It has been a little while since I have posted. Now that the holidays are over I hope to post a little more. I have really not kept up with my readings either and really need to get back to reading and studying.
Exodus:22:1 “If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and kills it or sells it, he shall repay five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep. 2 If a thief is found breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no bloodguilt for him, 3 but if the sun has risen on him, there shall be bloodguilt for him. He shall surely pay. If he has nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft. 4 If the stolen beast is found alive in his possession, whether it is an ox or a donkey or a sheep, he shall pay double.
Not only does a thief have to return or repay the owner of the animal he stole, he must pay at least double or if the animal is no long in his possession, whether dead or sold, he must pay 4 or 5 times what he stole. IF he cannot pay, the man himself will be sold to make up for the lose of the animal. IF we had such strict punishments today, how much less theft would we see?
Exodus 22:5 “If a man causes a field or vineyard to be grazed over, or lets his beast loose and it feeds in another man's field, he shall make restitution from the best in his own field and in his own vineyard.
6 “If fire breaks out and catches in thorns so that the stacked grain or the standing grain or the field is consumed, he who started the fire shall make full restitution.
7 “If a man gives to his neighbor money or goods to keep safe, and it is stolen from the man's house, then, if the thief is found, he shall pay double. 8 If the thief is not found, the owner of the house shall come near to God to show whether or not he has put his hand to his neighbor's property. 9 For every breach of trust, whether it is for an ox, for a donkey, for a sheep, for a cloak, or for any kind of lost thing, of which one says, ‘This is it,’ the case of both parties shall come before God. The one whom God condemns shall pay double to his neighbor.
10 “If a man gives to his neighbor a donkey or an ox or a sheep or any beast to keep safe, and it dies or is injured or is driven away, without anyone seeing it, 11 an oath by the Lord shall be between them both to see whether or not he has put his hand to his neighbor's property. The owner shall accept the oath, and he shall not make restitution. 12 But if it is stolen from him, he shall make restitution to its owner. 13 If it is torn by beasts, let him bring it as evidence. He shall not make restitution for what has been torn.
14 “If a man borrows anything of his neighbor, and it is injured or dies, the owner not being with it, he shall make full restitution. 15 If the owner was with it, he shall not make restitution; if it was hired, it came for its hiring fee.
I'm not sure what is meant by "come near to God" or what kind of "oath by the Lord" these verses are referring to. Matthew Henry's Commentary says this on the subject: "It is called an
oath for the Lord (v. 11),
because to him the appeal is made, not only as to a witness of truth,
but as to an avenger of wrong and falsehood. Those that had offered
injury to their neighbour by doing any unjust thing, yet, it might be
hoped, had not so far debauched their consciences as to profane an oath
of the Lord, and call the God of truth to be witness to a lie: perjury
is a sin which natural conscience startles at as much as any other. The
religion of an oath is very ancient, and a plain indication of the
universal belief of a God, and a providence, and a judgment to come."
Exodus 22:16 “If a man seduces a virgin who is not betrothed and lies with her, he shall give the bride-price for her and make her his wife. 17 If her father utterly refuses to give her to him, he shall pay money equal to the bride-price for virgins.
I a man sleeps with an unwed, single woman, he must marry her if her father consents. If there is no consent, the man must still pay for her since he lay with her as a husband with a wife.
Exodus 22:18 “You shall not permit a sorceress to live.
19 “Whoever lies with an animal shall be put to death.
Here "lies with an animal" means engaging with the animal as a man would with his wife. This is an abomination to the Lord who created man in His own image. God also made each creature to reproduce after its kind.
Exodus 22:20 “Whoever sacrifices to any god, other than the Lord alone, shall be devoted to destruction.
God is our one and only God and he is the only one worthy to receive our sacrifices. Since we do not sacrifice using animals today, we can still show our devotion to God by not placing idols or other things in front of God. We must only pray and worship the Lord, and no other.
Exodus 22:21 “You shall not wrong a sojourner or oppress him, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. 22 You shall not mistreat any widow or fatherless child. 23 If you do mistreat them, and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry, 24 and my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.
The Lord really dislikes the mistreatment of widows and orphans. Those who do so will see the wrath of God.
James 1:26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
Here James shows that the Lord wants us to care for and visit the orphans and widows, not neglecting them.
Exodus 22:25 “If you lend money to any of my people with you who is poor, you shall not be like a moneylender to him, and you shall not exact interest from him. 26 If ever you take your neighbor's cloak in pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down, 27 for that is his only covering, and it is his cloak for his body; in what else shall he sleep? And if he cries to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.
28 “You shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler of your people.
Really? This does not say you have to like your ruler, but you are not to curse them. How many Christians today are saying nasty things about our current president. We do not have to like him or his policies, but we should still honor him in his position.
Exodus 22:29 “You shall not delay to offer from the fullness of your harvest and from the outflow of your presses. The firstborn of your sons you shall give to me. 30 You shall do the same with your oxen and with your sheep: seven days it shall be with its mother; on the eighth day you shall give it to me.
The Lord is requiring the first born of all the Israelites and their livestock. He does not mean they must be killed or sacrificed but that they are set apart to God. Since God spared each of their first born sons during the Passover and He also gave His first born son as a sacrifice to save all His people.
Exodus 22:31 “You shall be consecrated to me. Therefore you shall not eat any flesh that is torn by beasts in the field; you shall throw it to the dogs.
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