January
29th Exodus
21 The care of servants
1:
Now these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them. 2:
If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the
seventh he shall go out free for nothing. 3:
If he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself: if he were
married, then his wife shall go out with him. 4:
If his master have given him a wife, and she have born him sons or
daughters; the wife and her children shall be her master's, and he
shall go out by himself. 5:
And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and
my children; I will not go out free: 6:
Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring
him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his
ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever. 7:
And if a man sell his daughter to be a maidservant, she shall not go
out as the menservants do. 8:
If she please not her master, who hath betrothed her to himself, then
shall he let her be redeemed: to sell her unto a strange nation he
shall have no power, seeing he hath dealt deceitfully with her. 9:
And if he have betrothed her unto his son, he shall deal with her
after the manner of daughters. 10:
If he take him another wife; her food, her raiment, and her duty of
marriage, shall he not diminish. 11:
And if he do not these three unto her, then shall she go out free
without money.
Judgement
on violence
12:
He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death.
13:
And if a man lie not in wait, but God deliver him into his hand; then
I will appoint thee a place whither he shall flee. 14:
But if a man come presumptuously upon his neighbour, to slay him with
guile; thou shalt take him from mine altar, that he may die. 15:
And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to
death. 16:
And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his
hand, he shall surely be put to death. 17:
And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to
death. 18:
And if men strive together, and one smite another with a stone, or
with his fist, and he die not, but keepeth his bed: 19:
If he rise again, and walk abroad upon his staff, then shall he that
smote him be quit: only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and
shall cause him to be thoroughly healed. 20:
And if a man smite his servant, or his maid, with a rod, and he die
under his hand; he shall be surely punished. 21:
Notwithstanding, if he continue a day or two, he shall not be
punished: for he is his money. 22:
If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart
from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished,
according as the woman's husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay
as the judges determine. 23:
And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life, 24:
Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25:
Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. 26:
And if a man smite the eye of his servant, or the eye of his maid,
that it perish; he shall let him go free for his eye's sake. 27:
And if he smite out his manservant's tooth, or his maidservant's
tooth; he shall let him go free for his tooth's sake. 28:
If an ox gore a man or a woman, that they die: then the ox shall be
surely stoned, and his flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the
ox shall be quit. 29:
But if the ox were wont to push with his horn in time past, and it
hath been testified to his owner, and he hath not kept him in, but
that he hath killed a man or a woman; the ox shall be stoned, and his
owner also shall be put to death. 30:
If there be laid on him a sum of money, then he shall give for the
ransom of his life whatsoever is laid upon him. 31:
Whether he have gored a son, or have gored a daughter, according to
this judgment shall it be done unto him. 32:
If the ox shall push a manservant or a maidservant; he shall give
unto their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be
stoned. 33:
And if a man shall open a pit, or if a man shall dig a pit, and not
cover it, and an ox or an ass fall therein; 34:
The owner of the pit shall make it good, and give money unto the
owner of them; and the dead beast shall be his. 35:
And if one man's ox hurt another's, that he die; then they shall sell
the live ox, and divide the money of it; and the dead ox also they
shall divide. 36:
Or if it be known that the ox hath used to push in time past, and his
owner hath not kept him in; he shall surely pay ox for ox; and the
dead shall be his own.
Exodus
22 Repayment for loss
1:
If a man shall steal an ox, or a sheep, and kill it, or sell it; he
shall restore five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep. 2:
If a thief be found breaking up, and be smitten that he die, there
shall no blood be shed for him. 3:
If the sun be risen upon him, there shall be blood shed for him; for
he should make full restitution; if he have nothing, then he shall be
sold for his theft. 4:
If the theft be certainly found in his hand alive, whether it be ox,
or ass, or sheep; he shall restore double. 5:
If a man shall cause a field or vineyard to be eaten, and shall put
in his beast, and shall feed in another man's field; of the best of
his own field, and of the best of his own vineyard, shall he make
restitution. 6:
If fire break out, and catch in thorns, so that the stacks of corn,
or the standing corn, or the field, be consumed therewith; he that
kindled the fire shall surely make restitution. 7:
If a man shall deliver unto his neighbour money or stuff to keep, and
it be stolen out of the man's house; if the thief be found, let him
pay double. 8:
If the thief be not found, then the master of the house shall be
brought unto the judges, to see whether he have put his hand unto his
neighbour's goods. 9:
For all manner of trespass, whether it be for ox, for ass, for sheep,
for raiment, or for any manner of lost thing, which another
challengeth to be his, the cause of both parties shall come before
the judges; and whom the judges shall condemn, he shall pay double
unto his neighbour. 10:
If a man deliver unto his neighbour an ass, or an ox, or a sheep, or
any beast, to keep; and it die, or be hurt, or driven away, no man
seeing it: 11:
Then shall an oath of the LORD be between them both, that he hath not
put his hand unto his neighbour's goods; and the owner of it shall
accept thereof, and he shall not make it good. 12:
And if it be stolen from him, he shall make restitution unto the
owner thereof. 13:
If it be torn in pieces, then let him bring it for witness, and he
shall not make good that which was torn. 14:
And if a man borrow ought of his neighbour, and it be hurt, or die,
the owner thereof being not with it, he shall surely make it good.
15:
But if the owner thereof be with it, he shall not make it good: if it
be an hired thing, it came for his hire.
Judgement
on evil
16:
And if a man entice a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her,
he shall surely endow her to be his wife. 17:
If her father utterly refuse to give her unto him, he shall pay money
according to the dowry of virgins. 18:
Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. 19:
Whosoever lieth with a beast shall surely be put to death. 20:
He that sacrificeth unto any god, save unto the LORD only, he shall
be utterly destroyed. 21:
Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were
strangers in the land of Egypt. 22:
Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child. 23:
If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will
surely hear their cry; 24:
And my wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and
your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless. 25:
If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor by thee, thou
shalt not be to him as an usurer, neither shalt thou lay upon him
usury. 26:
If thou at all take thy neighbour's raiment to pledge, thou shalt
deliver it unto him by that the sun goeth down: 27:
For that is his covering only, it is his raiment for his skin:
wherein shall he sleep? and it shall come to pass, when he crieth
unto me, that I will hear; for I am gracious. 28:
Thou shalt not revile the gods, nor curse the ruler of thy people.
29:
Thou shalt not delay to offer the first of thy ripe fruits, and of
thy liquors: the firstborn of thy sons shalt thou give unto me. 30:
Likewise shalt thou do with thine oxen, and with thy sheep: seven
days it shall be with his dam; on the eighth day thou shalt give it
me. 31:
And ye shall be holy men unto me: neither shall ye eat any flesh that
is torn of beasts in the field; ye shall cast it to the dogs.
Exodus 23
1:
Thou shalt not raise a false report: put not thine hand with the
wicked to be an unrighteous witness. 2:
Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou
speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment: 3:
Neither shalt thou countenance a poor man in his cause. 4:
If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt
surely bring it back to him again. 5:
If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden,
and wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him. 6:
Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor in his cause. 7:
Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous
slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked. 8:
And thou shalt take no gift: for the gift blindeth the wise, and
perverteth the words of the righteous. 9:
Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the heart of a
stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.
The
Sabbath
10:
And six years thou shalt sow thy land, and shalt gather in the fruits
thereof: 11:
But the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie still; that the
poor of thy people may eat: and what they leave the beasts of the
field shall eat. In like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard,
and with thy oliveyard. 12:
Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt
rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy
handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed. 13:
And in all things that I have said unto you be circumspect: and make
no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of
thy mouth.
Three
feasts a year
14:
Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year. 15:
Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread: (thou shalt eat
unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time
appointed of the month Abib; for in it thou camest out from Egypt:
and none shall appear before me empty:) 16:
And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou
hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the
end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the
field. 17:
Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the Lord
GOD. 18:
Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread;
neither shall the fat of my sacrifice remain until the morning. 19:
The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the
house of the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his
mother's milk.
The
Angel of the Lord
20:
Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to
bring thee into the place which I have prepared. 21:
Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not
pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him. 22:
But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak;
then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto
thine adversaries. 23:
For mine Angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the
Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites,
and the Hivites, and the Jebusites: and I will cut them off. 24:
Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after
their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break
down their images. 25:
And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread,
and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.
26:
There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the
number of thy days I will fulfill. 27:
I will send my fear before thee, and will destroy all the people to
whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their
backs unto thee. 28:
And I will send hornets before thee, which shall drive out the
Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee. 29:
I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land
become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee.
30:
By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until
thou be increased, and inherit the land. 31:
And I will set thy bounds from the Red sea even unto the sea of the
Philistines, and from the desert unto the river: for I will deliver
the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and thou shalt drive them
out before thee. 32:
Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods. 33:
They shall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee sin against me:
for if thou serve their gods, it will surely be a snare unto thee.
In
the next section of Exodus we have recorded the judgments of the Lord
on various issues. The first is the judgment of the lord on the care
of servants. Slavery today is almost universally condemned yet in
Biblical times and even up until modern times slavery in one form or
another was just a fact of life. What is interesting is that the Lord
regulated slavery and made it quite humane even benevolent. If a
Hebrew purchased another Hebrew as his servant this was on the basis
of a time limit. A Hebrew could only be a servant for six years and
on the seventh year he was released from his servitude. If he came in
single then he left single but if he was married then his wife was
set free too. However if his master gave him a wife then n the
seventh year he was free but not his wife and children. If a servant
found that his master had been so good for him then he was allowed to
devote himself to his master for the rest of his life. He was a bond
servant. This involved him being pierced through his ear to the door
post of the house. This probably signified that his ear was forever
open to his master and his ear was constantly open at the door of his
master to hear his masters call. He had to state his devotion to his
master and both he and his family was brought to the judges and this
piercing of his ear was a legal life long devotion. He was not
serving his master on the basis of Law and obligation but on the
basis of Grace and love. The arrangement for the purchase of a young
Jewish woman was quite different to that of a young man. If she does
not please her master then those that are near kinsmen may redeem
her. But they must not allow her to be sold to a strange nation. If
he does not take her to wife then he is to set her free with food
clothes and obligations of care. She is released for no money. The
judgment of the Lord regarding violence was that the punishment was
to be proportionate according to the crime. If a man struck another
man and he died then the murderer was to be executed. This was the
law of the Lord from the time of Noah. Then the Lord in this passage
states clearly all the variations of cases in which judgment of
execution would go against a man. this applied to the murder of
parents. The stealing of a man to sell him for money. The cursing of
a mans parents. The murder of servants. The hurting of a pregnant
woman causing her to loose her child will be determined by the judges
and the husband. The phrase – Life for life, eye for eye, tooth for
tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, wound for
wound, stripe for stripe, shows that there is not to be an escalation
of punishment nor a diminishing of punishment. If an animal hurt a
man that the animal died. The owner of the animal is free from
prosecution unless there is had past knowledge of a similar event –
then the owner may pay with his life. however he might pay a very
large fine determined by the injured. And on and on the cases go.
Next we have the judgment of the Lord regarding compensation for
loss. A thief must restore what is stolen five or four times the
costs depending on the case. Again all the variations of cases are
described and the compensation stated. Next we have the judgment of
the Lord on evil. A number of cases are described such as. The
defilement of a virgin which was a very heavy fine. Those who
practise witchcraft are to be executed. Those who have sexual
relations with beasts are to be executed. Idolaters are to be
executed. Oppressing strangers, widows and orphans will bring about
judgment from the Lord. The poor are not to be charged interest on
loans of money. If his coat is taken as a pledge of honour then it
must be returned by the end of the day. No-one is to speak evil of
‘the gods’ i.e. the rulers of the people. Because they are
appointed by the Lord to rule the people. The first fruit of the
vine, wine, sons are devoted to the Lord. The same is true of oxen
and sheep etc. no meat is to be eaten that is not killed in purpose.
No-one is to give a false witness. Or pervert the course of judgment.
No-one will turn away a poor man who seeks justice. If you see your
neighbours donkey going astray you must bring it back to your
neighbour. Justice must always follow correctly and there must be no
bribery in the courts. Next we have the judgment of the Lord
regarding the Sabbath. The land may be cultivated for six years but
on the seventh year it is to be laid fallow. Word is only allowed on
six days on the seventh day Israel must rest. On the Sabbath even the
name of false gods must not be uttered. Next we have the judgments of
the Lord regarding attending the presence of the Lord. The Lord
specified at least three occasions when all Israel were to observe
the feasts of the Lord. The first was the feast of unleavened bread.
The second was the feast of harvest. The third was the feast of
ingathering. All males were to present themselves before the Lord
GOD. Then the Lord gives three more stipulations regarding sacrifice.
Firstly the blood of sacrifice must not be linked to the Passover.
(This ends the Roman dogma forever) Secondly the fat of sacrifice
must not remain to morning. Thirdly, The very first of the first
fruits are to be brought into the house of the Lord and last a kid
must not be boiled in his mothers milk. Then the Lord explained how
Israel is to find guidance in the wilderness. The Lord was going to
send ‘the angel of the Lord’ (Christ himself) to lead them and
keep them on the right path. The Lord gives clear warnings and
caution to always hear and obey his word. If they obeyed the Lord
then he would give then complete health, virility, fruitfulness and
no enemies would stand against them. All their enemies would have the
fear of the Lord on them. Israel is to make no covenant with the
Canaanites or with their gods. They are to be completely destroyed.
Israel will be the instrument of the Lord to bring judgment on these
idolatrous and vile nations.
- What are your feelings about the right care for servants?
- What do you think is the key point about judging difficult cases?
- What is this thing about the angel of the Lord?
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