25.2. Deuteronomy 24:10-13 tells us more about how this law
was to work: “10 “When you make your
neighbor a loan of any sort, you shall not enter his house to take his pledge. 11 “You shall remain outside, and the man to whom you
make the loan shall bring the pledge out to you. 12 “If he is a poor man, you shall not sleep with his
pledge. 13 “When the sun goes down
you shall surely return the pledge to him, that he may sleep in his cloak and
bless you; and it will be righteousness for you before the Lord your God.”
26.
VS 22:28 - “28
“You shall not curse God, nor curse a ruler of your people.” - The law is given by God prohibiting cursing
God or a ruler
26.1. The person who cursed God or a ruler in
27.
VS 22:29-30 - “29
“You shall not delay the offering from your harvest and your
vintage. The firstborn of your sons you shall give to
27.1. Verse 29 is an admonition to always make your tithes
of your firstfruits of harvest and never hold onto your offering until later.
27.2. The law is also given to make sure that you commit the
firstborn of your oxen and sheep on the eighth day after its birth.
28.
VS 22:31 - “31
“You shall be holy men to Me, therefore you shall not eat any flesh
torn to pieces in the field; you shall throw it to the dogs.” - The Lord prohibits eating any flesh of
animals that has been torn to pieces in the field
28.1. Finally, any flesh of animals that was ‘torn to
pieces in the field’ could not be eaten by people, although you were
allowed to feed your dogs with the flesh.
29.
CONCLUSIONS:
29.1. C.S. Lewis wrote in Mere Christianity something to the
effect that many today say that they don’t believe that God’s word contains
absolute truth, and that the His laws do not define what is right and
wrong. But, lets say he does not believe
that it is wrong to steal. His opinion
on that will change when someone steals something of his. If he believes that adultery is not wrong,
his attitude towards that will change when his wife has an affair. This will be true with all of God’s
laws. The truth and rightness of all of
God’s laws are verified in the same manner.
29.2. When we realize the goodness, holiness, and
righteousness of the Lord as revealed in His law (just as Psalm 19:7-10 says, “7
The law of the Lord is
perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. 8 The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. 9 The fear of the Lord
is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether. 10 They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much
fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.”), then we know that He
knows our human condition and always what will be best for our lives. We know that we can trust him with our lives
and that what He desires for our lives is always the very best that could
happen to us. His laws aren’t arbitrary
they proscribe the things that will be best for all involved.