Exodus 22:19-20 Sacrificing to any god!

19Whoever lies with an animal must surely be put to death.

“Bestiality was not only an obvious perversion: it figured so often in the Canaanite cycle ‘Tales of Baal’ that it probably had a religious significance for the Canaanites.” (Cole)

Increasingly our society is mocking Christianity and increasingly sexual perversion is on the rise. They seem to go hand in hand!

20If anyone sacrifices to any god other than the LORD alone, he must be set apart for destruction.

1 Kings 18: 40Then Elijah ordered them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let a single one escape.” So they seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered them there.

Sacrificing to any god.....

We do this daily without even thinking about it. 

What has become a lord over your daily life? Internet? Social media? Politics? News? Television, alcohol, drugs, sports, porn?

If you cannot go a day without it then it lords over you and it has become a god in your life. You are sacrificing and don’t even realize it!

Turn it off, stop doing it, stop watching it and pick up your Bible or read a Christian book on strengthening your faith. 

Allow the Lord to use you for His kingdom.

Are you occupying your time sacrificing to any god or serving Him?

Blessings, David 

Exodus 22:18 Sorceress and Witch!

18You must not allow a sorceress to live.

Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. KJB

“An enchantress, sorceress, whose help was sometimes sought in enticing young maids to folly. The man-witch is also here meant, but the woman-witch mentioned; both because women are more inclinable to that sin; and also because the weaker sex is not to be spared for this fault.” (Trapp)

Sorceress: “verb is to use incantations, magic, sorcery, or the arts of witchcraft. Our English ‘witch’ is alleged to have come from ‘to wit,’ i.e., ‘to know,’ in the adjectival wittigh or wittich, contracted to witch. The Greeks rendered our word by pharmakos (‘poisoners’), since sorcerers dealt in drugs and pharmaceutical potions.” (Kaiser)

In my lifetime, I’ve known a few women that were witches.

“It is clearly against the will of God that in this life men should hold any communication with the spirit world, save that of direct fellowship with Himself, through His Son, by the Holy Spirit.” (Morgan)

If a sorcerer deals in drugs and a person becomes a user and or addicted, have they fallen under a spell (incantation)?

Blessings, David 

Exodus 22:16-17 Dowry and Marriage

16If a man seduces a virgin who is not pledged in marriage and sleeps with her, he must pay the full dowry for her to be his wife.

“This was an exceedingly wise and humane law, and must have operated powerfully against seduction and fornication; because the person who might feel inclined to take the advantage of a young woman knew that he must marry her, and giver her a dowry.” (Clarke).

“Since a man has taken a girl without paying bride-price, bride-price he must pay, for who else will pay it now?” (Cole)

17If her father absolutely refuses to give her to him, the man still must pay an amount comparable to the bridal price of a virgin.

“This one consideration was a powerful curb on disorderly passions, and must tend greatly to render marriages respectable, and prevent all crimes of this nature.” (Cole)

If abstinence until marriage was adhered to, the abortion industry would collapse and die.

Do you think our society respects marriage?

Blessings, David 

Exodus 22:14-15 Basic rules of Borrowing!

14If a man borrows an animal from his neighbor and it is injured or dies while its owner is not present, he must make full restitution. 15If the owner was present, no restitution is required. If the animal was rented, the fee covers the loss.

Animals were a tool used for livelihood and these laws were used to guide judges in decisions of a loss. But sometimes no one is to blame.

Years ago a guy I worked with borrowed a tool and broke it. He returned it broken and didn’t replace it with a new one. 

It was the last time I loaned him a tool.

Common sense tells us if we borrow something and break it, replace it!

Have you ever borrowed something and broken it, did you replace it?

Blessings, David

Exodus 22:9-13 Finders Keepers!

9In all cases of illegal possession of an ox, a donkey, a sheep, a garment, or any lost item that someone claims, ‘This is mine,’ both parties shall bring their cases before the judges. The one whom the judges find guiltyc must pay back double to his neighbor.

10If a man gives a donkey, an ox, a sheep, or any other animal to be cared for by his neighbor, but it dies or is injured or stolen while no one is watching, 11an oath before the LORD shall be made between the parties to determine whether or not the man has taken his neighbor’s property. The owner must accept the oath and require no restitution.

12But if the animal was actually stolen from the neighbor, he must make restitution to the owner.

13If it was torn to pieces, he shall bring it as evidence; he need not make restitution for the torn carcass.

“An object has been lost: the owner later sees a similar object in possession of his neighbor, and claims it as his own. The Israelites apparently did not follow the Anglo-Saxon dictum of ‘finders are keepers’: a lost object remains the possession of the original owner, who can claim it on sight.” (Cole)

Finders, keepers! When I was a child we had a sled for a hill in our local park that my father bought for us and he burned an inscription of our last name and address on the bottom side.

One day it disappeared and sometime after a neighbor kid and I decided to go sledding and he grabs “his” sled. I look at it and it looks like ours so I turned it over and there is my father’s inscription!

The kid made a comment, finders keepers. A fight I ensues and I took our sled home.

We didn’t have a Hebrew judge in our neighborhood!

“Hebrew, the gods: so judges are called, if good especially (Psalm 82:6). And the seat of judicature is called the holy place (Ecclesiastes 8:10).” (Trapp)

The reoccurring theme in these laws are restitution and justice.

Do you think our system of justice has both restitution and justice for the victims?

Blessings, David 

Exodus 22:7-8 Good Steward?

7If a man gives his neighbor money or goods for safekeeping and they are stolen from the neighbor’s house, the thief, if caught, must pay back double. 8If the thief is not found, the owner of the house must appear before the judges to determine whether he has taken his neighbor’s property.

The man became the steward or manager of his neighbors money or goods so he is morally responsible for them.

This principle also includes what God gives us to steward or manage for Him.

Do you remember the parable of the talents (coins)?

The Parable of the Talents

(Luke 19:11-27)

14For it is just like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted them with his possessions. 15To one he gave five talents, to another two talents, and to another one talent—each according to his own ability. And he went on his journey.

16The servant who had received the five talents went at once and put them to work and gained five more. 17Likewise, the one with the two talents gained two more. 18But the servant who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money.

19After a long time, the master of those servants returned to settle accounts with them. 20The servant who had received the five talents came and presented five more. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’

21His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!’

22The servant who had received the two talents also came and said, ‘Master, you entrusted me with two talents. See, I have gained two more.’

23His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!’

24Finally, the servant who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Master, I knew that you are a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25So in my fear, I went and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what belongs to you.’

26‘You wicked, lazy servant!’ replied his master. ‘You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed. 27Then you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received it back with interest.

28Therefore take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten talents. 29For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 30And throw that worthless servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Have you been a good steward of what He has given you?

Blessings, David 

Exodus 22:5-6 Full Restitution!

5If a man grazes his livestock in a field or vineyard and allows them to stray so that they graze in someone else’s field, he must make restitution from the best of his own field or vineyard.

6If a fire breaks out and spreads to thornbushes so that it consumes stacked or standing grain, or the whole field, the one who started the fire must make full restitution.

“These laws also began by laying emphasis on the guilt of carelessness. The truth emphasized is that no man must live his life on the basis of selfishness or wholly alone and that wrong inflicted on neighbor by neighbor in the material realm becomes sin against God in the moral realm.” (Morgan)

Accidents happen and our responsibilities as a Christian is to have insurance or as some states allow a bond for carelessness.

We must make full restitution!

Blessings, David 

Exodus 22:1-4 FULL Restitution!

1“If a man steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters or sells it, he must repay five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep.

2If a thief is caught breaking in and is beaten to death, no one shall be guilty of bloodshed. 3But if it happens after sunrise, there is guilt for his bloodshed.

A thief must make full restitution; if he has nothing, he himself shall be sold for his theft. 4If what was stolen is actually found alive in his possession—whether ox or donkey or sheep—he must pay back double.

Slaughters or sells....”he must repay five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep.”

“There is a heavier fine for this, since such action presumably shows deliberate intent to steal.” (Cole)

Verse 2 shows us property owners have rights by protecting him if there is bloodshed but in verse 3 we see the thief’s rights.....

FULL restitution! “A thief must make full restitution; if he has nothing, he himself shall be sold for his theft.” The thief becomes a slave!

“found alive in his possession—whether ox or donkey or sheep—he must pay back double.” Two for one, a crime deterrent!

What would our society be like today if FULL restitution was I enforced?

Have you ever stolen (taken) anything that wasn’t yours? 

I’m guilty!

Because of my guilt I am thankful for Jesus Christ and His gift of salvation!

Blessings, David 

Exodus 21:33-36 Consequences!

33If a man opens or digs a pit and fails to cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it, 34the owner of the pit shall make restitution; he must pay its owner, and the dead animal will be his.

35If a man’s ox injures his neighbor’s ox and it dies, they must sell the live one and divide the proceeds; they also must divide the dead animal. 36But if it was known that the ox had a habit of goring, yet its owner failed to restrain it, he shall pay full compensation, ox for ox, and the dead animal will be his.”

“More likely for grain storage than water storage. Pits were also used as traps for animals (2 Samuel 23:20) or prisons for men (Genesis 37:24).” (Cole)

“To a struggling Israelite farmer, fair payment for the death of an ox might mean the difference between life and death, or at least between freedom and slavery for debt.” (Cole)

Responsibility for the consequences of an individual’s actions against another.

Today we use insurance as a means of restitution to another. But there are some who don’t purchase insurance and drive without it.

I have a friend that spent six months restoring a pickup truck. He was sitting at a stop sign and someone rear ended him doing an estimated speed of 55 mph and totaled his truck. The person didn’t have insurance and he didn’t carry collision, so he lost the value he invested not including his labor.

I wonder under these laws in this scripture, how this consequence would be handled?

Blessings, David 

Exodus 21:28-32 Blood-Guilt!

28If an oxg gores a man or woman to death, the ox must surely be stoned, and its meat must not be eaten. But the owner of the ox shall not be held responsible.

29But if the ox has a habit of goring, and its owner has been warned yet does not restrain it, and it kills a man or woman, then the ox must be stoned and its owner must also be put to death. 30If payment is demanded of him instead, he may redeem his life by paying the full amount demanded of him.

31If the ox gores a son or a daughter, it shall be done to him according to the same rule.

32If the ox gores a manservant or maidservant, the owner must pay thirty shekels of silver to the master of that servant, and the ox must be stoned.

“This served to keep up a due detestation of murder, whether committed by man or beast; and at the same time punished the man as far as possible, by the total loss of the beast.” (Clarke)

“Even in Israel, a slave was still a man: his blood brings blood-guilt, like that of any other man.” (Cole)

“the owner must pay thirty shekels of silver”...

Matthew 26: 15and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I hand Him over to you?” And they set out for him thirty pieces of silver.

I find this interesting, 30 pieces of silver for blood-guilt of a manservant, maidservant and Jesus!

Blessings, David 

Exodus 21:26-27 Cautious and Circumspect!

26If a man strikes and blinds the eye of his manservant or maidservant, he must let the servant go free as compensation for the eye. 27And if he knocks out the tooth of his manservant or maidservant, he must let the servant go free as compensation for the tooth.

Guiding the behavior of the master, they must be cautious! 

“If this did not teach them humanity, it taught them caution, as one rash blow might have deprived them of all right to the future services of the slave; and this self-interest obliged them to be cautious and circumspect.” (Clarke)

Never deal with someone out of anger, wait until the anger subsides, then address the situation at hand. You will be all the wiser for it.

Blessings, David 

Exodus 21:22-25 Accidental Assault

22If men who are fighting strike a pregnant woman and her child is born prematurely, but there is no further injury, he shall surely be fined as the woman’s husband demands and as the court allows.

“For the accidental assault, the offender must still pay some compensation, even though both mother and child survived… .The fee would be set by the woman’s husband and approved by a decision of the court.” (Kaiser)

23But if a serious injury results, then you must require a life for a life— 24eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25burn for burn, wound for wound, and stripe for stripe.

How would our justice system be today if these laws were followed?

Blessings, David 

Exodus 21:20-21 A Slave Becomes a Person!

20If a man strikes his manservant or maidservant with a rod, and the servant dies by his hand, he shall surely be punished. 21However, if the servant gets up after a day or two, the owner shall not be punished, since the servant is his property.

“The great advance on ancient thinking is that the slave is considered here as a person.” (Cole)

“The aim of this law was not to place the slave at the master’s mercy but to restrict the master’s power over him.” (Kaiser)

“Is literally ‘because he is his money.’ The point is not that men are mere chattel… but that the owner has an investment in this slave that he stands to lose either by death… or by emancipation.” (Kaiser)

While researching my family tree about my fourth great grandfather who fought in the American Revolutionary War, I had found a will and testament from his father in law. It listed all of his property and included in the property were several slaves. I believe all the property was liquidated. I don’t know if the slaves were set free or sold.

It was a good part of our history that under Abraham Lincoln, a slave changed from property to a free person but it would take almost a hundred years before they had equal rights under the law.

God set laws in place so judges knew how to make decisions with legal cases brought before them. 

Paul in the Book of Philemon dealt with slavery.

Will you read it?

Blessings, David 

Exodus 21:18-19 Personal Injury and Compensation!

18If men are quarreling and one strikes the other with a stone or a fist, and he does not die but is confined to bed, 19then the one who struck him shall go unpunished, as long as the other can get up and walk around outside with his staff. Nevertheless, he must compensate the man for his lost work and see that he is completely healed.

Personal injury and compensation laws! Unfortunately the deceitful have abused these and turned them into more than what was intended by God.

Some people have no honor.

I had a friend, God rest his soul, who was a private jet pilot. He flew around the world transporting dignitaries. His employment contract stipulated the compensation he would receive if he was let go. He got in on the ground floor and helped build the company. One day the company changed management and he was let go.

He was a honorable man and instead of bankrupting the company he asked for and received $25,000. Instead of his contract stipulated terms.

It was interesting management was unaware of his contract!

He used the funds to open a different business.

How would we react if we were injured and lost ability to work?

The answer is simple.

Just ask yourself, what would Jesus do?

Blessings, David 

Exodus 21:15-17 Strikes, Kidnaps and Curses!

15He who strikes his father or mother must surely be put to death.

16Whoever kidnaps another man must be put to death, whether he sells him or the man is found in his possession.

17Anyone who curses his father or mother must surely be put to death.

Context, strikes a man so that he dies...,

Exodus 21:12 NASB "He who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death.

A child who murders a parent must receive capital punishment.

Kidnapping a human being...

“Kidnapping for slavery was common in the ancient world” (Cole), and is here clearly prohibited.

“Kidnapping is not a property offense since no property offense draws a capital punishment, and this law is not listed under property laws. Instead, it is the theft of a human being.” (Kaiser)

Curses a parent....

“Since to curse was to will and pray the downfall of the other with all one’s heart, it represented the attitude from which sprang acts like striking or murder.” (Cole)

What would society be like today if these laws were followed?

Blessings, David 

Exodus 21:12-14 The Death Penalty!

12Whoever strikes and kills a man must surely be put to death. 13If, however, he did not lie in wait, but God allowed it to happen, then I will appoint for you a place where he may flee.

14But if a man schemes and acts willfully against his neighbor to kill him, you must take him away from My altar to be put to death.

Capital punishment is in the Bible and is approved by God, verified by His word.

He proclaims murderers defiled (pollute) the land. 

Moreover you shall take no ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death, but he shall surely be put to death… So you shall not pollute the land where you are; for blood defiles the land, and no atonement can be made for the land, for the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it. Therefore do not defile the land which you inhabit, in the midst of which I dwell; for I the LORD dwell among the children of Israel.(Numbers 35:31, 33-34)

And look what He says in Romans.

Romans 13: 3For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but bad. Do you want to be unafraid of the one in authority? Then do what is right, and you will have his approval. 4For he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not carry the sword in vain. He is God’s servant, an agent of retribution to the wrongdoer.

“From the earliest times the nearest akin had a right to revenge the murder of his relation, and as this right was universally acknowledged, no law was ever made on the subject; but as this might be abused, and a person who had killed another accidentally, having had no previous malice against him, might be put to death by the avenger of blood, as the nearest kinsman was termed, therefore God provided the cities of refuge to which the accidental manslayer might flee till the affair was inquired into, and settled by the civil magistrate.” (Clarke)

But here in the United States many murders are committed and so few are brought to justice and have received the death penalty. It would seem there is no deterrent for the crime of murder.

I worked with a gentleman who’s adult daughter was murdered. He ended up raising his granddaughter.

Do you know someone who has lost someone to the crime of murder?

Lift them up in prayer and that the murderer will be brought to justice.

Blessings, David 

Exodus 21:7-11 Daughters, Servitude and Marriage!

7And if a man sells his daughter as a servant, she is not to go free as the menservants do. 8If she is displeasing in the eyes of her master who had designated her for himself, he must allow her to be redeemed. He has no right to sell her to foreigners, since he has broken faith with her. 9And if he chooses her for his son, he must deal with her as with a daughter. 10If he takes another wife, he must not reduce the food, clothing, or marital rights of his first wife. 11If, however, he does not provide her these three things, she is free to go without monetary payment.

“if a man sells his daughter as a servant,”....

“Refers to a girl who is sold by her father, not for slavery, but for marriage.” (Kaiser)

“Probably the origin of the custom was the same in either case: to avoid paying a higher bride-price at a later age, and to rear the future daughter-in-law within the family, ensuring that she ‘fitted in’. Such an attitude to slaves abolishes slavery, except in name.” (Cole)

“he must allow her to be redeemed”....

“Should the terms of marriage not be fulfilled, it is to be considered a breach of contract, and the purchaser must allow the girl to be redeemed.” (Kaiser)

“He has no right to sell her to foreigners”.....

“Even if he has wearied of her, he cannot sell her to another master: that would be a breach of marriage obligation to her.” (Cole)

“he must not reduce the food, clothing, or marital rights of his first wife”....

“The word translated food should perhaps be rendered ‘meat’: it means, say the commentators, the wife’s fair share of luxuries, not mere subsistence allowance, which any slave would get.” (Cole)

“however, he does not provide her these three things, she is free to go”....

“The right of a parent to sell his daughter was carefully guarded against abuse.” (Thomas)

We have to remind ourselves this was their custom of daughters, servitude and marriage.

“The girl in this circumstance – out of her birth home, released by her natural parents – had no natural protector in that society. God directed the judges of Israel to be her protector.” (Guzik)

Fast forward to today, how has society changed in regards to marriage?

Blessings, David 

Exodus 21:5-6 Mark of the Master!

5But if the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children; I do not want to go free,’ 6then his master is to bring him before the judges.a And he shall take him to the door or doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he shall serve his master for life.

“The ‘judges’ changed the slave’s status from temporary to permanent by a ceremony at the doorpost of the master’s house.” (Kaiser)

The bond slave, “I know I have fulfilled my obligations to my master, and I have served what I have owed. Yet I love my master and am so grateful for what he has given that I will gladly obligate myself for life, not out of debt or shame or defeat, but out of love.” (Guzik)

In the past people have sold themselves because of debt, hunger, passage to another country, etc.

When we accept Jesus as our Master we also become a bond slave to Him, serving Him for life.

He marks us spiritually just as this picture in this scripture of piercing an ear with an awl.

Do you have the mark of the Master?

Blessings, David 

Exodus 21:1-4 Ordinances

1“These are the ordinances that you are to set before them:

2If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, he shall go free without paying anything. 

“These ‘laws,’ or, better, ‘judgments’ (mispatim), are given as precedents to guide Israel’s civil magistrates in the cases of civil dispute.” (Kaiser)

3If he arrived alone, he is to leave alone; if he arrived with a wife, she is to leave with him. 4If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the woman and her children shall belong to her master, and only the man shall go free.

“Moses did not institute slavery in any shape; the laws concerning it were made on purpose to repress it, to confine it within very narrow bounds, and ultimately to put an end to it.” (Spurgeon)

Slavery is a past our country shares with the ancient world. It was ended by Abraham Lincoln with the Emancipation Proclamation, by executive order and was later passed by Congress.

But there is still slavery occurring in our country today. Sex slavery, also known as sex trafficking. I believe it’s fueled by pornography and a godless society.

What can we do about it? Pray! If you see it, report it. 

There are special units designated to curtail it.

Some countries use slave labor to produce products.

If it’s known a certain product is produced with slave labor, don’t purchase it.

I recall a woman’s purse that was in the news and buried in the lining was a note written in Chinese, it said something to the effect that she was being forced (slave labor) to produce the purse.

Slavery has no bounds, it affects all races, sexes, man, woman and child.

Pray for an end to slavery in all forms.

Blessings, David 

Exodus 20:24-26 In opposition to costly shrines!

24You are to make for Me an altar of earth, and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and peace offerings, your sheep and goats and cattle. In every place where I cause My name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you.

25Now if you make an altar of stones for Me, you must not build it with stones shaped by tools; for if you use a chisel on it, you will defile it. 26And you must not go up to My altar on steps, lest your nakedness be exposed on it.’

Deuteronomy 27: 5Moreover, you shall build there an altar to the LORD your God, an altar of stones. You must not use any iron tool on them. 6You shall build the altar of the LORD your God with uncut stones and offer upon it burnt offerings to the LORD your God. 7There you are to sacrifice your peace offerings, eating them and rejoicing in the presence of the LORD your God. 

Altar of earth.....

“In opposition to the costly shrines and services of those dunghill deities.” (Trapp)

Trapp cuts to the chase, dunghill deities!

The Lord didn’t want altars to draw attention away from atonement of sins and sacrifice, because it would draw attention to man and his accomplishments!

I recall studying Abraham and the altar he built to sacrifice his son as the Lord requested. I always wondered, why a simple stone altar?

It was “In opposition to the costly shrines and services of those dunghill deities”!

Let that statement sink in and glance around the world today. 

Can you point out any costly shrines of dunghill deities?

Blessings, David 

Exodus 20:22-23 Idolatry!

22Then the LORD said to Moses, “This is what you are to tell the Israelites: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have spoken to you from heaven. 23You are not to make any gods alongside Me; you are not to make for yourselves gods of silver or gold.

Leviticus 19: 4Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves molten gods. I am the LORD your God.

1 Corinthians 10: 14Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.

Idolatry worship displeases the Lord in any form! 

The Lord is Spirit!

2 Corinthians 3: 17Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

The Lord made us in His image!

Genesis 1: 27So God created man in His own image;

in the image of God He created him;

male and female He created them.

How many of you believe that Genesis 1:27 refers to our human form?

It’s not, it refers to our soul, our spirit!

God doesn’t want us worshipping any man made form!

He is Spirit and we have a spirit He placed in us, our spirit (soul).

The Old Testament is full of examples when the Israelites were led astray with idolatry worship and the Lord brought judgement upon them.

Do you practice idolatry, do you pray to statues?

Blessings, David