Exodus 22:16-28
Personal behavior is a source of conflict. People often think their behavior doesn’t affect anyone but themselves, but as Romans 14:7 says, “… none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.” Our actions and attitudes affect those around us. God gave Israel specific laws to prevent the conflict and to resolve it resolve it when it occurred.
“And if a man entice a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife. If her father utterly refuse to give her unto him, he shall pay money according to the dowry of virgins.” (Exodus 22:16-17)
When I was a teenager, it was generally accepted that if a boy got a girl pregnant he had to marry her, but otherwise he was free to mess around. After the Supreme Court approved abortion, in Rowe V Wade, even that standard was dropped, and illicit sex mushroomed. God’s standard was that if they had sex, whether pregnancy occurred or not, they had no option but to marry. Even if the girl’s parents refused to allow them to live together, they were to be considered married, because as I Corinthians 6:16 tells us, the sex bonds them together as husband and wife. “What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.” The marriage ceremony or paying of dowry is a formal acknowledgment of the responsibility.
“Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.” (Exodus 22:18)
The word translated witch meant “to whisper(a spell)” and could refer to magicians, sorcerers and conjurers. It always involves invoking the power of some being besides God to accomplish something. Like the Pharaoh’s magicians, the practice always stands against God, glorifying some one besides him. The practice was punishable by death. The Salem witch trials were a deliberate perversion of this law.
“Whosoever lieth with a beast shall surely be put to death.” (Exodus 22:19)
Bestiality or sexual relations with an animal required execution. It was a perversion of the sex act, which was intended for reproduction and for bonding between husband and wife, and it exposed people to various diseases. Most venereal diseases including Gonorrhea and AIDS can be traced to people having sex with animals. Executing the person ensured that the disease would not be spread, and that others would not be encouraged to copy the behavior, making a mockery of God‘s intention.
“He that sacrificeth unto any god, save unto the LORD only, he shall be utterly destroyed.” (Exodus 22:20)
Like witchcraft, sacrifices to other gods implied that the God who had delivered them from Egypt was not powerful enough. Anyone insulting God by such behavior was to be completely destroyed. There was to be nothing left that would encourage others to copy his example.
“Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 22:21)
Israel had spent four hundred thirty years in Egypt. For four hundred of those years, they had been increasingly discriminated oppressed. Knowing what it was like to be treated that way, they were not to treat outsiders among them that way. At the time it was a nearly unheard of concept. It’s still not prevalent.
“Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child. If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry; And my wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.” (Exodus 22:22-24)
Throughout history, the more powerful have preyed on the weak. Some of the weakest are widows and orphans. God forbade such behavior, promising that he would intervene, causing the death of the oppressor, and reducing his own family to the same state as those who were oppressed. It was one of the sins Jesus repeatedly rebuked the Pharisees for almost seventeen hundred years later, about thirty years before Jerusalem was destroyed.
“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.” (Exodus 22:25)
The people most desperate for loans are those who have an insufficient income. Loans to people who would have difficulty repaying them were to be interest free, in order to make it as easy as possible to repay them. It is the opposite approach of modern loan programs who usually charge more for those with a poorer credit rating. The next one also applies to treatment of the poor people.
“If thou at all take thy neighbour's raiment to pledge, thou shalt deliver it unto him by that the sun goeth down: 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.” (Exodus 22:26-27)
When security was required to ensure repayment of a loan, it it entailed essential items such as clothing, it was to be returned to the borrower the same day so he did not suffer for it’s absence. Please understand that clothing in that day was far more expensive than we are used to, as each piece of material was hand made from hand spun fibers, requiring several days labor to produce even a simple garment. In today’s money even the cheapest would cost several hundred dollars. Poor people could not afford more than one or two garments. Pawning his clothes was like a mechanic or carpenter pawning his tools. He had no way to survive without them.
Personal behavior is a source of conflict. People often think their behavior doesn’t affect anyone but themselves, but as Romans 14:7 says, “… none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.” Our actions and attitudes affect those around us. God gave Israel specific laws to prevent the conflict and to resolve it resolve it when it occurred.
“And if a man entice a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife. If her father utterly refuse to give her unto him, he shall pay money according to the dowry of virgins.” (Exodus 22:16-17)
When I was a teenager, it was generally accepted that if a boy got a girl pregnant he had to marry her, but otherwise he was free to mess around. After the Supreme Court approved abortion, in Rowe V Wade, even that standard was dropped, and illicit sex mushroomed. God’s standard was that if they had sex, whether pregnancy occurred or not, they had no option but to marry. Even if the girl’s parents refused to allow them to live together, they were to be considered married, because as I Corinthians 6:16 tells us, the sex bonds them together as husband and wife. “What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.” The marriage ceremony or paying of dowry is a formal acknowledgment of the responsibility.
“Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.” (Exodus 22:18)
The word translated witch meant “to whisper(a spell)” and could refer to magicians, sorcerers and conjurers. It always involves invoking the power of some being besides God to accomplish something. Like the Pharaoh’s magicians, the practice always stands against God, glorifying some one besides him. The practice was punishable by death. The Salem witch trials were a deliberate perversion of this law.
“Whosoever lieth with a beast shall surely be put to death.” (Exodus 22:19)
Bestiality or sexual relations with an animal required execution. It was a perversion of the sex act, which was intended for reproduction and for bonding between husband and wife, and it exposed people to various diseases. Most venereal diseases including Gonorrhea and AIDS can be traced to people having sex with animals. Executing the person ensured that the disease would not be spread, and that others would not be encouraged to copy the behavior, making a mockery of God‘s intention.
“He that sacrificeth unto any god, save unto the LORD only, he shall be utterly destroyed.” (Exodus 22:20)
Like witchcraft, sacrifices to other gods implied that the God who had delivered them from Egypt was not powerful enough. Anyone insulting God by such behavior was to be completely destroyed. There was to be nothing left that would encourage others to copy his example.
“Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 22:21)
Israel had spent four hundred thirty years in Egypt. For four hundred of those years, they had been increasingly discriminated oppressed. Knowing what it was like to be treated that way, they were not to treat outsiders among them that way. At the time it was a nearly unheard of concept. It’s still not prevalent.
“Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child. If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry; And my wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.” (Exodus 22:22-24)
Throughout history, the more powerful have preyed on the weak. Some of the weakest are widows and orphans. God forbade such behavior, promising that he would intervene, causing the death of the oppressor, and reducing his own family to the same state as those who were oppressed. It was one of the sins Jesus repeatedly rebuked the Pharisees for almost seventeen hundred years later, about thirty years before Jerusalem was destroyed.
“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.” (Exodus 22:25)
The people most desperate for loans are those who have an insufficient income. Loans to people who would have difficulty repaying them were to be interest free, in order to make it as easy as possible to repay them. It is the opposite approach of modern loan programs who usually charge more for those with a poorer credit rating. The next one also applies to treatment of the poor people.
“If thou at all take thy neighbour's raiment to pledge, thou shalt deliver it unto him by that the sun goeth down: 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.” (Exodus 22:26-27)
When security was required to ensure repayment of a loan, it it entailed essential items such as clothing, it was to be returned to the borrower the same day so he did not suffer for it’s absence. Please understand that clothing in that day was far more expensive than we are used to, as each piece of material was hand made from hand spun fibers, requiring several days labor to produce even a simple garment. In today’s money even the cheapest would cost several hundred dollars. Poor people could not afford more than one or two garments. Pawning his clothes was like a mechanic or carpenter pawning his tools. He had no way to survive without them.
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